Flavorette Honey-Apricot Rose by Proven Winners

My edible offerings are expanding! This is the new Flavorette Honey-Apricot rose by Proven Winners - isn't she pretty? Imagine those petals scattered on a cheese plate or mixed into a salad with melon balls and mozzarella balls? Infused into a salad dressing? You know I am going to try it all different ways.

This plant was sent to me by Proven Winners to grow and write about and I am grateful for the opportunity. It arrived in August and it was found by a deer so I had to move the pot strategically to protect it as it got established. This year she is doing great. I've got garlic clips nearby to deter any deer (who usually don't walk through the neighborhood until fall, thankfully) and she is off to a great start. 

I love growing and using edible flowers in entertaining (and in ice cubes, sometimes just for me). Stay tuned. These blooms are the first to open on this rose this year and I know it is going to be a great summer.

#provenwinners #ediblerose #flavorette #edibleflowers 
 

Some Roses, Pincushion Flowers and Love

I love a little bubble gum pink rose, don't you? This happy arrangement is comprised of an inexpensive mystery rose I bought at a garden center, verbena, lavender and the showstopper, deep blue scabiosa (pincushion flower) from my visit to the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market. 

I made this bouquet 5 days into owning the scabiosa, so the petals are a little tired, but the color is true!

#flowerarranging #seattle #momentsofdelight #visualvitamins #roses #gardener #coloriseverything

Rose Bouquet: Apricot Candy

How do I elevate a hastily prepared meal? We eat outside! Pretty place mats and flowers elevate an everyday dinner. Plus, everything tastes better outside, don't you think?

Customize Napkins with Darling Rose Print Iron Ons

These pretty peach iron on roses stopped me in my tracks! Michaels Craft Stores carry Iron-It Out decals that are absolutely darling and exactly the style I was looking for to embellish some white cotton napkins. I love the look of a soft watercolor painting and these images were simple to iron onto my pre-washed napkins. Follow the instructions and you too can have a set of napkins in under 30 minutes.

Each set includes 3 coordinated watercolor roses for $4 (use a 40% off coupon to bring the price down to $2.40). I bought 2 sets and made myself 6 incredibly cute napkins. The fact that my Apricot Candy rose is blooming doesn't hurt either! 

#crafting #embellishthis #customizeyourhome #momentsofdelight #finddelight

A Balcony Rose Update

Tah-dah! I wanted to reassure you that you can indeed grow roses in a pot on a balcony in Seattle. I have had this beauty since March 2015 and she is as happy as ever right now (Oct 2016)! 

Remember when she first started to sprout again in January? Dan has been in charge of her from April until now, since I was in Michigan most of this year, and boy did he do a good job!

I have only grown roses in Michigan in a garden with a soaker hose, so attempting to nurture a rose in a pot over a long stretch of time seemed like a 50/50 proposition. This Apricot Candy hybrid tea has been a gorgeous addition to our balcony garden.

Flower Arranging: A New Kind of Layering

When I try something new and it is a success, you are the first to know. My blog is a chronicle of my life and the things that I think will bring you delight.

Do you have a clematis vine? My purple clematis (it looks like it could be the Bonanza Clematis??) blooms faithfully every summer and on good days, you can see a few purple blooms wafting on the vine when standing in our family room. I love when a plan comes together. 

Anyhoo, I wanted to use the clematis in an arrangement in the kitchen and in a moment of clarity, I tucked a small rose into the center of the flat clematis bloom. I tucked the stem in between 2 petals and floated it in a beautiful open floral bowl. I added a few clematis leaves and put out placemats in the same color family. I love this arrangement!

Have you ever tried layering blooms?

Portland: Rose Test Garden is a Must See in Summer

I found delight in Portland. I visited the International Rose Test Garden. I know, why haven't I been there before? Clearly I had no idea what I was missing.
I had only been in the garden for a minute when I lost my cool and started taking selfies with the rose bushes taller than me. 

A beauty - full and fragrant!

I recommend that you follow this link and watch a segment about the 
International Test Garden that was broadcast on the PBS television show Oregon Field Guide. The video films the 10,000 rose garden at peak bloom in 2014. The segment interviews Harry Landers, the man in charge of this living masterpiece.

Can you see the happy bee in the photograph above? Buzz buzz...I know that I should have noted which rose I was photographing, but frankly I was having too much fun to be practical. 

 

These photos were taken on July 3, 2016 and the garden was in full bloom. I haven't seen anything like it since I was at David Austin Rose headquarters in England.

I kept coming back to this regal beauty called Frances Meilland. The soft pink center fades to a candlelight white.

This rose garden has many levels and sections. You can't get through it quickly, nor would you want to. Set aside a good hour to wander and enjoy. This time well spent.

My Seattle Rose

Dan sent me a picture of our rose blooming on the balcony of our Seattle apartment. It's Spring!

Buds in January: A Rosarian's Dream

In May 2015, I was only in Seattle for a few weeks, but did what I could to make our little apartment feel home-y. And when I say home-y, I also mean garden-y. I'll show you how our decorating is coming along in the next few days, but the big news here is that my rose has a bud! And is leafing out. IN JANUARY. I noticed our first bud on January 29. Things are looking up.

Last May, I bought a beautiful "Apricot Candy" hybrid tea rose for $14.99 at the grocery store giant, Fred Meyer's garden center. It had big peachy pink blooms and had buds all over it. We planted it into a plastic outdoor pot with drainage holes (about 4 sizes larger than the container it was planted it) and used bagged dirt that was specifically for roses. This is my rose in her glorly last summer.

It bloomed until October and has been on the deck out of the wind for the last 3 months, receiving only the water Mother Nature blew her way. Could Seattle roses (facing North) possibly start to leaf out and grow in January? I knew that we had an extended growing season, but this is incredible!

Stay tuned.

Alnwick Rose by David Austin

A rose that looks destined for crystal; this is the Alnwick rose by David Austin. Have you ever seen a blossom so lovely? 

This is not a casual country rose. This beauty was designed for greatness. I can feel it. I was honored to meet the David Austin in England a few years ago and the experience was wonderful.

If you are thinking of starting a rose garden, you need to know that it will take time and tending, but results like this are worth every minute. 

Hey Sugar: A Flower Arrangement to Delight

My mom gets all the credit for this lovely display. She found the antique canisters (tea, coffee, oatmeal) at an antique show. She knew that they would make darling vases. All she had to do was wait for the hydrangeas and roses to bloom and Voila!

Arranging tablescapes is part of the fun of being up at the cottage. Every few days we change from placemats to tablecloths, from nautical blues to vintage pastels and make a flower arrangement to suit.

I assure you, everything tastes better with a centerpiece like this.

Honey Dijon Rose

It is only November and I am already missing my roses.  Sometimes it helps to stare at a beautiful image from Summer and remember how good we have it.  Life has seasons and we have to embrace the time we are in.  I'm shifting toward cozy recipes and holiday touches...are you with me? 

Inspired by Victoria Magazine

Couldn't this be a cover of Victoria magazine?  It was so dreamy and tone-on-tone, I had to show you.  Tricia Foley (a well known designer, famous for her love of white) would be proud, don't you think?  

All the credit goes to rose cultivator, David Austin.  This rose "Heritage" is his masterpiece.  I am only responsible for the tender loving care in the garden.   

My composition is an antique sugar bowl ($1 at a church rummage sale) and a pure white matelasse tablecloth.  My kitchen has never looked so ethereal.   

The Last of the Garden

*Sigh* This may be the last bouquet of the season.  Isn't is gorgeous?  We have had a few frosty mornings and I went out to save the last few buds before the cold sets in.

For this bouquet, I took one of my hand painted glass jars (green polka dots!) and centered one reddish green hydrangea blossom and leaf over the opening.  This way I can use the hydrangea as a "frog" (a flower arranging tool that stabilizes an arrangement), and tuck the yellow and peach roses through the hydrangea petals and into the water.  It makes an arrangement of very few flowers look full and lush, don't you agree?  And the roses aren't going to slip or droop.  I added a sprig of ginger mint (green and cream variegated leaf) near the top for added dimension.

I love it!  And I'm not ready to give up on the roses, I still see buds coming!  If only Jack Frost can hold off a little longer...  

Rose and Basil Bouquet

The combination of Rose and Basil scent isn't just magic in a candle - the real life inspiration can also make you swoon.  I have been making small flower arrangements combining roses and fresh herbs for years, yet I still get surprised looks when I present the combination in person.  An actual light bulb moment when they look at me as if to say, "Where have I been?"

So many people have big bushy basil plants in a pot outside, yet overlook their potential as a bit of green in a flower arrangement.  I have this arrangement of David Austin "Heritage" roses in a antique teacup (stems inserted into damp floral foam) with 2 sprigs of fresh basil.  It is compact, but powerful - in scent and scope.  

When you walk into the room, this sweet bouquet will get your attention.

I'm a rosarian

It's official.  I'm a rosarian!  I went to a lecture on roses at Telly's Greenhouse in Troy and their resident rose expert let us in on a secret.  Anyone who grows more than one rose can be called a rosarian!  One online definition is even more generous, you need only be fond of roses to earn the title. 

In reality, I probably actually am what you would imagine a rosarian to be.  I've had a rose garden for almost twenty years and I currently have 18 rose bushes in my garden getting ready to put on a show in June.  I've even travelled to "the mothership."  I went on a pilgrimage to David Austin's Shropshire Rose Garden and Nursery in northern England.  Remember?

I can't help it! Even though roses require quite a bit of care, in my book, no flower gives me more delight.  I love their magnificent colors, shapes and scents.  And I particularly love the abundance of blooms I get all Summer from each plant.

Are you a rosarian?

Antique Roses

I think the idea of antique roses is so romantic!  This cluster is part of a small hedge that my mom estimates to be almost 100 years old.  We have some old photos of the cottage (built in 1925) and I think I have seen these roses in it!

It seems silly, but ever Summer when they bloom we rejoice that they have lived another year.  We don't really tend them - a little dead heading now and then and some fertilizer, but that's all.  And they are strong and as healthy as if we just put them in.  Love it!

Do you have any plants (or sentimental trees) that have graced your property for a long time?  Doesn't it feel good to know that they will probably be there long after we're gone? 

I tell you, Mother Nature knows what she's doing. 

Life is Art

Would you believe me if I told you I took this photo?  Can you imagine what it was like to see these roses exactly as you see them - crowded and blooming like a painting?  Real life was exceeding art at David Austin's rose garden last Summer. 

My visit to David Austin's Shropshire garden in England has been one of the highlights of my life.  As my own rose bushes are leafing out (I saw the beginnings of a bud yesterday!), I can't help but remember the thrill of standing here. 

Roses take time and tending to get results like this, but there is no doubt in my mind that they are worth it.  Buy yourself a David Austin English Rose (I have Heritage, Abraham Darby, Lillian Austin and Graham Thomas) and plant it in your garden.  It will bring art into your life in an entirely new way.

Honey Dijon Rose

If you ask me, corsages should make a comeback! Doesn't this sweep of roses (still on the plant!) look just like a giant corsage from the Lawrence Welk days?

What could be prettier at the neckline of a sweater than a cluster of unusual roses?

This beauty is called "Honey Dijon" and it is one of my favorite flowers to make arrangements with in the late Summer/early Fall. It looks gorgeous paired with beeswax candles and woven placemats.

Plus, it reminds of when I drove through France and stopped in the town of Dijon! We were to only customers in the little Maille mustard shop.

Wish List

I could look at this photograph all day. In fact, I may make it into a DELIGHT tote so that I can take it with me wherever I go! In the background you can see my favorite quilt - it is blue, green, pink and cream print stars. 

My Mom has an antique quilt collection and I get to borrow them to decorate my house, which I love. Do you see my new rose? 

It is called Honey Dijon and is a dusty dull yellow brown - so cool! I looked everywhere for this variety last year and actually yelped when I found one in stock 2 weeks ago. 

Do you have a rose wish list?