<p>Susan has been working at Telly's since 1999. She is your friendly, neighborhood rose lady. Roses have been growing in her gardens for many, many years. As I hope most of you know, Telly's has developed a tremendous reputation for offering a large selection of high quality roses. Each rose season begins the previous year when Susan and I visit our Canadian &quot;bare-root&quot; rose source. The roses are planted in rows which we walk along all day long while Susan takes notes and I take photos. I consider myself pretty durable, but after walking several miles and enduring the inevitable leg amputating thorns, without a lunch break, I have a hard time getting excited about the new orange climber. Susan, on the other hand, turns into the energizer bunny on this annual event. Her enthusiasm and pace does not falter until the last rose is analyzed for disease resistance, vigor, and flower quality.</p>
<p>In March the roses are shipped to Telly's as bare root plants in many, many plastic bags. Susan sorts them, soaks them in water, prunes them, helps pot them, and tags them. She waters them, fertilizes them, and grooms them until spring when her efforts yield an exceptional specimen that awaits its new home.</p>
<p>That's the mechanics of Telly's rose program. But the part that makes a Telly's roses even better than other roses is Susan. Virtually every rose we sell grows under Susan's careful supervision. She makes sure that every customer she helps gets the right rose to suit their needs, and, that the customer is aware of what is necessary to optimize rose performance. As a result, Susan has developed a loyal customer base that relies on her for all their rose needs.</p>
<p>Susan is also my Christmas decor guru. She has an excellent eye for displays and creates stunning wreaths, door arches, swags, memorial blankets, etc. If you have a special need when it comes to Holiday decor, Susan is your gal. She has accompanied me to the Chicago, Michigan and Atlanta gift marts where her design and buying talents have been very valuable.</p>
<p>Susan and flying. For years and years fellow employees and I would fly to conventions, nurseries, gardens, etc. in my four passenger airplane. Susan always said &quot;I'm never getting in that thing.&quot; We all tried to convince her, but she wouldn't budge on the issue. Then two years ago, we were invited to an Ohio nursery to learn about a new rose series that they wanted us to sell. Susan wanted to attend so we talked her into trying the airplane and assured her that we would land immediately and drive if she didn't like it. She reviewed her will with her husband, Rick, and decided to roll the dice. Well, sitting in a small airplane is usually like sitting in a parked car except that you are moving very fast and the view is amazing. This trip was no exception. Susan sat in the front seat and laughed at herself for not flying sooner. We had a great trip that I am sure Susan will never forget. When we landed she began planning other flights that would in some way benefit Telly's rose program. Email Susan at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:susan@tellys.com">susan@tellys.com</a>.</p>