~June is National Rose Month ~ In My Kitchen Window

Here is a peek at what is in my kitchen window, being sent out of my flower shop, & what is growing in my rose beds. June is National Rose month....Let's celebrate!!



This is what is in my kitchen window: hot pink peonies & Magic Moka Roses.



Beautiful massed bouquet of Sahara (blush) Roses



Close up of an orange spray rose. I am not sure which variety this one is. A spray rose is like a sweetheart rose in size, but there will be multiple blooms on a stem, where a sweetheart is one stem, one bloom. As far as a rose is concerned, spray roses are great value for the money, due to the multiple blooms on a stem.



One of my David Austen heirloom roses in my rose bed. This has the most wonderful fragrance. This is what a rose should smell like & I love the cabbage rose shape.



This is a twist on a dozen roses. This topiary was designed using Circus (orange with red tips) roses. For an extra bit of interest & flair, there are spirals of art wire & an angel charm dangles from one on the top. I much prefer this style of a dozen roses to the traditional in a vase with greenery & baby breath.


Quick tip about fresh cut roses.

Most people believe that a vase of roses must be this elaborate arrangement of long stemmed roses with lots of greenery & Baby's Breath. I say not so. I love to arrange roses in a smaller container with the stems cut shorter, little greenery & accent flowers. Don't be afraid to ask your florist to design your next bouquet of roses in this manner. Ask for a "Massed Arrangement" or "Massed Style" bouquet of roses.
Examples of this style are pictured above.

Reasons for this style of design are:

1. Shorter stems allow for less travel distance for the water to go from the bottom of the stem to the head of the flower. Thus filling the stem tightly with water & supporting the head of the flower better. Which will extend the life of your roses.

2. Mass style designs of roses enhance the beauty of the rose by showing the blooms of the flowers instead of a lot of greenery & flower stems.

3. Easier to transport for the one giving the rose arrangement & easier placement of the arrangement for the recipient since it doesn't take up as much room as the larger arrangements do.

How to extend the life of your fresh roses:

1. Re cut the stems on an angle so that when they are placed in a vase of water, they will have a surface for the water to be able to absorb up the stem.

2. Change the water frequently & remove all foliage that will be below the water level to avoid bacteria growth.

3. When you change your water add floral preservative to the water. It helps extend the life of the roses & helps keep your water clear. (your florist should give this to you when you purchase your roses)

Note: The above tips also may be applied to the roses that you are growing in your flower gardens. Cut them & bring them in to enjoy in your home.


Some Fun Rose Trivia

* People have been passionate about roses since the beginning of time. In fact, it is said that the floors of Cleopatra's palace were carpeted with delicate rose petals, and that the wise and knowing Confucius had a 600 book library specifically on how to care for roses.

* Wherefore art thou rose? In the readings of Shakespeare, of course. He refers to roses more than 50 times throughout his writings.

* 1,000 years old. That's the age the world's oldest living rose is thought to be on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral of Germany.

* Why white roses are so special is no mystery - it's a myth. Perhaps it started with the Romans who believed white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell as she mourned the loss of her beloved Adonis. Myth also has it that Venus' son Cupid accidentally shot arrows into the rose garden when a bee stung him, and it was the "sting" of the arrows that caused the roses to grow thorns. And when Venus walked through the garden and pricked her foot on a thorn, it was the droplets of her blood which turned the roses red.

* The rose is New York's state flower.

* A rose by any other name... according to Greek Mythology, it was Aphrodite who gave the rose its name.

* While the rose may bear no fruit, the rose hips (the part left on the plant after a rose is done blooming) contain more Vitamin C than almost any other fruit or vegetable.

* The rose is the official National Floral Emblem of the United States.

* Leave it to the romantic French to be the ones to first deliver roses. It was in the seventeenth century that French explorer Samuel deChamplain brought the first cultivated roses to North America.

* Recently, archaeologists discovered the fossilized remains of wild roses over 40 million years old.

* The people of ancient Greece used roses on festive occasions. They would adorn themselves with garlands of roses, and splash themselves with rose-scented oil.

* Napoleon's wife Josephine so adored roses, she grew more than 250 varieties.

* For the past 30 years and counting, June has been the National Rose Month in the United States.

Most of all ENJOY your roses!