In Defense of the Rose...Or Not by Melinda Curtis

I've always loved roses. My grandmother had a beautiful garden which featured various varieties of roses. My mother planted roses throughout her garden. I love their buds. I love it when they open. I love the sweet smell. And I especially love to be given a bouquet of roses! Sigh...

When my husband and I bought our house, my mother planted three different varieties of roses in our backyard. A beautiful yellow climbing rose, a traditional red rose, and a circus rose (which have always reminded me of the yellows and pinks of sherbet). Now, 25 years later, those rose bushes still thrive, but the trunks are thick and you could open an IV with the thorns, they're so very long, thin, and sharp!

I've tried cutting them back regularly. They come back with a vengeance - almost like a weed! My climbing rose has been sending shoots underground and toward my brick walkway. My husband cut back the circus and red roses because they sent shoots into the pool filter equipment. I've starting to think of them like the plant in the Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II) - don't turn your back!

Is this any way to think about my beloved roses? Is there a plant or flower that you've developed a love-hate relationship with?

Melinda Curtis is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes both sweet and steamier romances. Her latest release - One Perfect Year - is a sweet, light-hearted romance from Harlequin Heartwarming.

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