This rose illustrates for me how an unremarkable plant can become enchanting given the right situation. I originally started with two plants of ‘Scarlet Meidiland’ that I picked up at bargain basement price during Wayside Garden’s annual online sale. One plant kept getting really bad black spot and had to be removed. This other one, planted in a different location, was always less troubled by black spot and so I kept it though I never really liked it much. I don’t really like the color red in my garden.
A few years ago, I had to prune ‘Scarlet Meidiland’ to the ground in order to put in this ramp for my cats so they could go out into their enclosure in the yard. The plant surprised me by coming back stronger the next year, and making a really lovely effect by hanging its canes over the support beam of the ramp. As Carol Klein likes to say on Gardeners’ World, it’s all about “the right plant in the right location.”
I also have a great photo of a chipmunk eating a bud off of my ‘Scarlet Meidiland,’ which I’ll upload as soon as I can find it!
Update (May 6, 2019): I finally found those photos of the chipmunk. Sorry about the photo quality.
Here is another photo of the chipmunk showing off its acrobatic skills.
I really grew attached to this particular chipmunk. It lost half its tail that same year, but remained fearless and feisty, often scaring the birds at the feeder as it ran amok and stuffed its face with sunflower seeds. We had several chipmunks running around the yard that year, but by the end of the summer, the neighborhood feral cats found out that my yard was a buffet, and most of the chipmunks disappeared. I was happily surprised the next year when my half-tailed friend returned, but soon disappeared again. Watching and feeding wildlife really makes one appreciate how delicate and precious all life is.