Rose Parade

For all their beauty, roses can be a real thorn in the side to grow. They require a garden's undivided attention, with careful consideration paid to soil, irrigation, spacing and sunlight. Perhaps this is why the perfect rose - a pristine, stately bloom of dazzling color - elicits such a sense of personal triumph from its grower.

"They're not easy to grow," gardener J.D. Franklin concurs. "They take a lot of expense, work, spraying." Experience helps. Over the years, Franklin has seen his rose gardens through good times and bad - and he's learned from both. He recalls his first crop of 75 or 80 roses, cultivated when he was just getting into it "a long time ago." He trimmed them back close to the ground, a hard freeze came along, and, he says: "That was the end of them."

He began work on his current garden three or four years ago when his oldest son began expressing an interest in roses himself. Cloaking his Oak Ridge home like a rainbow-hues, he now has between 160 and 170 roses. They're mostly of a variety called "knock-outs," with some tea roses, shrub roses and flora bundas thrown in.

Clearly, the gardens are a handful to keep up with. Why go to the trouble? "A lot of people ask me that," Franklin says. Neighbors see him out in his gardens for hours, tending to his blooms, and assume that he enjoys having his hands in the earth.

In reality, Franklin says, "I really don't care for the hard work, but I like the results." Speaking of results, Franklin's roses racked up several accolades at the East Tennessee Festival of Roses Rose Show in May, including a first place award. When the gardener mentions these honors, however, his voice is filled with humility. This gardener isn't in it for applause or recognition. "It just makes you happy," he explains.

ROSE COLORED: Roses are available in a variety of colors that would rival those in a jumbo Crayon box, and each one carries its own unique meaning. For centuries, courting couples have sent bouquets to one another to quietly convey messages ranging from flattery to desire to love.

When you decide to give a rose to someone, make sure you aren't sending the wrong message. Use this rose color key to get your point across, whatever that may be:

Red: True love, romance

Yellow: Friendship, remembrance

Pink: Happiness, sweetness

White: Purity, secrecy

Lavender: Enchantment

Peach: Sincerity, gratitude

Coral: Desire

© 2009 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.