It has been the emblem of war
and token of love.
It will touch your heart and prick
your finger at the same time.
It can reach nine to ten feet in height or
cling as softly as moss to the earth.

Few dare to challenge its unquestionable rank, for it is the elegant monarch of the flower kingdom.  It is the mighty Rose, with no intention of relinquishing its dynasty.
 
Those subject to the rose are passionate in their aspirations to have a beautiful variety of roses at their fingertips and in their gardens.  Though the results may be dazzling, rosarians, like skilled athletes, make the work look easy.  It may be fun and the rewards incredible, but it’s not at all easy.  It takes hard labor and dedication.

If you visit Mary Helen Fleming, you’ll find the dedicated rose gardener who appreciates every single bloom.  Though many varieties course through her yard, she is definitely on first name basis with all.  A new variety, called Germiston Gold, currently holds her attention.

Mary Helen became an enthusiast some 15 to 20 years ago, and now has over 150 different varieties.  She inherited her mother’s fondness for the plant, watching her mother raise them as she grew up.

She is a member of a close-knit group of rose lovers, the Ramer Rose Society.  They share varieties, new gardening tips, trials, and tribulations as well.  They talk about new fangled and some times downright odd ideas they hear will encourage better blooms and vivid colors.  Whatever they are doing, or just how they do it, works.  Their roses are phenomenal.

Mary Helen says her system for continually having a beautiful garden includes lots of fertilizer blended into the soil she mixes up.  She discovered that cotton seed hulls and alfalfa pellets help hold the moisture to help feed the flowers.  With the hulls plentiful, it has become a staple in the rose gardens around the area.

Without naming any particular favorites, Mary Helen cites Touch of Class, Elina and Limelight for quick reference to great looking blooms.  Another beautiful new rose is named Nine Eleven.