That's funny. I spent my lawn mowing and painting money on books, plants, and lunch, in that order. Mostly, I bought tropicals, little starter plants. My grandmother lived 5 hours away, and she and I would trade cuttings. I was always trying to find a plant she didn't already have. Since she didn't drive, she was limited to what she swapped with friends. At 16, I was driving all over Kansas City looking for new plants. She had a Seven Sisters rose in her yard, and I'm sad that I never started a cutting off of it.
The first "new" rose I remember buying was Olympiad. I had a brand new house, and I was working a 2nd job at a place called "The Olympiad", and a friend got to go to the Olympics, so the name attracted me. I planted it next to Oklahoma. None of my roses at that house did well because the builder left heavy clay up by the house, and I fought that clay for years. I learned what NOT to do at that house.
Today is probably our last warm day, as a front is coming through, bringing much needed rain. I have tulip bulbs to plant, along with trees, peonies, daffodils and some clearance mums and pansies. And I want to watch the Royals game. And I have to work. At least we got all the grass seed in this morning, all 50 lbs of it!
We're now in the final hours of the last gasp...and I'm welcoming fall, just to have a break!
