Rose Notes

The Very Last Rose Harvest of 2012

 

Would you know, looking at these pictures, that a big freeze is just around the corner?

 

 

 

These shots savor the harvest's relation to the garden, they hardly need arranging. However once in the house it was a different story.

 

I was feeling free and a tad sloppy in these rather unstudied looks.

 

 

When I revisited these images and saw that huge pile of leaves, it struck me yet again how much needs to be removed before a rose stem enters a vase. Vases and arranging are not always necessary- in many settings, roses are fabulous left right in their harvest buckets.

 

 

 

The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Last Year's Roses

 

In late November and early December, I was madly photographing the season's last roses. I wanted to give them their final say again and again.

 

 

My folders are full of images, but I've had no time in recent days to play in blogland. Now pausing, and back at it for awhile, here's a session with old roses, a pink handblown glass, and handmade paper by my husband, Leroy.

 

Monsieur Tillier is the flashy one, Poulson's Pearl is the single, Belle Story is in there along with Safrano and I'm not sure who else.

Be like the bird that, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings.

~ Victor Hugo

Happy New Year 2013 !

 

In gratitude for the magic of photography and learning, I want to ring in the new year with an old image. In the early days of my interest in photography, I experimented endlessly. Would you beleive, to shoot this scene, I kidnapped my living room for two days? Yes, it was a bit cumbersome getting around a door, set as a dining table, right in front of our sofa.

 

 

The roses are Iceberg.

 

New Year's day is every man's birthday.

~ Charles Lamb

 

Christmas Around the House

 

Capturing Christmas around the house was so much fun this year; here are a few more images I can't resist sharing.

 

Since I have no place to put her, this gal is part of the family.

 

An Indian sari gift from my husband.

 

Lemon cypress, a favorite Christmas treat. More on this later.

 

The thrill of an amaryllis opening a little more each day.

 

My sister's lovely cookie gifts all the way from Oregon.

 

Fairy doll, knitted by Pauli, for daughter Oneita.

 

Favorite gift wrap- more on this later too.

 

This exquistie plum is actually a Christmas cracker! No I don't care what's inside, I won't open it. This handmade beauty comes from Tail of the Yak in Berkeley. 

 

Once I knew only darkness and stillness . . . my life without past or future . . . but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living.

~ Helen Keller

 

 

White Rose Christmas

 

 

 

 

My sister gave me this charming silver box. I was especially happy to have it when it came time to celebrate with white roses! 

A special Merry Christmas to dear Judy !

 

For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through, the joy that you give to otheres is the joy that comes back to you.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

 

Garden Gifting

 

I know the first image is a bit of blur and you've seen pictures from this session before, but I want to indulge myself and you with more of these beauties. And there is something about them I didn't mention in the other blog posts.

 

 

 

 

 

Each bouquet has filler from Petite Pink Scotch- a fine-leaved shrub rose. The leaves are small, delicate, and ideal for flower arranging. 

 

As I was making the arrangements I noticed one of the stems had roots on it! I think Petite Pink Scotch must be an easy rooter. 

 

I thought my favorite florist might like to grow this little dynamo.

 

Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.

~ Albert Einstein

 

Barcelona Rose

 

Carol Green handed me this little caper bottle holding four pink roses on my arrival in Florida. We were meeting for the first time and she told me I probably didn't know about those particular roses (sorry I don't have a picture or name), because they were special to Florida. The beautiful, fragrant blooms cheered me throughout my stay as I gave two presentations to the Marion County Rose Society.

 

While packing to leave, I threw out the spent roses and was about to toss the bottle-- but no-- I really liked it, and it had been a lovely gift. So in between layers of blouses it went. 

With Christmas on my mind lately, I thought it would be fun to make a cyberspace bouquet in the bottle, and send Carol and her husband Barry a Merry Christmas!

The rose is Barcelona.

 

B A R C E L O N A

 

 

 

For those of you who know and or grow Oklahoma, Barcelona is similar in coloring, which is one of the reasons I like it so much. Barcelona is smaller, maybe less than half the size and extremely fragrant like Oklahoma. Kordes developed this rose in 1932. It's a Hybrid Tea like Oklahoma, but has a looser and more natural shrub form. 

 

The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

More Christmas Pink Roses

 

Photographers must be flexible. Often in a moment's notice, change is required. Roses are flexible too and will take on, as well as put up with, infinite changes. They serve all our whims so willingly. Yet again, roses posed and fulfilled my photo dreams. I don't want to get too serious. I'm just grateful that they are generous, and now especially, since the first frost has come to the garden. These were taken a couple of weeks ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stars in this post are Monsieur Tillier, Poulsen's Pearl, Belle Story, Phyllis Bide, Safrano, Perle d'Or.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's so much fun to make up characters, situations, and everything else about a story. I have so much feedom and flexibility to do whatever I want.

~ Margaret Haddix

 

Our Other Christmas Tree

 

On FB they asked for more Christmas images, so here's our other Christmas tree.

 

This metal tree was a Smith and Hawken sale item when they went out of business a couple of years ago.

 

Just right for all my jewels,

 

and even little green pigs.

 

 

Not on one strand are all life's jewels strung.

~ William Morris 

 

Christmas Tree 2012

 

I always have so many plans of what and how I'm going to post here. If you only knew how many images and stories are in the queue. Well I decided to scrap it all, for the moment, and show you my Chirstmas tree.

On December 2, when I saw that beautiful 5-ft trees were going for $39, I had to have one. Never have we had a tree so early.   

 

I love collecting ornaments- having lots gives me an opportunity to try something new each year. Color blocking seemed to be the way to go this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.

~ Georgia O'Keefe