Rose Notes

Roses et Fleurs

Last week, when I announced the rose arranging class I'll be giving at the Sacramento Marina, in October, I said I'd soon be posting a link to the registration form. Here you go-- Click !

I bought these pretty French flower buckets over a year ago, and I've been waiting all this time for inspiration to use them. Last weekend's gleanings from the rose beds told me it was time.

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Speaking of Francais–– my favorite French word is definitely fleur, merci. I'd almost rather use it than flower, and I often do. My sister, Judy, loves all things French. This is a pillow she commissioned daughter Anna to embroider. For a better look-- Click !

Mason Jar Posies

As children bid the guest good-night,
And then reluctant turn,
My flowers raise their pretty lips,
Then put their nightgowns on.

As children caper when they wake,
Merry that it is morn,
My flowers from a hundred cribs
Will peep, and prance again.

~ Emily Dickinson

On Saturday, when I make little bouquets to sell in the neighborhood, I hope to offer something new or different each time. The garden does too. Last week, white phlox and the prettiest pink penstemon, joined the roses in Mason jars.

Each posey received a leaf stem of this nameless-at-the-moment Scotch (Spinosissima) rose, and a soft furry leaf of minty pelargonium.

Mr. Ball, I really enjoyed using your lovely jars!

This was one of my favorites from the batch. Notice how effective that leafy rose stem is.

Canning roses?

I think acting is about forgetting yourself in order to give the best of yourself. It's passing through you more than you're creating it. You're not the flower, but the vase which holds the flower.

~ Juliette Binoche, actress

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I needed vases, under a dollar, for Saturday-bouquets-for-sale. They had to be graceful in their own way, even fun, but not really noticeable– they needed to hold a good sized posey, and I wanted them to be clear. The flowers would be easily transferable into similar sized vase if need be. A dozen Mason jars came home with me from the hardware store . . .

I have more nice pics from this shoot. Click here.

Rose Arranging with Carolyn Parker

 

On October 16, we are going to party with roses-- all day long!

We will admire them, giggle and gossip about them-- and most of all

play with them.

Join me at the beautiful Sacramento Marina for a rose arranging seminar !

The day begins with scones, coffee and tea at 9:00 a.m. We'll have demos in the morning, and then a fab lunch at noon. After lunch, there will be hands-on play with roses and pretty vases, then more demos until we can no longer lift another rose stem.

All the photos in this post were taken last fall at the Sacramento Old City Cemetery. I'm donating my time for this seminar to benefit the Cemetery and its world-renown collection of old garden roses.

Seminar attendees are invited to join us on Friday, the day before the seminar, to harvest roses from the cemetery. Oh, I can't wait, we'll be working with the best possible roses.

Click here to register.

Here I am at the end of the day, ready to head back to the Bay Area. Notice those roses in the back seat? They're the bouquet roses shown above. The next day, they regrouped and appeared in a blog. Click here for a look.

Two days later, cuttings of those roses ended up in the ground, and now, almost a year later, I have plants of the treasured roses.

You will go home with a rose bouquet of your own making-- and just think of the possibilities . . .

My darling blog friends, from all over the world, how I wish you could join us. If you can come, please do !

Lavandula

Recently I noticed an embarrassment of riches (the dried kind) on our lavender plants. Yet when fresh with blooms my interest was faint--

so no photos were taken.

Then when daughter Anna and I figured out a project for her shop, with those fragrant dried blooms, I lamented my ennui. We needed pictures, and I tried to make do with the few blooms that were left,

but captured no lavender sea.

The bees didn't mind,

the world didn't either.

A week later, I found lush plants in three varieties for sale at the SF flower market. I scooped them up and planted them with the others, and will wait until next June when the ocean rolls in again.

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I've been jaded about lavender, because so many garden designers use it inappropriately-- they just pop it in anywhere in the strangest plant combinations. Then plant owners don't know lavender needs pruning after, and even during bloom time to insure healthy plants. 

Not long ago, I bought about twenty L. 'Munstead' plants and tried my hand at a geometric grid, but the plants just didn't cooperate, so I've ignored them. I don't even water them, and how do they reward me? New plants are seeding all around and the place is just happy with lavender. They deserve my respect.

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Lavender comes in many varieties. Here's a helpful link with wonderful descriptions and photos of all the possibilities.

And for a look at daughter Anna's heart melting lavender sachets, click here.

Crocosmia- Lucifer, George Davidson, Solfaterre

The day you decide to do it is your lucky day.

~ Japanese Proverb

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Maneki Neko (beckoning cat) is one of the most common lucky charms in Japan. 

This is a child's porcelain drinking cup-- my new favorite vase. I think it looks pretty cute with Crocosmia 'Solfaterre' and the rose English Garden.

I assume you know 'Lucifer'. Here he is in a neighbors's garden. I've been too much of a snob to grow such a common variety. But funny me actually wishes she had some now.

I love it when my prejudices blur into oblivion, hopefully never to return. At the moment there are two varieties in my garden-- this one is 'George Davidson'.

Until last week, it would never occur to me to use crocosmia in an arrangement. Woh-- two prejudices in one week.

This is a raku cup artist husband bought at a crafts sale, at SJSU, where he works. Julia Child roses, tansy, and rudbeckia.

 

C. 'Solfaterre' is beyond gorgeous in the garden-- those chocolaty leaves-- devine.

I once purchased a 'Solfaterre', planted it immediately on my return home, and two hours later when I strolled out to admire it, it was gone! Greedy gophers. The next day I bought another and made a wire basket for the planting hole. The plant died after one season. I don't know if this variety is tender or that plant was just unhappy. The one photographed here was a bulb given to me last fall by Barbara Worl. It's thriving and also is in a wire basket.

This time 'Solfaterre' embellishes a milk bottle, inspired by Susan's post, with Dr. Brownell roses and the fab serrated leaves of Haloragis erecta 'Wellington Bronze'.

 

Pause to Play

 

I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things . . . I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.

~ Leo F. Buscaglia

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I have a post almost prepared about the flower partially shown here, but today, photo play seems like more fun.

Can you venture a guess what these blooms might be, caught by morning sprinklers? Hint, one variety is named after a devilish character.

Morning Chair

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?

~ Albert Einstein

Oh I can think of a few other things Albert, but your quote goes well with an image that symbolizes the finale of this week's wedding posts.

I was happy to retrieve these Annabelle blooms from the buffet bouquet, and when I set them on this chair they looked comfy and at-home. At this stage Annabelle does not need water-- she's all crispy and will look good for awhile. I'm going to leave them right where they are.

Bridal Bouquet

The bridal bouquet and boutonniere were the final items created for last Saturday's wedding.

The stems on each received the same treatment– a binding of floral tape

covered with satin ribbon. Leaving the stem ends unwrapped allowed them to drink water until the last minute.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Bridal bouquets are awkward to style for a shoot, they always need propping somehow. A nearby lemon came in handy. The shot was an accident, but I thought you might enjoy seeing it.

The bright pink rose is Hermosa.

When it was time to clean up, my fleur laden floor required a photo too !

Garden Roses Wedding Bouquets

 

An amply laden wedding buffet table allowed little space for a large bouquet. Height was needed, and a vase with a small footprint. A trusty cylinder does the job, and a collar of Annabelle hydrangea allowed a good base to build from. Only about three stems actually reach the bottom of the tall cylinder, but Annabelle, and sheer numbers, keep the other stems up with their perky blooms shining.

PHOTOGRAPHERS & ARRANGERS

This bouquet might look simple– actually once everything is at hand the arranging process is nothing but fun, but the entire process from harvesting, to buckets ready-and-waiting is a pretty big deal. So this photographer, when not arranging "just-for-photos," is too harried to really do justice to a shoot. I did manage to clear the counter and prop up an easy background though. Foamcore (4x4) propped on a stool masks the kitchen chaos. Wonderful side light from a Northern window modeled the fleurs just right.

At the event, the bouquet, was perfect for the space allowed, and I was not happy my camera was at home. Maybe next time.

I should clarify that I'm not in the floral business (I have been). However, I do seize the opportunity, when possible, to play with fleurs at fab events for friends and nonprofits.