Rose Notes

Ice Blue and Pink roses

 

Oh I had the roses and precious they were- pink- 

 

the season's last.

 

 

But the real inspiration was an ice blue Indian scarf borrowed for a costume project. Before returning it, I wanted to use it as a Christmas backdrop

 

with silver.

 

 

 

As the scarf was special to me and to the lovely woman I borrowed it from,

 

I changed backdrops for the rest of the shoot, to avoid possible water spotting.

As usual for me, I took the bouquet apart to dredge up a few more looks.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the rose Yesterday. Other roses included here are Hermosa, Pink Gruss an Achen, Climbing Pinkie, Catherine Mermet, Duchesse de Brabant and Ballerina.

 

Christmas Bouquet

 

These same roses enjoyed a little showing off the other day. 

 

Well, they're back for one more try, with a few new additions.

 

Redcoat joins the group- it's an old David Austin rose.

 

I barely showed you the garden greens I was using in the last post. Here they are up close. The small rose leaf canes are Petite Pink Scotch, which came from a Sacramento Cemetery sale. The large hips in the bucket are from the rose, Kathleen.

 

The deodora cedar cones, that look like roses, are saved from an aged tree we had to take down due to branch drop. It's special to have these small remants from what was once a huge garden presence. The next image is chocolate pelargonium- this along with mint pelargonium have become staples in the floral industry in the last few years. Their leaves take up space elegantly and add a bit of drama. The silvery eleagnus is one of my garden treasures and it lasts really well in bouquets. The small hips are from The Gift. The fat juicy hips are from a rugosa rose. 

 

Sherry asked me if the yellow-leafed shrubs shown in my fall post are roses. No, Sherry, here are their fruits.

 

 

 

 

 

Intimacy like this is part of the joy in playing with nature. 

 

 

Red Roses for Christmas

It's that time of year when I begin to mourn the imminent passing of this year's roses from our garden. With Christmas on the way, I thought why not prolong their enjoyment by celebrating the season with roses in holiday garb.

 

Every few days I've been harvesting whatever is available. This humble gathering includes The Prince (that big one), Duet, Little White Pet, Maggie, and rose hips.

 

Duet and Maggie are showcased in this image. With the addition of greens and more interesting containers (although I love that little zinc pot), I knew these roses could dress to impress. 

 

In the summer, I bought these Weck canning jars at The Gardener in Berkeley. Perfect rose vases.

 

Mint pelargonium, westringia, fir boughs, and delicate rose leaves went into the containers first- adding the roses was pure pleasure. Barcelona bloomed when buds opened a day later- it's the rose with the darkish centers. It's an extremely fragrant beautiful rose that I highly recommend. Wouldn't these make a lovely gift?

 

The same roses recycled into a more upscale look in a bubbled handblown glass vase that we bought at a San Jose State U craft sale.

 

Much more rose merriment to come.

 

 

Fall in Our Garden

I took these pictures two weeks ago, and got this post ready that day. However I didn't think I had processed the images well enough, so I decided not to share it. Today they look pretty good though. I'd rather be posting a Christmas blog, but will do that tomorrow-- enjoy!

 

People talk about planning gardens for fall color. I can't say I do that, but wait a minute . . .

 

Sunday morning I walked home to our happy corner of the world- took note and grabbed my camera. 

 

Here's one of our new gates. The arch has a coat of primer- I'm not sure what color it will be. My dad built both arches some years ago, and they now enclose more area from deer. We call this Bob's Garden as a memorial for my dad who died last November.

 

Would you know there's more than 300 roses in the surroundings? I think the companion plantings do a pretty good job as the roses begin their slumber.

 

This vew is from the behind the scenes catch-all area. 

 

Inside the front fenced area here's the table I often prep roses on. Leaves and thorns litter the grass from harvesting the season's last roses for pictures.

 

This is the back garden- you may have noticed there are maple leaves in all these pictures- below is the culprit- a giant weed (silver maple).

 

Another new gate appears in the background.

 

Still blooming. 

 

Hermosa Rose

 

One of the "ideas" circling my head finally took form a couple days ago--

 

a photo session with Hermosa roses and a Japanese porcelain lunch box.

 

Way back in the early 70's I purchased this hand painted treasure for only $15.00! I'd never seen roses in Japanese brush work-- this is the lid. Recently, the image reminded me of Hermosa's lovely loose blooms.

 

On day one of the photo session, some of the roses were in bud, and I started with just our yellow walls as a backdrop. I usually begin by shooting straight on showing all there is to offer and then go on from there trying new ideas. I always hope I'll end up with something I did not anticipate. I like surprises, however they were slim that first day and I thought waiting for the next day's more open blooms might be worth while.

 

Next day- with buds open- I tried the traditional white background I always go for- looks ok- but where's the excitement?

 

I remembered this old painted backdrop, grabbed a navy napkin, and sought the morning light on the same surface from the day before. Timing is often everything in photography. I kind of like this one.

 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Here's the trusty surface I used and said backdrop propped up by the picture frame. I originally hoped to use my husband's fabulous big lotus pot, but I couldn't make it work except in the image below, and sorry to say, it's barely there.

 

 

And then the next day with the drama of morning light.

 

HERMOSA

The bloom is only a couple inches across.

 

My Hermosa shrub reaches four feet though I've seen it much bigger.

 

~~

Here you can see the lunch box components- they're only an inch deep and are meant for tasty little morsels. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Roses

Thinking lately about Thanksgiving, I fondly remembered images I shot in 2008- I like them so much I want to show them again- a little differently perhaps.

 

Here's a detail of what the garden had to offer that day for a dining table centerpiece.

 

At the time, we were in the midst of a renovation- I shot the finished arrangement at the entrance of my office- the room I'm sitting in now!

 

Here's the harvest I had to work with- the red leaves are Vitus vinifera purpurea.

 

I like grouping similar colors together- those magenta roses are Yves Piaget. The narrow copper container seemed perfect for a rectangular dining table.

 

The other side of the bouquet has a different look- good for some lively ooohing and ahhing.

 

PHOTOGRAPHY

Here's my makeshift set-up- the garbage can proved to be a perfect height for easy shooting. I ended up really liking that warm plywood backdrop. Here's the original post where I first used these photos.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE !

 

 

Distant Drums Rose

 

Cydney Wade* thought she had a challenge for me when she handed me this beautiful art deco vase. She told me she'd never really figured out how to use it and asked me if I'd like to give it a try.

 

I told her that I'd love to.

 

Of all the many roses at the rose arranging demo I did in Florida, this bucket of scrunched up, short stemmed beauties said, "Us, us, use us!"  

 

The short stems would have popped out of the vase opening if it weren't for the leaves which were set nice and high. Doesn't the vase color nicely pick up the light tones in those amazing roses?

 

Distant Drums

I first saw Distant Drums four years ago at the ARS Garden in Shreveport, LA.

 

Instantly I wanted it, but not until this past summer did it make its way to my garden.

 

It's an entertaining rose-- mutable-- constantly changing-- 

 

the blooms vary as well.

 

At this stage in the garden the rose is pink, but in the house this fabulous beige color happens.

 

*Cydney Wade is the proprieter of a wonderful mail order nursery, in Florida, that specializes in Old Garden Roses. She has a great website too. CLICK

 

Photo Ops in FLorida

 

I don't know if the roses were flattered or annoyed by our attentions-- I like to think of this as a "harmonic convergence."

 

Carol Green kept saying, "Hold it." I guess we did, because she got some pretty funny shots of Sherry Roma and me as we hovered over blooms in the Harry P. Leu Rose Garden.

 

It was a joy to see Maggie, one of my favorite roses, looking so good in Florida.

 

With hat held firmly between my knees, I'm trying to cast a shadow over this pink rose for a perfect shot. Sherry, how did yours turn out? I forgot to shoot the label right there at my feet!

 

Maybe Sherry knows its name.

 

This one is Lady of the Dawn.

 

Sherry (who blogs at If Only Sweat Were Irrigation) and I became fast friends.

 

Yes, roses are known for their special knack of bringing people together.

 

 

Thanks for the pics Carol!

 

Florida Fling

 

I was in Florida to celebrate roses.

 

There wasn't much time for sight seeing, but I couldn't miss 

 

the Spanish moss-- it was in every tree!

 

An unplanned detour showcased miles of gorgeous Ocala horse farms.

 

Back to roses-- look it's November and potted blooming roses are for sale (?!)

 

I thought I'd see more gardens like this-- I'm just glad I saw this one in a tiny, sleepy town called Floral City.

 

Can you stand it? I love this.

 

Louis Philippe must reign as Florida's favorite Old Rose-- he was everywhere.

 

Bud Stout's bonsai collection was a special treat.

 

Another China rose. Does anyone know the name?

 

Before dinner one night, a shot taken from the restaurant's property.

 

Colonial splendor on a corner in Winter Park.

 

The roses at Leu Gardens from a distance------

 

 

 

and close up--- I know--- they were all pink HTs, but so perfect!

 

 

An irrisistable vine.

 

One of many new friends and---

 

don't be scared--- he's plastic.

 

 

 

Florida Rose Foray

 

This past weekend I was the guest speaker at the Marion County Rose Society's Festival of Roses in Ocala, Florida.

 

On day two I showed a lovely and eager audience how I approach rose arranging. The final results beam here for the the camera. Most of these roses came from the garden of Carol and Barry Green.

 

Here's Carol greeting us on our early morning arrival to cut roses. Her garden is an eight-acre paradise (notice roses far in the background) teeming with well over 1000 roses. Sorry to say, our harvesting allowed little opportunity to photograph the garden.

Before we began gathering, Carol invited me into her lovely home to choose vases from her collection of treasures. What a luxury!

 

With rooms like this to search I was in flower arranger's heaven.

 

The Green's unique home was built by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Here Carol's explaining that this stunning ficus tree has its roots in the ground outside (!)

 

Carol's ready to rumble across the garden in search for blooms.

 

I'm happy I got a shot of this dramatic container garden.

 

Here's Bayse's Blueberry in a paint can-- 

 

5-gallon and french flower buckets didn't take long to fill.

 

Back at the Agriculture Center, tables are set for lunch with entries from the day before stepping in as lush centerpieces.

 

This is the first arrangement I made. I wanted to include roses from the day before all together in one vase as a note of appreciation for the stunning efforts of many volunteers who make events like this such a success. First I placed lots of rich Florida greenery into this great urn so the roses would have a sturdy footing to stay in place as I inserted them. 

 

Meet Sherry Roma

Here Sherry has her camera meticulously poised on one of the arrangements I made. The next day Carol and I met her for lunch and she asked, "Have you seen my blog this morning?" Well no I hadn't so on our drive into Tampa I looked at it on an Ipad! Yes, the digital wonders of today are boggling. She did such a great job--- Take a look-- CLICK

 

Many, many thanks to Carol Green and the Marion County rosarians who made my stay so wonderful!