It All Began Eight Years Ago...

On June 7th, I received a special gift.  I've written about this before - back in 2011 -  Maid Marion Blog Post - but now the story has an ending.

Last month, I was presented a rose bush named for my mother, Marion.
It all began a week after my mother passed away in 2007 when I went to our local garden shop to get roses for a memorial rose garden.  I spent many hours with a wonderful, warm lady - Marci - who helped me that day in so many ways (with roses and a shoulder to cry on).  Before I left, I asked Marci if there was a rose named Marion.  My dad was grieving deeply at the time and I thought it would be a great gift for him.  But Marci couldn't think of any with my mom's name.

That simple question was the end of my involvement.  Marci, however,  did not let it go.  Over the next few years,  she had contacted England's largest breeder of roses, David Austin, and relayed my story along with the suggestion that they may want to do a "Sherwood Forest" series with roses named Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marion.

To sum it all up - David Austin took Marci's suggestion and the Maid Marion was available for the first time in the United States this year.

Marci presented my "Maid Marion" to me at the June 7th meeting of the CT Rose Society at Woodland Gardens - where the story began eight  long years ago.

It hadn't bloomed yet when I received it,

but it didn't take long.

It is sweetly scented with petals of so many shades of pink!

Quite a beauty - just like my mom!

So many thanks to Marci and David Austin Roses for making this happen!

“Life is an echo. What you send out, comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.”

—Zig Ziglar