Palette of petals

Norm Levesque's life is full of thorns -- and he is one of the most respected men in his field because of it.

Levesque's Wasilla home is a flurry of color, as roses from all around the world in every color imaginable bloom and fill the air with their distinct aroma. There are roses from Canada, Russia, England and almost every other corner of the globe, as well as one species that is unique to only Levesque's garden.

"We had a real bad winter a few years ago and I lost a lot of roses," Levesque explained. "And then this one just shot up. It germinated voluntarily. I guess it's nature's way of correcting things."

He named the new hybrid "Volunteer," and its' bright petals now are a highlight of Levesque's sprawling garden.

The new hybrid has not been registered with either the American Rose Society or the Canadian Rose Society, but Levesque has a few plants he is interested in submitting to the organizations.

Levesque got into rose gardening as a child, and started his own garden upon moving to Alaska. He and his wife are retired, and spend most of their time tending to the large gardens.

"When I was younger, I could work a full-time job and come home and take care of all this, and now I'm retired and I have a hard time taking care of all of it," Levesque said with a chuckle.

There are hardy roses, nonhardy roses and hybrids of every sort.

"The nicest part is trying to grow different kinds up here, and seeing what works and what doesn't work," Levesque said. "Then you can concentrate on what does best in Alaska."

The key to good roses, Levesque said, is a lot of watering and good fertilizer.

"They need a lot of water. I've watered more this year than I have in the past because of the summer we've been having. I've gone years without spraying for bugs. I don't like to use anything if I don't have to. I like to rely on fertilizer, water and a little luck."

This year, however, Levesque has resorted to spraying for bugs because of the unusual summer.

Mixed throughout his gardens are several other flowers, which compliment the roses. Large, bright delphiniums are among the most noticeable, but other flowers are mixed in as well.

The roses are pretty much for Levesque's enjoyment. He used to show his roses at the Alaska State Fair and at other exhibits, but he said he isn't into exhibiting them as much as he used to.

"I like playing with different types of roses more now," he explained.