Something Beautiful - Create a pretty posy .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

AT MY ROSE GARDEN, we have decided that every week this year we will do, see or create something beautiful. 

This week’s something beautiful:   

The Christmas and New Year season can often bring back memories of lost loved ones, along with feelings of loneliness and sadness.  Perhaps you know of someone who needs a little cheering up.   Gather fragrant garden roses and create a pretty posy, as a surprise gift.  (And by creating this posy, you cheer yourself up too!)  .. Something beautiful to do and create this week! 

   

Here's how we made our pretty posy:

Pick your roses in the cool of the evening the night before you plan to create your posy.  Each rose is different, but as a general rule of thumb, pick your roses when they are just about to open, or partially open.  Place roses in a container of cool water up to their necks in a dark place overnight.  This will condition the roses and help your posy stay fresh for longer.   

To add colour, extra fragrance and texture to your posy, gather sprigs of herbs and foliage.  We often include common herbs, such as lemon thyme, spearmint and rosemary, which all have a strong, spicy perfume.  These can be picked at any time of year as foliage, as well as when in flower.  The strong perfume from these herbs if stored with roses can induce them to open their blooms too soon.   For this reason, condition your sprigs of herbs and foliage in a separate container of water away from the roses. 

Heirloom, English rose

G. Nabonnand, Tea rose

Wife of Bath, English rose

For our posy, among the roses we picked was the pink, highly fragrant English Heirloom rose.  We added the softly fragrant Tea rose, G. Nabonnand, with soft peach/pink blooms.   And for a final touch of luxury, we added the myrrh scented English rose, Wife of Bath.  For hints of bright colour that contrast well with the soft pink roses, we inserted stems of purple salvia.  Pale pink flowering stems of spearmint added here and there throughout the posy gave a touch of spicy fragrance.   To finish off the posy tie with a pretty ribbon!

Now you have created ‘something beautiful’.