Prabhu
Vijaya and Satish Prabhu
18 Long Meadow Lane
We really promised you a rose garden, but Dr. Prabhu would be the first to say maybe not a rose garden like his! You are going to be standing in a space that has been designated the best rose garden in the Southeast United States by the American Rose Society. Satish and his wife Vijaya want you to understand that they grow roses for exhibition and competition events and that this makes their garden different. Semantics will be the last thing on your mind as you pass under the rose draped gate to this incredible landscape.
Satish discovered his talent for growing roses when he was twelve years old in India. He courted Vijaya with bouquets from his garden. He is a true celebrity in the rosarian world having won many national awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Exhibiting Excellence. The Prabhus compete in virtually all rose classifications and all are represented in this garden. The list of awards is numerous. Vijaya has designated a wall in the house as a display area for plaques and certificates………needless to say, she ran out of room very quickly.
The Prabhus will point out that their roses efforts focus on quality, not quantity of blooms. Their calendar revolves around the major show dates at the end of April and in early October. Satish is quick to point out that there are fewer blooms here now than you might expect. Only a central bud is allowed to bloom and adjacent buds are removed to channel the plant’s energy into one competition worthy blossom. He estimates that he spends at least forty hours a week for the seven weeks preceding a show grooming his entries….this in addition to his medical practice and time spent with his children and grandchildren. When we asked, he responded that his wife actually DID know that there was secondary object of his affection (remember those courting bouquets) and that she is as dedicated as he is and absolutely essential to his success.
In testimony to the fact that his green thumb has more than one focus , Satish grows an abundant vegetable garden and what he calls O.P.F.s….(other people’s flowers)…bedding annuals from local nurseries. You’ll see those if you can pull your gaze away from the roses.
This yard is a beautiful and bully pulpit for the message that Satish and Viajaya would like to send you. Roses can and do grow well in Columbia and they would encourage and inspire you to try them on your own. You need basic garden skills, a passion for roses and the patience to enjoy the process. Satish is first and foremost an advocate and teacher, generous in sprit and willing to share his knowledge and enthusiasm. He and Vijaya are preparing their entries for the April show in Shreveport as of this writing...we expect they’ll need another display wall soon.
