There are two rose bushes in my yard, separated by a sidewalk. I do not know their names or variety. I do know they are most similar and yet quite different. A ‘rose is a rose’ may be correct as a species, but the variety of colours and blooms, sizes and shapes don’t give that statement  much credence in my limited experience. I have enjoyed roses since the first time I had the pleasure to smell a bloom, now so very many years ago. I have seen roses that spread to cover entire fences; roses that grew on a trellis stretching higher than 10 feet or more. I once grew a rose that bloomed almost year round (in Florida) with gorgeously vivid red blooms. (one of the Imperial varieties) At least until I trimmed it back to keep it from growing into the gutter and covering a window. It must have taken offense at loosing nearly half it’s growth, for it never bloomed again for over 3 years. But the two roses in my yard now are the topic, so I’ll return to them.

The one on the right grows tall and blooms frequently with a softly coloured yellow bloom. It’s stems are long and slender and have few thorns. Trimming it back only seems to make it grow faster and bloom more. It is a running rose, and without trimming it back, it would be well onto the roof by now. And though it’s fragrance is slight, it is still a perceptible delight to a nose as much as it’s bloom is pleasing to the eyes.

The rose on the left while growing not as tall, is thick stemmed and somewhat bushy with numerous wickedly sharp thorns. One cannot handle it’s stems without gloves and it requires exceedingly concentrated care when trimming or it will shred the careless skin that contacts it stems. It’s lovely orange red blooms are mildly fragrant requiring not a quick sniff, but a slow, deliberate inhalation to make the most of the moment. Frequent trimming of the decaying blooms hastens the rebirth of new blooms, but still at a much slower pace than that of it’s neighbor across the sidewalk.

Two roses, different in many ways, but sharing the common ground of beauty to please the eyes and scents that please the nose. So alike, yet so different.