Monday, 9 May 2011

scenes from a french garden...



May is the magical month for roses in southern France. It is the gentle month before the scorching temperatures of summer dry the landscape and burn away any hint of softness. May is the reward for a gardener's hard labour and the tangible proof that the rose must be the symbol of love.

Ours climb, they spread, they flop, they tumble and they fall. Many are white Icebergs, some are very pale pink Pierre de Ronsard and some are shocking pink with a name that I forget. These roses, that make their annual debut in May, are the stars of our garden. Each year they become more beautiful; the blooms are larger, the stems stronger and the scents more delicious.

To grow a rose is a labour of love. Roses are a little like children. They must be fed and watered, carefully observed and treated for maladies when necessary and they must be shaped with care. Roses require patience, lots and lots of patience (just like children) and like children they blossom and bring the greatest of joy.

A gardener friend once asked me if I knew the secret to his beautiful roses. I imagined that he would tell me all about the latest fad in fertiliser or the way to cure the curse of black spot. He put his hand over his heart, looked me in the eye and said, 'It is very simple.  They are my passion and my true love'. xv

my daily click HERE

image  - vicki archer

29 comments:

  1. I agree withbyour gardener friend. I love roses.
    Enjoy your beautiful roses.
    Chrisartist

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  2. Just something so incredibly beautiful about this, the world's favourite flower. Is it the scent, the colours, the fleeting elegance or simply the dreadful thorns which balance such beauty?

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  3. Dear Vicki,
    These beautiful roses of yours remind me of the roses that my father so lovingly tended. It is true, roses require patience and love, just like children. Thank you for sharing your garden and your wisdom.
    Speaking of beauty, I've posted some photos of the most exquisite embroidered garments from the McQueen show.

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  4. Simply stunning.
    My mother has always been an avid rose whisperer -- at one point we had 500 florid plants when I was a child.
    They do indeed require the love and patience one can only devote to things of great beauty.

    Cheers, Alcira

    nerochronicles.com

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  5. This post is making me smile... I feel I just got a gift! So pretty, romantic...

    Vicki, if you have a minute, please drop by. I think you'd like to see the house I posted today.

    Have a blessed week!

    xo

    Luciane at HomeBunch.com

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  6. So beautiful! Does the gardener need patience or the rose? I think most roses are just waiting for their gardener to put them in the right spot and once there most problems are minimal, plus they reward us with fabulous blooms. Thorns, of course. I've only ever had to expell one rose from my garden; she was armed to the teeth with extrememly pointed thorns that curved down. Zepherine Droughan (sp?) is a thornless climber, beautiful scent, lovely pink color, and will re-bloom.

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  7. How exquisite! I have a totally brown (or is it black) thumb so I couldn't hope to ever have roses like these. But we had a nanny for years who grew and nurtured the most beautiful flowers and that was her mantra as well - she spoke to them and treated them like little children - it seemed to work!!

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  8. Gorgeous roses. I can almost smell them. Here in Seattle with a very cold spring our roses barely even have buds at this point. I'm loving living vicariously through your beautiful garden and the hint of what warmer days will have in store.
    Enjoy the lovely May days!
    Jeanne

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  9. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful image, as well as some wonderful words of wisdom! Your text remind me of the roses at my mothers home in the danish countryside.... whishing for a moment I was there :-)

    Northern Light

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  10. Glorious picture of your fab. roses. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  11. I love the passion of roses, the flop and scent.

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  12. I hope they will still be there in August when I plan to visit the South of France

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  13. I love when your roses bloom here on your blog! I think this makes 3 springs that I've admired them now. Could you send us a whiff of their scent?
    Catherine

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  14. So Beautiful, Vicky. Your roses were one of my favorite features of your last book...especially your "forgot the name" one. When you love them, you notice tiny symptoms earlier..leaves asking for a bit more of that seaweed fertilizer. And, like children, they always take to a sunny disposition! Trish

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  15. Your roses are beyond magnificent Vicki, I can only image how the colors must look together! My wall of white rose trees is in full bloom now too and the ones in the front of the house that I cut way back are now rewarding me with gorgeous white blooms. They make me so happy! I love what your gardener friend said, I will remember it as I work on my roses this next year.

    xo Mary Jo

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  16. Such a beautiful roses!

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  17. I love roses. You too I see. (:

    Also I was wondering if you would check out my last post about my future appartment - it's just that I love your bohemian style and I kinda have a little issue considering the present color of the living room's wall - orange. It bothers me but unfortunately we are not allowed to overpaint it. So I really need help and would highly appreciate it if you'd leave any advice or idea if there is any. Thank you.
    Much love,
    Jay.
    artandloveandme.blogspot.com

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  18. roses are so.....roses!!
    there is nothing like them.
    i love when they have been trained and get huge,
    and wrap around something.

    xx

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  19. Your climbing roses are spectacular. My hybrid teas started blooming last week and my morning is so much better when I can putter among their beautiful blooms!!

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  20. Rose are forever and always the most divine, most sublime and most perfectly created bloom in the world. Thank you for sharing this gorgeous image.

    Barbie
    Byron Bay Botanica

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  21. My very very favourite flower, especially the old fashioned ones, thank you for a lovely post x

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  22. Roses are one of my very favourite flowers. I do love the sage wisdom from the gardener. Your roses would be divine and I like to imagine them growing half-wild in places. So enchanting. xx

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  23. These are exquisite, Vicki. And your gardener friend's sentiment is beautiful.

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  24. Vicki isn't it wondrous when we have a passion for something, anything, how that 'thing or person' flourishes? Your roses are magnificent; something very magical. I hope your week is equally as beautiful. May truly is a great month.

    Cheers to you xx Deb

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  25. They remind me of my own hot pink climbing roses! Mine are 9 years old now and I gave them a major trimming last fall, so I hope I have a fresh new cascade of that unbelievable pinkness come the middle of June here in Minnesota.

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  26. Oh my goodness, I wish I were there. I can imagine the scent must be heaven! TFS.

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  27. I dream about about sitting in beautiful gardens. Your roses are just beautiful!

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  28. Oh how beautiful, Vicki! Climbing roses are our favorite!

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  29. An adorable scene and such beautiful writing too. I adore your analogy of roses and children.

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Thank you for visiting French Essence... I love to read your comments and I hope you will be back often... xv