To bury one’s nose in a heavenly array of petals seems to overtake the mind and soul, almost instantaneously, like great winds upon sails. Memories of dreams and hopes may spring to mind — of possibilities, of receiving your first red rose and kiss, of candlelit pathways, sweet notes read time and time again, and warm embraces; of the words, “I love you”. Such fond memories, words and feelings are truly a matter of the heart; the very deepest matter of all.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow, we celebrate roses, as their ever-returning connection to Valentine’s Day and love is deeply woven in history. According to number of sources, roses are representative of love in all its forms, and more so became a popular Valentine’s Day flower during the 17th century. It all seems to stem back to the simple belief that a red rose was the favorite flower of Venus — the Roman Goddess of beauty and love.
Hence, the rose has been claimed as the single flower of love and passion. And just who grows these delicate flowers? There are specialists throughout the world, who devote their time, expertise, passion and pursuit of continuing the tradition of growing and maintaining a beautiful part of our history. Today, we take a dip into romance, as we explore ideas on how to use, preserve and give roses, as well as three wondrous and fascinating rose gardens across the globe . . .
01 | Roseraie du Val-de-Marne (Roseraie de L’Haÿ), France
This enchanting rose garden, over a century old, is located quite near to Paris, and is, in fact, known as the very first rose garden established in the world.
Roseraie du Val-de-Marne was conceived in 1894, and lovingly brought up by one man: Jules Gravereux, who was, at the time, the manager of Le Bon Marché. In the garden, we may find a variety of roses and points of interest, including: bush roses, rambling roses, treelet roses, sarmentose and climbing roses trained along frames such as pergolas, arcs, garlands and towers — all designed by Edouard Andre.
Not only open to visitors, this site is also a center of high-level research on the genus Rosa for scientists worldwide.
Structured around an axis of symmetry from Norman Hall dome, La Roseraie covers three acres and is divided into 13 gardens, containing 3,177 rose varieties, including 182 botanical varieties —certainly one of the most celebrated rose gardens of all time.
{p.s.} visit the website for e-cards, postcards and desktops
{visiting information} : open from May 4th to September 16th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
01 | Le Fabe Hotel
02 | La Belle Juliette
02 | L’Apostrophe hôtel
01 | Le Cinq
02 | L’etoile Du Pandjab
02 | Paul Chêne
02 | Elizabeth Park Rose Garden, Connecticut
This famous rose garden is in fact the oldest in all of the United States. Upon visiting, you will discover rambling roses covering archways and beds upon beds of an array of colours and sizes. Located in Hartford, Connecticut, on two and half acres, there are approximately 800 varieties and 15,000 rose plants in total. The park was first realized when the land owners passed, and gave their land to the city, stipulating in their will that the land be used as a park for all to enjoy.
And so, the city then hired Theodore Wirth as its first park superintendent to go about designing the gardens. His first project? To create a rose garden because, in his words, “it would please the people.” And that it did. The main rose garden beautifully showcases more modern roses, however, the Heritage Rose Garden boasts lovely historical varieties.
Quite a few rare varieties can be appreciated here, as today, the park totals 102 acres and welcomes guests with many garden areas, pathways, greenhouses, lawns, a picnic grove, a pond and recreation areas.
{visiting information} : the park is open to visitors from dawn to dusk, everyday of the year.
01 | The Farmington Inn
02 | The Connecticut River Valley Inn
02 | Silas W. Robbins House
01 | Morton’s
02 | Costa del Sol
02 | On Twenty
03 | Castle Howard, York
At Castle Howard in York, UK, one may discover a joining of fabulous architectural and captivating gardens. Indeed, there are Italianate trellises, hornbeam hedges and brick walls that add such a beautiful backdrop and accents to the gardens. There are, in fact, three separate gardens to visit on the estate, all set within 18th century walls, including : Lady Cecilia’s Garden, the Sundial Garden and the Venus Garden.
Latest of all is Lady Cecilia’s garden, which was established in 1975, and dedicated in fondness to the memory of Lady Cecilia Howard herself. Such garden is brimming with fragrant old roses, Albas, Gallicas and damasks, some of which are incredibly rare and not often seen anywhere else.
In total, there are about 2000 types of more modern roses, which include David Austin English roses, a must-see garden and estate for all who appreciate roses, history and England.
{visiting information} : open from January 1st to March 23rd, then from March 24th to December 16th, 10 a.m until 5 p.m
01 | Rudding Park Hotel
02 | Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa
02 | Mount Royale Hotel
01 | The Living Room
02 | Loch Fyne Restaurant
02 | The Ivy Brasserie
CREATIVE USES | IDEAS
Transcending far beyond their roots, roses can be enjoyed in tea, perfume, and even on cakes . . .
* placed between the pages of a book /notebook
* top a lovely parcel, and tied with ribbon
* adorn a romantic tabletop with petals
* tuck into a letter / envelope
* float in a vase or glass bowl
* float inside balloons [particularly clear or pastel]
* topping a delicious cake
* slip into a luxurious bath and toss petals in as well
* freeze them within ice cubes [place in buckets of glasses]
* toss them across your desk or bed for the day
HOW TO | care & extension of life-span
* re-cut the stems on a 45-degree angle [some suggest doing so under water]
* place stems in water immediately upon trimming
* remove leaves that would be immersed in water [as it would sit within your vase]
* add a packet of floral preservative
* add one-half can of lemon lime soda and one half water
* a few little drops of bleach will help keep the water clear and fresh
* do not display roses in direct sunlight / in very warm temperatures if possible
* you may wish to keep your vase of roses in the refrigerator overnight and pull out in morning
Lastly, a few additional links you might also enjoy : a softly-scented monogrammed candle | a delicious tea, with buds of white tea mixed with tender Oriental rosebuds | a specialty perfumerie offering a lovely range of rose scents | Evelyn Rose luxuries for silky smooth skin | & a lace-trimmed, petal-like robe
{images: mark.byrne //the langham // j.crew via nonsensically delightful // rosebook // au jardin // imperfections make you beautiful via note to self // lucky luc49 // communes // dk58 – renaud //bbcamericangirl // x // bbamericangirl // the langham // bbcamericangirl // lorna morrison // paul ‘tuna’ turner // ultrapanavision // takethisstep // j.i.l.l. // caro & alain // ian mcmaster // living lovely}
