Last Roses of the Season

My little collection of homegrown roses welcoming kitchen visitors.

Last Roses of the Season

Over the years whenever I was living somewhere besides at home, I had fresh flowers in my room. Usually they were nothing fancy, maybe a sprig of wildflowers growing nearby or a tiny bouquet from a corner florist. When I was working in Japan, one of the embassy staff shared their one weekly chrysanthemum with me. In that country, they appreciate and celebrate the beauty of one flower.

Now that I am working from home, one of my priorities continues to be to have fresh flowers nearby. They may be growing in a pot, which is my favorite way to have that touch of greenery in my rooms, or they can be something I cut from my hillside garden.

As a cold front moved into Missouri, evening temperatures plunged in the high 40s, cooling daytime temperatures into the delightful 70s. My plants appreciated the reprise from hot and humid conditions and delivered a delightful crop of one of my favorite flowers, roses.

The yellow hybrid tea was munched by a couple of insects but it joins the peach hybrid tea with a lovely fragrance. This long-stemmed rose reminded me of the vintage yellow roses quilt I found a few years ago at an estate sale. The two smaller miniature roses made their second garden appearance since spring. I have them tucked away in garden borders to surprise me when they bloom and all I can say, it worked this fall!

I suspect these are the last roses of the season, a lovely way to end the gardening year and extend the growing season if just for a few more days.

Charlotte