Saturday, November 19, 2011

click and sniff


today felt like summer should have...where were these days in June?

as I took a moment to inhale the sweet aroma of this rose, its outer guard petals soggy and molding from the last rain, I am reminded that the cold winter days are on the way and it won't be long until the roses are dormant for the winter.

wish you could click and sniff the roses in these pictures like we used to scratch and sniff books and stickers!



Sombreuil rose

winter means pruning...my hands ache at the thought. I know it's good for them and sometimes I can write the enormous task off as therapeutic. in the end it's really all about them.

pruning is all about controlling chaos and aesthetic. my entire career I spend trying to control the roses, when they ultimately control me. and way I say control, I mean it in the best way...I mean who wouldn't want to spend they entire day tending roses?

I feel lucky that I haven't been infected from the thorns embedded in my hands. Last fall I did find these amazing, sized gloves called The Protector, and they can even be used for falconry...American Heritage Gloves which are made in America, they are truly my protectors.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

my rose addiction

  
yes, I am addicted to roses. My dad says that I could be addicted to worse things in this world and I couldn't agree more.

while my first memories of roses come from my great grandmother's house, my recent memories of roses come from a nine-acre working rose ranch in California that is loaded with over 10,000 fragrant antique rose bushes. I now consider Garden Valley Ranch as my home away from home and can hardly spend a day away from this magical place. 

Fortune's Double Yellow

I feel so fortunate to work with roses and have become truly passionate about what I do. I want to share what I've learned and all I love about roses...and since the roses will be dormant soon I'll have time to share what we've been up to all season.

It's been a tough year for the roses, but they've still been out of this world gorgeous.