Sunday, July 7, 2024

ROSES




A Memory of Roses



The roses of June that bloomed profusely in my garden 
are only a memory as July arrives, but their scent remains.
 
It's been gathered, distilled, and bottled into rose water!

One touch of this fragrant liquid, sprinkled into the bath or misted on the skin, is guaranteed to bring all those rosy memories to life again.






The petals are harvested when the plants 
reach their blooming best. 

Only those rose varieties with 
the sweetest perfume
 are used.



























Time to check my Garden Library for some how-to tips












After a short rinsing off and a long steep
 in hot water, 
the petals are strained out,
 and a beautiful blush pink tint remains.

The addition of essential rose oil follows, 
and then the rose water is ready to be put into bottles.











The finished rose water must be stored in 
the fridge to keep it fresh, 
so be sure to label each bottle, as it is not edible!







This "Bring Me Sunshine" 
rose has found a place in my garden 
and on my art table. 










Now, if I were a bumble bee I could just burrow
 inside this all of the deliciously fragrant roses
 and enjoy myself.





But I can make rose water, and I can paint roses, 
so I'll let the bees take their pleasure their way,
and I will be grateful for mine.









 

Friday, May 24, 2024


 May is Madness

Madness of the best kind!





Yes, you're mad, bonkers...but I'll tell you a secret, all the best people are - said Alice.

Yay for May, the best month of the year.




A wreath of  May flowers adorns the top of this pretty head. . . 
 all the flowers I could pick and weave into it in 
just one day in May. Madness at its best. 
The perfect accessory for dancing with the garden fairies.





Madness, Magic, Miracle, there are not nearly enough ways or words to describe the month of May, and the bounty of blooms that fill it from the beginning to the end.  








Can we talk about fragrance! 
Yes, there is color everywhere you look, 
up, down, all around,
 but close your eyes and just breathe!
The air is saturated with May's perfume.






Lily of The Valley





Fragrant Trees and Shrubs




Spice Bush







Mock Orange







Bridal Wreath







Viburnum




Lilac










Flowering Crabapple





The Woodlands



Bloodroot




Trillium



                                              

Lady's Slipper



                                              


Jack-in-the-Pulpit




The Tulips














The Early Birds




Hellebore





Bleeding Heart





Pink Dogwood




Pagoda Dogwood




The Peonies






















The Violets





The Iris

                                            














The First Rose



Every garden has its best month, for mine it is always May.

The month of May is my favorite, even though it passes by in such fast motion that I can hardly contain all the joy. 

Living and gardening in the Midwest I have learned to treasure the seasons, the months, the constant changing of the guard.


And now it's on to June.........