I try to downplay this to people interested in growing roses because I want them to experience the pleasure of filling their homes with their own gorgeous roses. But I m convinced roses are worth any high maintenance they might require. Yes, you do have to watch out for black spot, powdery mildew, aphids, and Japanese beetles, but thousands of gardeners around the world must think they re worth it because roses are called the queen of flowers. Of course not. They may be high maintenance, but they re also high value.
Some people think that dahlias are too high maintenance to grow.
They whine, Oh, you have to dig out the tubers every fall. Toward the end of the summer, when everything else is looking bedraggled and spent, the dahlia is pumping out masses of flowers as if it s the first of June. I call that high value. Oriental lilies require extra care in my garden. I have to spray for the moisture-sucking thrip insect.