About our SPRING COLOUR WORKSHOPS .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

I'm a little nervous.  Now I've put the call out for our SPRING COLOUR WORKSHOPS, October 13th or 27th, I'm wondering if  
a) we'll have enough roses and flowers blooming at the time of the workshops; and 
b) will those who visit us for the first time be disappointed with my 'less than magnificent' country rose garden?

You see, our country rose garden is still quite new.  In fact, I've been doing this (working in the garden) more or less full time now for only two years.  Before that I was still lecturing and commuting interstate.  But jobs are difficult to sustain when you're flying weekly and running a full-time university course of 1000 students, as well as teaching into that course. While I just love teaching, there was no time to breathe, and definitely no time to smell the roses.

So here we are!  Trying to make this love of mine (teaching about sustainable natural environments & growing heirloom roses) into a full-time business!   My other love is using natural materials from the garden and creating beautiful bouquets, posies and wreaths - and of course, teaching others how to do the same! 

In fact, I love free-flowing, just-picked-from-the-garden arrangements using fresh home-grown flowers.  In other words, flowers that you don't see in the supermarket.  I prefer to grow heirloom roses and flowers that smell wonderful, are seasonal and can be grown without an array of toxic sprays to keep them performing.  

That's why through trial and error I've discovered that heirloom Tea roses perform well in our warm climate and flower for most of the year.   Some will have a rest during the cooler winter months, while others rest throughout the hot summer weather.  And instead of using pesticides and other nasty sprays, we under-plant our heirloom roses with old-fashioned flowers and herbs.  The birds and bees love it!

Tea roses come in a range of colours, from soft subtle pastels to more vibrant colours, often changing colour according to the season.  The variation in colour makes for gorgeous bouquets of different shades of ombre in the one arrangements.  

And the fragrance is lovely, varying from a subtle sweet tea (yes, just like dried tea leaves with a teaspoon of sugar!), fruity fragrance with a hint of citrus through to a strong old-rose fragrance!

So do think about joining us for our SPRING COLOUR WORKSHOPS!  We'd love to show you around our developing gardens, help you pick your own roses and flowers and serve you some refreshments. Oh, and you'll get to take home a gorgeous bouquet that you've hand-picked and created yourself (with our help), all finished off with a hand-dyed ribbon!  (We'll show you how to do that too!)

Our SPRING COLOUR WORKSHOPS October 13th or 27th, in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland near Eumundi start at 9.30am and finish 12.30.  All materials and refreshments are included.  Contact us via FACEBOOK for details!  

Spring Colour Workshops .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

We are so excited about our Spring Colour Workshops.  Spring is the time in the rose garden where  there's a bounty of blooms to choose from.  At Edgeworth Lley - Heirloom Roses, we grow a range of heirloom roses and flowers that you won't find at a florist.  Perfect for creating stunning and unique bouquets for Spring. 

At our Spring Colour Workshops we will do a guided walk around the gardens and choose from the many roses and flowers on offer.  The colour combinations for bouquets and posies are endless (not to mention the fragrance combinations)!!! Then we will show you how to use your choices to create a stunning Spring bouquet.  You will also learn about dyeing your own ribbon using herbs from the garden!

As we guide you around the gardens, you might start with the bright red climbing rose, 'Altissimo'.  It's large red blooms are stunning as the central focus in a bouquet or posy. 

And of course, there are the daffodils.  The yellow of a daffodil will add warmth and joy to any arrangement.  

A special treat is the  Australian bred rose, 'Lorraine Lee', with it's gorgeous coral tones.  And the perfume is delicious too.

Because we don't use toxic sprays, we under-plant our heirloom roses with lots of herbs.  One of my favourites is the self-seeding borage.  The tiny blue star-like flowers are gorgeous and add a little bit of sparkle to a pretty posy.

We also use the herbs in our gardens to dye ribbon and fabrics to tone with our bouquets and posies.  At our Spring Colour Workshops we will show you how to dye your own ribbon with herbs from our gardens.   

Among the species roses is Rosa Laevigata.  It flowers only once a year, but it's large single blooms are astonishingly beautiful in the garden, and gorgeous in any arrangement.  

A favourite old-fashioned Tea rose for cutting is the luscious 'Mrs B R Cant'. She can have hundreds of double, pink blooms at one time.  We know Spring has arrived when she is covered with buds and blooms at various stages of opening.  

Sweet peas are another seasonal treat in the gardens.  We grow the fragrant old-fashioned type that go so well in our Spring posies.

Another favourite rose for bouquets is the climbing Blue Moon, one of our nostalgia roses.  The fragrance is delicious and the colour fits so well with so many other roses from the gardens;  a perfect foil for bright colours in a bouquet.

So gathering a range of roses and flowers from the garden is just one part of the joy of creating a gorgeous Spring bouquet. Once you have gathered your selection of flowers, we will guide you in how to -

Condition your flowers so they last longer in the vase.

Use your selections to create a stunning Spring bouquet that will smell as gorgeous as it looks. 

Show you how to dye your ribbon to tone with your bouquet using  natural dyes from the garden.  

Our Spring Colour Workshops are planned for October -  Thursday, 13th, and Thursday 27th from 9.30am - 12.30pm.  Refreshments and all materials included.  

Booking and details through our Facebook page: 

Edgeworth Lley-Heirloom Roses. 

We'd love to see you!