ROSES, MOON, DEER, AND CORN

ROSES, MOON, DEER, AND CORN

You already know, I love the outdoors.

Every summer, some facet of creation captures my attention and holds me hostage. My attention was popular this summer, so it was four things. Let’s start with roses… “roses are red, violets are blue”… an English nursery rhyme made famous in 1784 by Gammer Gurton’s poem Garland: “The rose is red, the violet’s blue, the honey is sweet and so are you.” We all know that all roses aren’t red. My next-door neighbor’s wall of roses accessorizing a retaining wall illustrate that. The wall was missing one color, yellow. We gave her a yellow rose bush for Mother’s Day. That was the beginning of my rose inquiry.

Deer are a challenge. I carefully researched yellow rose bushes, ultimately settling for one that was thorny and undesirable to deer. Her husband planted it, the rose bloomed, and the deer had a midnight snack – immediately. Both wife and husband were perturbed. Neighbor husband who had developed an affection for the roses perked up when I informed him that the deer were working, “sort of,” prematurely with him by biting off the blooms or deadheading. This practice, removing spent or faded blooms, encourages more blooms, and improves the overall appearance of the rosebush. Additionally, wet and rotting flowers promote fungal infections. After a few days of intentional deadheading, he noticed the new growth and a deeper alliance with the  rosebushes was born. As for the deer, he didn’t buy the premature deadheading and planted marigolds to deter them.

A few weeks later, my husband and I were in Napa, California. Roses were blooming at the end of rows of grape vines. My curiosity was piqued. As soon as I could, I asked the tour guide, “Why are roses planted at the end of each row?” A simple and practical reply was given; roses add a touch of color but more importantly they serve as an early warning sign of pests and diseases that may affect grapevines. Roses and grapevines are susceptible to the same diseases and pests. This alarm allows the grower to react quickly to prevent the loss of vines.

Nature is wise and often offers humans simple solutions and insights as the rose did for me and my neighbor this summer. 1) Growth requires deadheading – sometimes it is people and sometimes it is habits that need to be plucked and thrown into the trash. 2) Look for and surround yourself with people and behaviors that warn you of impending danger (marigolds and roses).

What about the Moon and Corn? Stay tuned.

1 Peter 5:8

PONDER THIS THOUGHT---Vigilance may be the best offensive play for growth.

ROSE AND GRAPES