Thanks MFI and Rich.
Sadly, the half rose is indicative of the state of Ron's roses. When Ron was tending the plants there were 10-15 thriving plants of various types, producing a total 50-60 beautiful blossoms. Now maybe 30% are just woody stems with no foliage or blossoms; maybe 40% manage to produce petals and rose hips, but no blossoms develop; and the rest may develop blossoms that are stunted and deformed, failing to produce any large, healthy blossoms.
This is what a portion of Ron's once gorgeous roses look like now (photo taken 01-10-2025)...
At the right edge, top half, there used to be 4 or 5 thriving rose plants including my favorite - the Ketchup & Mustard rose. Lower in the frame were 3 or 4 larger varieties of different types, colors, and scents. To the left of the line of rocks is a small part of a large area of small rounded stones and pebbles; Ron wouldn't allow any weeds to last there for more than a day - now the entire area is spoiled by dozens of tall, ugly weeds. Sad to witness.
Nice photos of the the mound. (Or are they photos of two different mounds?) Anyway, making a rough extrapolation from the height of the people in the first photo, it looks to be somewhere around 50 feet (15.24 meters) tall that's impressive engineering. I can't help but compare that to Monk's Mound at the Cahokia site in Illinois (across the Mississippi from St. Louis). Monk's Mound wasn't a stone mound. Instead, it's composed of earth, carried basket by basket by the native builders, eventually reaching a height of 100 feet (30.5 meters). Also impressive engineering. It is estimated that construction began around 900 A.D. and continued until around 1200 A.D.
Sadly, the half rose is indicative of the state of Ron's roses. When Ron was tending the plants there were 10-15 thriving plants of various types, producing a total 50-60 beautiful blossoms. Now maybe 30% are just woody stems with no foliage or blossoms; maybe 40% manage to produce petals and rose hips, but no blossoms develop; and the rest may develop blossoms that are stunted and deformed, failing to produce any large, healthy blossoms.
This is what a portion of Ron's once gorgeous roses look like now (photo taken 01-10-2025)...
At the right edge, top half, there used to be 4 or 5 thriving rose plants including my favorite - the Ketchup & Mustard rose. Lower in the frame were 3 or 4 larger varieties of different types, colors, and scents. To the left of the line of rocks is a small part of a large area of small rounded stones and pebbles; Ron wouldn't allow any weeds to last there for more than a day - now the entire area is spoiled by dozens of tall, ugly weeds. Sad to witness.
Nice photos of the the mound. (Or are they photos of two different mounds?) Anyway, making a rough extrapolation from the height of the people in the first photo, it looks to be somewhere around 50 feet (15.24 meters) tall that's impressive engineering. I can't help but compare that to Monk's Mound at the Cahokia site in Illinois (across the Mississippi from St. Louis). Monk's Mound wasn't a stone mound. Instead, it's composed of earth, carried basket by basket by the native builders, eventually reaching a height of 100 feet (30.5 meters). Also impressive engineering. It is estimated that construction began around 900 A.D. and continued until around 1200 A.D.
Don't blame me - I didn't vote for him!
Nikon D7500 with Nikkor 18-300 mm; PSE2021, PSCS5
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