| I've only been to AZ one time in my whole life, about ten years ago when my FIL had a heart attack. He was in a VA hospital, near Phoenix I think, and the building was built around a central courtyard. Inside the courtyard was a beautiful rose garden. These were some of the biggest, healthiest rose bushes I ever saw. None of them had any kind of label, so not sure what type they were. But I can tell you they were on a drip system, they were not mulched (surprisingly), they were deadheaded regularly. It was late July, so it was very hot out there, but almost every plant was in bloom. These roses were planted about 10' apart, and had no companion plantings. The soil around the base of each plant appeared to be somewhat compacted, but it was sandy soil. And the soil sloped like a funnel towards the base of each plant, which forced water towards the main stem. I surmised that these roses were being grown organically, because of the proximity to so many sick people, and also because of the many bees, butterflies and other insects buzzing around the blooms. I tried to find out who did the gardening there, but it was a weekend and nobody seemed to know. I would have loved to have talked to him about the garden, but I never did. And yes, my FIL recovered, hasn't been back in that facility, and is feisty as ever. Cheryl |
