Rose Bud
I don't care if it is trite, my favorite flower is a classic rose. Growing up in Pennsylvania, my mother tended a climbing rose bush - s ome kind of tea rose, ornamenting a trellis. So now that I have my own home, with plenty of spots that glean at least 6 hours of full sun a day, I'm experimenting with my first Florida rose bush. I bought it as a small (3 lb) plant in early December 2017 from the my local garden center. It's a hybrid tea rose, called “Secret” from Neslson's Florida Roses . Nelson's roses are grown on Fortuniana rootstock, which is meant for Florida's soil and climate. When I bought the plant, it had about a half a dozen pink and white blooms. I didn't want to shock it by placing it in the ground just yet, so it remains in its pot. I dead-headed after the last flush or roses were gone. Since then, my plant has been growing, and it appears that I have some new buds. My Game Plan: Fertilize once a month (I'm in Southwest Flori...