Rosa 'Leander' May 4 2021

Looking at my potted roses on the deck I noticed that the English Rose Rosa ‘Leander’ had an open bloom that was hidden by leaves. It probably opened on May 2. It caught me by surprise. Of this rose I have written here. 

Leander was one of our first English Roses in our old garden in Kerrisdale. We probably got it in the late 1990s. We moved it to Kits but it died on that first spring. It made Rosemary very sad because English Roses that were introduced years ago are rarely available. Her friend Mary last year brought a rose that she thought was Leander. It was and it made Rosemary supremely happy. 

There is a belief among Aboriginal Canadians that if one survives a winter one can hope for another year of existence come spring. I wrote about that here. I smile as I look at my Leander but I am also instantly sad that Rosemary did not survive the winter of 2020 to see one of her fave roses in bloom. 

There is a thought that does make me smile. I believe I may have been Leander to Rosemary's Hero.