The death of a beloved plant is any gardener's worst nightmare. But when that death is at the hands of an unruly landscaper, the sting can hurt even more.
Take for example this recent Reddit post detailing one dedicated gardener's experience with landscapers who "pruned" a rose bush at the request of a pesky landlord.
"Look what yard maintenance did to my beautiful rose bush," the poster wrote, adding a picture of a twiggy bush devoid of blooms.
The gardener added that a bird's nest within the bush was also destroyed by the landscaper's clippers.
"I'm renting so, unfortunately, I don't have any rights regarding my garden," the poster wrote. "Apparently the landlady just instructed the guy to cut every bush to below the windows. It brings me sorrow to look at her as she is now."
The gardener added: "I don't think he cared whether it looked nice by the time he was done. The landlady probably just got the cheapest possible service."
One empathetic commenter called the hack job "especially ignorant work," saying the trimming was wholly inappropriate.
"Wrong way to prune a rose bush, wrong angles to cut, wrong time to prune a rose bush — just wrong everything," they wrote. "I'm sorry for you."
The commenter identified the bush as knockout roses, a variety of non-native roses. The human-made breed was created in 1989 and first offered for consumer purchase in 1997.
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According to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, knockout roses are the result of several hybridizations of tea roses. Most rose varieties are native to Europe or China, including tea roses. There are, however, some varieties — including Carolina roses, prairie roses, and Woods' roses — that are native to North America.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center recommends planting native roses instead of non-native plants when cultivating a rose garden. In general, planting native is always a better environmental practice. Not only do native plants hold up better in local weather conditions, but they also support local pollinators and prevent invasive plant life from interfering with native plant species.
While losing a beloved rose bush to an unwieldy landscaper is distressing, the gardener could take it as an opportunity to rewild their yard with native plants. Not only will the swap support local biodiversity, but it will also add vibrant greenery back to their yard.
Call that smelling the roses amid an unfortunate situation.
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