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!
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