How is your garden looking at this wonderful time of year? Your borders, planters and containers will be working hard for you and if you aren't seeing the rewards yet, you soon should be. I have plenty of plants in full flower or still growing on and getting ready to flower. One of my favourites have been the roses, which I adore, with all their colours, forms and fragrance. Roses that I planted a couple of years ago or more have continued to grow lovely blooms, with appropriate pruning and feeding. Roses that I planted this year are being given a year of growth and although they have bloomed I have taken them off so that the energy can be focused on establishing good strong roots. People can be put off roses by their pruning and care requirements but I would encourage you to have a go. The David Austin website has some great videos on pruning which make it much easier to look after roses and get the best out of them.
Roses go into many of my large flower jars where they add a real wow factor. They have added beautifully to the fragrance which has been layered up with philadelphus, sweet peas, sage, rosemary, spearmint and honeysuckle. With a ribbon tied round the top of the jar they make a lovely gift to say “hi” or “happy birthday”. The most difficult thing about roses is actually cutting them as they always look fabulous in the garden, but it is lovely to bring them indoors if you can. My mother-in-law gave me her beautiful copper rose-bowl which I have filled a couple of times and it felt like a real indulgence. Gypsophila elegans ‘Kermesina’ is a lovely addition with its sparkly pink flowers adding a little airiness.
For the kitchen table, I have little bud vases which take a single rose with some cornflowers, sweet peas or sweet william. Any spare rose petals are collected and dried for confetti. It is wonderful news that wedding parties up to 30 people are now allowed. Flower farmers and florists across the land will be getting ready to flower-up.
Cut yourself a few stems from the garden ready for the weekend. Include a rose of beauty and fragrance and take pleasure in watching it bloom and the petals fall.
Follow the flowers and happy gardening.