My love for roses tossed me onto a path of learning and discovery that happily has no end. The diversity of this remarkable flower, the people who love her, and the gardens that grow her, inspire me to share with you all I can. In turn, I love it when you respond with your own experiences. It's much more fun to learn and appreciate roses together, don't you think?
When you want to know more about a rose, the beauty of the bloom is usually the most important feature with fragrance coming in second – am I right? Then you probably want to see how the shrub might look and behave in your garden. What about arranging though? Isn’t it fun to see how roses look in a vase or at a party? When I fall in love with a rose, I try to capture and learn all I can about it and then pass it on to you.
Most of the roses here came from a garden I designed and developed over a thirty year period in Lafayette, California. More than three hundred roses and a luxury of plant companions provided endless inspiration from a sunny corner on a third of an acre. In September 2020, I moved to a smaller home with an almost bare, sun-filled garden space, surrounded by beautiful, burnished stucco walls. I brought roses with me and can hardly wait to design a new garden and share the beauty here.
I am the author of two rose books, The Poetry of Roses, published in 1995, and R is for Rose–Reflections from a Passionate Rose Lover, published in 2005.
"So much to see and learn from you!" –cocoquilts on Instagram
MAIL ORDER ROSE SOURCES
Many of the roses I feature are available by mail order. For your convenience I've put together a rose sources list. The compilation is recent. If you know of a good rose source that I haven't mentioned, please send me an email about it.
ROSE GROWING TIPS
When I give rose talks, the first question is always, "What do you feed your roses?" You will find answers to this and other questions by clicking on the colorful buttons, under 'Rose Sources' on the sidebar. The Pegging button is the most popular. Who wouldn't want to increase their rose blooms tenfold?
"Somehow, fortuitously, I found your website and the gorgeous photos with such helpful, practical advice for a novice rose-grower like me. I really appreciate your thoughtful reviews on pruning and caring for roses, sometimes contradicting traditional advice as a result of observation and experience. Thank you very much for this thoughtful and elegant rosenotes.com site."
–Chris in Pennsylvania.
ROSE ARRANGING IDEAS
There are endless possibilities for easy and fun play with rose arranging. When I feature a rose, you'll almost always see it in a vase as well as in the garden. The arranging tips apply to all flowers.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Roses have been my photography muse from the beginning, and I'm always in search of a new way to compose and shoot. In the process, I learned that you love behind the scene shots and how-tos. So I find it's fun to do posts about how I come upon the photo magic.
"I use your snaps as my screensaver, and real dilemma here -- which one to choose? All so lovely." –Thea Gurns
MORE ABOUT ME
If you'd like to find out more about me, pop over to this interview by Camilla Emond, click here.