This is the Purezza Banks’ White Rose. These pretty little roses are once-blooming roses, meaning they only give me flowers once a year for a few weeks, though in cold years, we get the blooms a little longer. I didn’t realize they weren’t repeat bloomers when I planted them. I was in the beginning of my gardening journey, just trying to fill in some space next to the patio.
Gardening by chaos is a great way to learn quickly, but it can also be an expensive and frustrating experience. I’ve killed camellias and scorched succulents and let my herbs go to seed. But it hasn’t been all frustration and failure. These little roses, which were not what I had expected, turned out to be a really pleasant surprise.
Once-Blooming Roses Mark the Seasons
My garden has become a calendar of sorts. I can tell what time of year it is by when my repeat bloomers have their first flush, when the once-blooming roses get started, when the dahlias open up, and when the hellebores make their first appearance. And when the flowers aren’t blooming, well, I know I’ve always got photos to tide me over until they appear again.
It turns out I really like marking the passage of time based on what’s blooming in my garden. If you had asked me before I planted these, though, I would have told you I preferred to have flowers blooming all year round on everything, if possible.
The joy from good, small surprises is a special kind of joy. It’s not showy or overwhelming. It’s just a quiet, peaceful joy, the kind that sneaks up on you and tucks falling petals in your hair or a spare five bucks in your coat pocket from last winter. I hope never to take that kind of joy for granted.