from a couple of sticks to a beautiful Confederate Rose

Y'all know I'm new to this gardening stuff, right? I barely know how to get a plant into the ground. Well, last year about this time we were visiting my mother in law in Dublin, Georgia and I saw the most beautiful blooming plant ever.

It had white and pink blooms on the same beautiful bush! Amazing.

"What is it?" I asked my mother in law.

"Confederate Rose" she responded.

"Wow" said I.

Wow, indeed. "I have to have some of that plant!" I screamed.

My mother in law is a kind and generous woman. She took me at my word and, on a visit a couple of months later, I found three long sticks in a five gallon bucket of water to take home. Three sticks. In a bucket of water. I thanked her profusely and dutifully carried the sticks home where I promptly stuck them on the back porch for about, oh, six weeks or so. I did add water to the bucket periodically.

You see, I had no earthly idea what to do with those darn sticks. How exactly does one deal with three long sticks in a bucket of water? She told me to plant them in the ground but somehow my brain just couldn't process that information. I mean, come on, how do I plant them in the ground? They're sticks! How deep? Where? Then what? You've probably figured out by the myriad of questions that ran through my mind that I was paralyzed with fear. I had no idea what to do!

Y'all can probably guess what happened next. Eventually my mother in law came for a visit to my house and there those sticks were, still in the bucket. I wasn't home at the time, but I heard from my sweetheart that she was none too pleased. Those sticks had to go into the ground. Soon!

Somehow I managed to gather my strength and resolve, along with a spade and that bucket of sticks, and get them planted in the ground. As I stood back to observe my handy work all I could think was, "this can't possibly work". But I spent the rest of the summer dutifully putting water on those jokers every single day. I was determined to make them live but if they did die I certainly didn't want to be faulted for lack of watering.

And then an amazing thing happened. Those sticks started to sprout! Eventually those sprouts turned into beautiful green leaves! It was a miracle I tell ya. Through out all of this sprouting period I dared not hope that the sticks would produce blooms. In fact, I chastised myself every time that stray hope wandered through my brain. Until one day while shopping the semiannual Master Gardener's Plant sale a couple of months ago I got to chatting with a lady about my sticks. She disagreed with me when I mentioned that I figured they wouldn't bloom this year. She told me to go home and look for buds.

Well folks, I'm here to tell ya I started to get a little hopeful and a wee tad excited. The next day I got out there with that lady's words ringing through my head and checked out each nook and cranny of those sticks and their sprouts. And lo and behold, I found flower buds. Wow! I was out there every day after that, marveling as bud after bud appeared on all three sticks. The dark cloud of doubt still hung over me as I watched those buds mature and realized that I would be out of town for a few days very soon. Would I miss the first bloom?!

Turns out that I didn't miss it at all. The first bloom popped out the day before I headed out of town. And what followed upon my return was a flush of plump, beautiful fluffy flowers that were beyond all of my hopes and dreams. It was nothing short of a miracle, I tell ya. And I am so utterly amazed by this entire wondrous process called gardening.

Comments

[teresa]

What a cool and beautiful flower. But what IS it? Is it a rose - doesn't really look like it belongs in the rose family. I'm quite impressed with your gardening skills!

[31everything]

Beautiful flowers :)

[Jennifer Rose]

ooh that is a gorgeous rose :D out of 5 rose sticks we planted only 2 lived, but at least thats something alive lol

[donna]

My goodness, you're very good at growing sticks. These are stunning photos. Now I, too, want a Confederate Rose.

[Jennifer]

Gardening IS a miracle -- every day, every time, every plant. Congratulations on bringing to life your own gorgeous miracle!!

[aBohemianMarket]

Hi Felicia:
Those "sticks" certainly came into their own!!! I have never heard of Confederate Roses and I am glad you showed them to us. They are absolutely gorgeous!!!]
I bet your Mother-In-Law is proud of you too!!!
Take care and have a lovely weekend.
peace
carole

[Diana]

They are gorgeous!