The roses are in bloom for autumn

Last month, after the summer heat-waves seemed to have left for another year, I gave the rosebushes in the front garden a "haircut".  Trimming during the hot summer months makes the roses thirsty for water (not good), but if I leave them alone and don't cut them, they are quite drought tolerant.

By September, the roses are always looking a bit shaggy. Some of them are vigorous growers that need neatening up every 6 months while others can be left to only get shaped once a year. I don't do a hard prune on my roses because with our mild some-night-frost-but-no-snow winters, it isn't necessary. If I time my pruning just right, I can get a big beautiful display in the spring (April to May), again in the fall (October to November) and then again around Christmas day.

This year I seemed to have timed the pruning perfectly because I'm getting a lovely October bloom from several of the varieties including 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' (below), 'Ronald Reagan', 'Janice Kellogg' and the infamous mislabeled rose that was supposed to be a 'Sterling' but turned out to be what I think is a 'Queen Elizabeth' (above).

There's something magical about having the roses in bloom while everything else is going through the changes of autumn. It reminds me that I don't live in a place where snow will envelope my world for months on end (something I lived with for a large slice of my younger years that has left me traumatized when it comes to snow). And I am happy.

A yellow rose is the promise of a new beginning

Years of Septembers starting out with
new grades,
new teachers
and new learning horizons
embedded in my mind
that August is the month that teeters on the precipice of new beginnings.

My heart often yearns for
the beginning of a new school year--
to feel the excitement of anticipating the frontiers that held
new knowledge,
new insights,
and learning new skills.

It seems fitting that the yellow rose should be the symbol of the promise of new beginnings.

August is the month of sunny yellows and bright oranges--
colors that radiate the warmth of an August sun
shining on beachgoers as they enjoy the last few weeks of
a summer no one wants to end.

August finds my heart torn between two worlds...
that of the endless-summer-seeking beachgoer
and that of the anticipatory student.

At once
holding on to every sun-filled moment to savor it and hope it never ends
while
looking to the horizon wondering what adventures lie beyond.

The roses featured in this post are 'Golden Showers' climbing roses

Cherry parfait roses and Instagram

Hubby is even more of a techie geek than I am (yes, that is possible), so he's often an early adopter of new technology in the world of social media. When Twitter entered the scene, Hubby was there signing on with an early account. When Google+ was there to challenge Facebook's share of the market, Hubby was signing up for an account. So, it stands to reason, when Instagram first made it's debut, Hubby was there with an early account. After he "played" with each one to see if it had value, he would encourage me to sign up for my own account on each.  I have often ended up being a "semi-early" adopter through his influence. In the case of Instagram, I was excited about it until Facebook bought the company. That soured me on the idea and I removed the app from my iPhone...

...until a couple of weeks ago.

I was at the wedding of two good friends who are great amateur photographers and Instagram users. At regular intervals throughout the reception, Hubby was taking photos with his iPhone and then post-processing them on the spot. Periodically, he'd show me his creations. Then he'd quickly post them to Instagram. I was intrigued. So I started playing with taking some photos at the reception. I had to load the Instagram app back on my iPhone so I could play with post-processing photos I was taking. Before I knew it, I found myself deeply immersed in the creatively inspirational world of Instagram.

This isn't the first time this has happened.

Several years ago, I had a similar phenomenon happen when I was corresponding with a fellow photographer blogger, Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams, whose work I greatly admire. She offhandedly mentioned how much of an inspiration the Flickr community was for her creativity. I took her advice and joined the world of Flickr. She was right. I found myself feeling like I was in a master's class of photography on a global scale. It was wonderfully inspiring for me and pushed me in my work and my creative eye. I ended up adopting new techniques of post-processing which led to me finding a completely new way of digitally painting my photos. It opened up a whole creative world for me. All because I acted on the advice of a fellow blogger.

I am finding that Instagram is doing the same for me. I am pushing my photographic eye and my creativity at just the right time when I feeling like I needed to be more creatively challenged.

There are some Instagrammers (IG'ers) who are iPhone only contributors that are really pushing themselves creatively. I have to admit, I'm not quite that brave... yet. My Instragram gallery is a mixture of shots from my DSLR cameras and iPhone. Maybe someday I'll take the brave leap into iPhone only.

For now, I'm thrilled to be discovering the work of some really brilliant IG'ers. Some are also bloggers, so I've gotten the bonus of discovering some beautiful blogs along this journey!

If you'd like to join me on Instagram click here

The roses featured in this post are "Cherry Parfait" all from the same bush. This is the most spectacular display it's put on since I planted it probably about 4 or so years ago.

A May day "basket" of flowers for everyone

"Disneyland" rose in forefront with "Blue Ribbon" peeking its pale purple self from behind
Then going clockwise up and around the bird fountain:
"Our Lady of Guadalupe" rose
"Ronald Reagan"
"Honey Bouquet"
"My Fifi"

I've been in the middle of transitioning to a new computer all day so my intention of posting photos of lots of blooms to wish everyone a happy first of May kind of fell by the wayside until late in the evening. Oh well. Better late than never, right?

When I was young, my mom told me about the old tradition of filling a basket of flowers for the first day of May and giving them to someone special. I have so many people who are special to me (all of you) I can't fill up real baskets for everyone and deliver them in person. But I can share these images instead and we can pretend, okay?

"Blue Ribbon" with a backdrop of fennel, "Disneyland" and our living room windows

The past week, I've been posting a bloom a day in order to share the explosion of color happening in the garden right now (the front garden being the most colorful). Today, I'm sharing some wider shots to illustrate that I'm not exaggerating when I say it is "exploding with color".

Same roses as mentioned above except for the "Abraham Darby" top left and "Parade" to its right

I love when the garden puts on this show. Although most of the roses continue to bloom throughout the summer and fall, there isn't ever quite the same abundance of blooms as there are at this time of the year.  Every time I look out the living room windows, I smile.

"Janice Kellogg" in forefront
"Our Lady of Guadalupe", "Ronald Reagan", and "Honey Bouquet" in background

Bloom-a-day 5: Ronald Reagan rose

Like an artist's paint palette exploded, the garden is alive with color everywhere I look.

I've decided to feature a bloom a day until this beautiful show comes to a close.

When choosing rosebushes to become permanent residents in the garden, I tend to steer away from red roses simply because they're not unusual enough. However, when I came upon the "Ronald Reagan" as a bare-root with a full-color photo on the bag label,  I fell in love with the unique coloring of the petals--how they are light (almost white) at the base and then deepen to a bright red on the edges. When I saw that description of the foliage was "dark, leathery and glossy" (translation: more disease resistant) I was sold. I've never regretted buying this beauty. This year it's putting on the best show ever since it came to live here.

The phenomenon of autumn and winter roses

"Montezuma"

Each rosebush in the garden is a little different in its tastes and preferences as far as sun and water go. Each one blooms at its preferred time during the year as well. When I first embarked on planting roses, I had no idea that there would be so much diversity in blooming times--nor did I anticipate the majority of the roses would be giving me an "encore bloom" as the outside temperatures cooled toward the end of the year.

Consistently every year, as the dryness and heat of summer slips into the toasty days of September and early October the roses begin to look a bit peaked and tired. My brain is okay with that because it is turning autumn after all.

But then the first autumn rains come and something miraculous happens to the roses... they bloom as if it's May again.

Mystery rose (was mislabeled as "Sterling" when I bought it)

After 12 years of watching this phenomenon happen, I'm beginning to expect it instead of being surprised by it. It still seems like a miracle to me though and never ceases to delight me.

The temperatures continue to get cooler and cooler throughout the month of November (our overnight temps are now dipping into the 40-45F (4-7C) range. But the roses seem to get happier and continue to bloom and will continue to do so until Christmas Day when I've learned I can always count on roses in bloom for the holiday.

"Janice Kellogg"

There are subtle differences between the autumn and Christmas blooms and the earlier blooms of spring and early summer. The autumn buds are smaller and tighter--often darker in color. The buds take longer to open and when they do the petals are often more crepe-like with variegation and patterns that weren't there in the spring.

"Sheer Magic"

I have one rosebush (a mystery rose that was here before we were) that refuses to bloom all summer. It loses all its leaves as if it was winter. Then when autumn rolls around, it begins to get foliage again and by December and January it is putting out its lovely pale pink teacup-sized blossoms for me to enjoy in the midst of a fairly dormant winter garden. It is really delightful to have that special gift every year at a time that is hard for me because the days are short and the sun often hides behind a low marine layer of clouds.

This is what I still have to look forward to as Christmas Day draws nearer...

The winter-blooming pink mystery rose on Christmas Day 2007

Making the most out of trimming up the garden

I was having to give a corner of the garden a "haircut" the other day in order to make the path passable. Under the huge (and I mean HUGE) buddleia bush, grow a bunch of plants that prefer less intense sun. They had all grown rather unruly  and needed shaping up. So the hydrangea, a fern and the David Austen "Abraham Darby" rose got trimmed up.

One reason I hate doing a mid-summer trim is that I often have to cut off blooms in their prime. That's what happened with the "Abraham Darby". There was a perfect rose blooming on a long branch encroaching in a not-so-subtle way onto the well-traveled garden path that sweeps in front of it. It had to come off. I felt so bad. Until I had an idea... I decided to bring the single bloom inside instead of throw it in with the rest of the green waste, and I would use it for a photo shoot.

Usually I can't bring cut flowers inside because I have a flower-eating-ginger-tabby that won't leave them alone unless the flowers are perched on the fireplace mantle. I put the "Abraham Darby" in a small bud vase on the mantle until I had the right natural light in my studio.

A couple of days later when the light was right and the flower-eating-ginger-tabby was napping, "Abraham Darby" and I had a photo shoot. And "Abraham Darby" was the perfect model.

~the above photograph is available here~

A photo-walk through the garden looking at the New Year's roses at Rosehaven Cottage

There are many things I love about living in a mild-winter climate. I think one of my favorites is the chance of having New Year's roses blooming while the trees and plants in other parts of the garden have gone to sleep until spring. The overnight frosts nip at my bougainvillea and calla lilies making them wither and turn brown. But the roses seem impervious even to below-freezing temps.

The roses got a late summer haircut this year and spent the autumn sending out new green growth that resulted in a particularly spectacular late December bloom. When the skies are grey and overcast, the roses are just the splash of color needed to brighten my day. I hope these photos brighten your winter day too.

If you keep scrolling down you'll see the special surprise that I encountered at the end of my photo-walk through the rose garden.

While I was out photographing the roses, a cheeky male Anna's hummingbird decided that my presence was not going to deter him from taking his "regularly scheduled" afternoon bath in the chilly water of the fountain. He was very leisurely and also got a few drinks. If you look closely you can see his little tongue sticking out. I didn't have to use my zoom lens to photograph this little guy. He was only about 4 feet away when I shot this photo. Like I said... cheeky.

Creating my own secret garden with "curtains and fountains of roses"

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I've posted before about my own little "Secret Garden" of sorts. In that post I said:

"There's a line from one of the film adaptations of 'The Secret Garden' that always come to mind when I'm in the garden--'curtains and fountains of roses' is the line. I think maybe I've been subconsciously using that movie line as a pattern for my plant-as-you-go form of garden design which has resulted in what we have now."

As I photographed the Cecile Brunner rosebush (seen above) that is spilling over with pale pink blossoms, I realized what "curtains and fountains of roses" really are.

The Cecile Brunner is a climbing rose that is a vigorous grower. In only a few short growing seasons, our bush now towers over us at 14-20 feet tall. The long sturdy canes form their own trellis if left to grow woody and the new canes grow fast into long arching limbs of blossoming sweetness. Our bush has created its own sizable garden arch that is the entrance to the back garden.

If that weren't enough serendipity, the sparrows also use the thick green foliage as a protective nesting site for their young swooping in and out with bugs they've gleaned from my garden to keep it pest free without chemicals.

After years of appreciating the aforementioned film, I finally understand what "curtains and fountains of roses" are and why every secret garden should have them. It is more blissful than I ever imagined years ago when I would watch the film and dream of creating my own secret garden someday.

President Grevy (the lilac) is putting on a real show for the first time

President Grevy (Common Lilac Syringa vulgaris) has been a resident at Rosehaven Cottage for 10 years now. But like many common lilac breeds, Mr. President doesn't necessarily do well in our mild winters and would prefer the stress of a very cold and frosty winter in order to set buds for a spectacular springtime show. Think New Hampshire and that's what it wants. It's why the lilac is the state flower of New Hampshire.

I finally found mild-winter breeds of lilacs that love residing here, but never had the heart to give President Grevy an eviction notice despite its rather pathetic existence (it should be close to 10-14 feet tall by now).

I continued to cultivate around it and a few years ago eventually planted roses on its southwest side--a Tahitian Sunset and a Hot Cocoa. The Tahitian Sunset must have gotten settled in quite nicely because it took off last year and towered over the rest of the plants in that corner of the garden despite minimal irrigation. Because my health began to decline in August, the roses were allowed to grow and grow. The Tahitian Sunset was thrilled. And, apparently, so was President Grevy. It liked the cool shade afforded by its towering neighbor, I guess... so much so that Mr. President is putting on quite a springtime show for us.

Snow white and rose red

From a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm:

"There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore white and the other red roses. She had two children who were like the two rose-trees, and one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose- red. They were as good and happy, as busy and cheerful as ever two children in the world were, only Snow-white was more quiet and gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields seeking flowers and catching butterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother, and helped her with her housework, or read to her when there was nothing to do.

"The two children were so fond of one another that they always held each other by the hand when they went out together, and when Snow- white said: ’We will not leave each other,’ Rose-red answered: ’Never so long as we live,’ and their mother would add: ’What one has she must share with the other.’

"They often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries, and no beasts did them any harm, but came close to them trustfully. The little hare would eat a cabbage-leaf out of their hands, the roe grazed by their side, the stag leapt merrily by them, and the birds sat still upon the boughs, and sang whatever they knew."

This photo is available as custom-printed invitations at Rosehaven Cottage Stationers by clicking above
and is also available to send for FREE as an e-card or e-vite at pingg by clicking below.

Cherry Parfait

When I first saw the name of this rose "Cherry Parfait", I fell in love even though it was just a bare-root package with no foliage, encased in a plastic bag with a picture of what the rose would hopefully look like someday. Not far from it on the bare-root display was another rose named "My Fifi". Again, I fell in love with the name.

The two roses came home with me and went into the ground opposite one another with only a small walking path dividing them.

That was only a couple of years ago. Both are stellar performers in the blooming department. Their blooms are great for cutting and putting in a vase.

I'm glad I went ahead and bought them even if only for their names.

Weeks Nine and Ten of Floral Design

Because I missed my floral design class last Tuesday (funeral stuff), I had to make up a class period by attending both the afternoon and evening classes yesterday.


Week nine was the L-shaped arrangement that I made up in the evening. In my garden, I have been fortunate to have quite a few of my roses grow long straight stems this spring (probably because of our rainfall patterns). So I was able to bring a dozen long stemmed Tahitian Sunset roses from my own garden to make this arrangement! How cool is that?!?!



For week ten's arrangement, we learned how to make a topiary out of asiatic lilies and roses. The stems of the lilies are so long and straight that when we bound them together they made a great "trunk" for the topiary. The lilies are already starting to open up more as this arrangement sits on my mantle. I'm enjoying watching it evolve.

Yesterday was the last class of this term. So I get a two week break, and then I'll be in the shorter summer term doing double-duty every Tuesday with 6 hours of instruction in total every week. That means I'll get two arrangements done every Tuesday. By the end of the summer term, I'll be much closer to my first milestone--beginner's certification with 30 arrangements completed. Yay!

Roses, Roses, Roses

Click on any of the images to see large

"Golden Showers" climber
(with Oreo underneath)

It's that time of year around here when all the roses are bursting with wonderfully scented blossoms. The scent is so heady in certain parts of the garden that it seems a bit surreal. We have over 30 roses growing in the gardens so I couldn't picture them all here in one post. I decided to feature some of the ones that have gotten less "press" here on the blog.

The "Golden Showers" (above) has really taken off. It towers over my head and makes a great shady spot from the intense sun for both Oreo (the garden kitty) and me.

"Sheer Magic"

The "Sheer Magic" (above) has had a hard time producing photogenic blooms since I put it in 2 years ago. But this year looks promising with it's first bloom that is photograph-worthy.

This is the oldest rosebush in the gardens (above). It is probably at least 50 years old. I call it "Old Red" because I don't have a correct identification for it (although I have a hunch that it's a Mr. Lincoln).

"Hot Cocoa"

Like the "Sheer Magic", this "Hot Cocoa" (above) has had a hard time producing photogenic blooms since it went in 2 years ago. But this first bloom of 2009 gives me hope that it has settled in and found its footing so-to-speak.

"Cecile Brunner" climber

You've all seen my "Cecile Brunner" in past posts. It is such a wonderful climber with thick foliage that gives the best shade. This year we have a sweet sparrow family nesting in the inner depths of this massive rose. I hear the little babies tweeting from inside. It's really a treat.

"Irish Cream"

I usually won't admit to a favorite among my roses, but I have to admit that the "Irish Cream" has bewitched me with its unusual caramel color. It isn't a bushy rose, nor is it as prolific a bloomer as some of the others. But when it blooms... WOW!

"Montezuma" (above left) and "Cherry Parfait" (above right)

The "Montezuma" and the "Cherry Parfait" are on opposite sides of the front garden because each one is a show-stopper that needs the spotlight. It's interesting to see them here side-by-side when I never see them that way in real life.

Many of these roses (and more) have made their debut in a new 18 month calendar that I have hand-produced myself. I got really tired of "18 month" calendars that don't have real pages for the extra six months. So I decided to make a REAL 18-month calendar that has a real page for every one of the 18 months. I took photographs of the roses that grow here at Rosehaven Cottage and turned them into "vintage" rose prints using Photoshop magic. I have a coil-binding set-up here in my studio so the calendars have been completed constructed by me. I even discreetly hand-sign and date each one, because I think each is a piece of art.

Rose Nostalgia Collection 2009-2010 18-month Calendars are now available!

The Abraham Darby has bloomed

Click here to view large
I used the wonderful texture from swimmingintheether's collection

The "Abraham Darby" (a David Austen rose) has bloomed for the first time this year. I'm always intrigued by its ruffly petals that remind me of an old painting. So I tried my hand at making the photograph look more like a painting in Photoshop by using a texture, erasing the texture strategically, and then adding in highlights sparingly.

One Dozen White Roses Bouquet

Click on image to view larger

Today was my fourth floral design class, and we learned how to arrangement a dozen roses in a vase with leather leaf and fern for fillers.

This arrangement uses the stems of the filler to create an interlaced grid to place the roses in so they stay put--sort of. This was a new technique for me because normally I put the flowers in the vase and then try to figure out how to put in filler around them. I think I like the technique of placing the greenery first better.

The flowers aren't in floral foam so things move around a lot while arranging this bouquet. That can be good and bad depending what you're trying to accomplish at any given moment.

My roses didn't have long enough stems to get the full airy effect that our instructor had in her arrangement. I had to wire my three tallest roses to give them height.

Still, I like the arrangement and the way the stems criss-cross in the vase.

In the pink

I'm a huge fan of the color pink. That's why my other blog Dusting in Pearls is pink. That's why the logo for Rosehaven Cottage Inc. is pink. That's why my studio is slowly but surely getting decorated in pink. That's also why Hubby brought home a bouquet of pink roses for me on Valentine's Day (above).

Interestingly, I don't necessarily go ga-ga over every shade of pink. The shade of pink that will stop me dead in my tracks is the soft pink of ballet slippers (you know, the ones that little girls wear to ballet class). I call it "ballet slipper pink". And when I see it, I am drawn to it. Just ask Hubby what happens when we're in a store and I see something in that shade of pink. It could be a pile of garbage, but if it's "ballet slipper pink" garbage, I'll want it.


I really love the blossoms of spring because of their array of soft pinks. The ornamental plum tree at the end of the street is in bloom right now. I was hoping we'd get a break in the rain before the blossoms fell off so I could take some shots. I got my wish today. A beautiful sunny day with blue skies and white puffy clouds was just the ticket for taking shots of the ornamental plum in all its glory.


Of course I have pink hyacinths in my front garden. Of course! When I went out to take shots of them this afternoon, they were laying down because the blossoms had caught so much rainwater that it was weighing them down. I shook the majority of the rainwater out to perk them up and then took some shots.

Yes, indeed, I am swimming in pink right now. I'm even working on pink projects. I'm surprised that I haven't grown weary of it. In fact, just the opposite has happened. I look for pink everywhere now.

Just in case any of you would like to get "in the pink" too, I've created a wallpaper/desktop that is available for anyone to download for free. Just click on the image below and it will take you to the download site where there are download instructions. Have fun and enjoy being "in the pink"!