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This is a very hardy rose bush. I can’t remember if it’s classed as a climber- I don’t think so, but it is quite tall. It grows to at least 10 feet in my garden. The red blooms are lightly scented too.
This particular rose has a history in my family.
We purchased our house in May of 2001, but we weren’t set to take possession until the end of June. My parents happened to come to Toronto in mid June of that year for my brothers birthday and while they were visiting we brought them over the our “house to be”. Since we hadn’t pre-arranged a visit to the house with the former owners they didn’t let us in. One of the home owners was apparently sleeping, so my parents only got to see the outside of the house.
We moved into our home at the end of June 2001 and we got busy refinishing the floors, repainting every room of the house and doing many other smaller jobs to make the home our own. As a result I didn’t visit with my parents again until September of that year, and then again in October. My fathers health declined during that period and he died in December of that year. He never got to see the inside of our house in person – although he did see many photos and heard lots of stories about what we were doing.
The following summer my mother came to visit us for a week. He brother lived in a smaller town outside of Toronto and he was sick in the hospital. We brought her to visit him several times during her visit. Unfortunately about two weeks after she went home my uncle passed away. My mother came back to Toronto for the funeral and stayed with us for a few days.
While my mother was in town that second time we went out and picked out a rose for her home. We chose Sympathie because of it’s beauty and name. I think my mother meant it to be a tribute to her brother and possibly even my father.
The rose thrived and grew besides my mothers front steps for a year and then my mother became sick with cancer. She passed away in August 2003. My siblings and I went through all of the items in the house and either divided them up or gave them away to charities.
One of the items that I decided to take was the Sympathie rose. This rose now thrives in my backyard, growing larger and more beautiful each year. As are many of the plants and items in my garden I now think of this rose as a tribute to the memory of my mother, father and uncle.
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Debbie says
What a sweet story! It is a beautiful rose and a wonderful tribute to your mother! I had a Don Juan in my yard in TN that was planted when my mother passed. But I left it because we did not have a place for it during the in between time and I feared it dying. My plans are to find one this spring. Lovely picture and a good tug on the heart strings!
Alice says
What a lovely, though sad, story about a very beautiful rose. I hope it thrives for many years and continues to remind you of your loved ones.
Colleen says
This is a beautiful photo, and I’m glad that you have something so gorgeous, something you can look at every day, to tie you to the memories of your family.
Christine says
That’s a beautiful tribute, and a lovely rose.
Peanut says
I love that flower, it’s so pretty. I’m sorry about your mother…
Happy Green Thumb Sunday!
Mrs Lifecruiser says
That is a very beautiful Rose! Sounds magificent – a real “her highness”. And the story to match it is even more beautiful.
That’s how life sometimes can be, filled with sorrows but still there is these things that gives us comfort and joy and memories which makes life worth living 🙂
deb says
Tricia, that’s such a touching story and what a wonderful tribute.
It reminds me of the lady who lived across the street from me for several years. She was an old schoolteacher of mine and when she passed, her daughter spent lots of time in the yard removing flowers and plants that her mother had so lovingly tended over many, many years. I’m sure she’s taken good care of them, just as I’m sure that you’ve taken extra good care of this rose 🙂