December 2

Hello my loves, how are you? This month marks 15 years of Hedgerow Rose. I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for all of you and our interactions over the years here and on Instagram. In the spirit of that, and also because it’s been a while, let’s have a proper catch-up.

In personal news…

So, this is kind of bananas, but I wrote a book. !!

It’s a genre-blending ghost story/murder mystery with cozy and witchy elements–just the kind of book you’d want to read in autumn. I tell people it’s the Tiffany Aching series (Terry Pratchett) meets All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriot.)

{ETA: Updating this post to add that I queried a number of literary agents for this book and learned a LOT during the process. Firstly, that my book is more suited for young adult, not middle grade. At 69,000 words and with heavier thematic elements it’s a better read for a young teen. (My adult beta readers also said they enjoyed it!) Furthermore, these complex characters and the story of the village they live in have so much more they want to tell me and I’ve begun what will be the 2nd book in the series as well as outlining the entire 6-book arc. Lastly, I’ve decided to illustrate the chapter headings and cover myself which may come in handy down the road…especially if I simply decide to publish the series independently. Once I make that call, I’ll be able to tell you more about the story, the title of the book, the release date, etc. It’s certainly an exercise in patience to see where this weird and wonderful road takes me!}

In garden news….

It was a weird weather year. Here in Pennsylvania, 2025 has felt like the WINDIEST year we’ve ever had. Just wind. ALL THE TIME. Look at these images from last April’s powerful derecho.

Everyone I talked to at our allotment experienced a bad season for veg and we were no different. Even the dahlias were very late to flower. We also had our usual rose midge problems which peaked midsummer and carried on right through autumn. Friends, I’ve given up the fight on the midge. It’s so bad here in Centre County, PA and it’s a battle I’ll never win as a no-spray gardener. That’s partly why you have seen less activity from me on the rose front. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy going to the allotment and working in our gardens. I loved every minute, in spite of the challenges, and we still had a beautiful spring for rose blooms, which I shared more of here.

Speaking of, I know I promised in my last post to talk about a great rose/clematis combo and I just never got around to it. If you visit my instagram, I did share a quick video of this gorgeous and unexpected pairing: Rosa ‘Veilchenblau’ and Clematis ‘Paul Farges”.

And in home news…

Remember the old oak tree I mentioned that was dying and needed removing? Well, it finally did get taken away, along with all of our money. To honor the tree, which all jokes aside I was very sad to see go, we are turning the stump into a Little Free Library. Here’s a photo from this morning…you can see the back of the new library with the roof having just been framed out; it still needs the storybook-esque roof shingles installed. The front of the stump will be carved out so it has a little inset cabinet to place all the books in. I’ll share more photos as it gets going. I’m also looking at the silver lining of having a bit more sunlight in that part of the garden which will do my roses a world of good, especially the new ‘Thérèse Bugnet’ I just put in.

And in pet news….

I’ll start with the sad news, first, and that is that Cocoa crossed the rainbow bridge last summer. She had a wonderful life and a peaceful death so I suppose we can’t ask for more, but she leaves a hen-sized hole in our hearts. It’s just Bonbon and Ginger now that Maple, Nutmeg and Cocoa have passed. Feels strange to just have two hens; they’re doing great, however, and they’re getting lots of love.

In happier news, the Cat Distribution System selected Jesse and I to find a home for this feral kitten seen at her first vet visit above. She showed up in our back garden, tiny, hungry and very sassy, last August. After a few weeks of leaving food out and gaining trust I was able to bring her to a very kind lady who wanted to adopt her. You can see more photos of this beauty on her official instagram–she’s a cherished member of someone’s home now and I’m so pleased at how it all worked out. {ETA: we’ve recently started leaving food out for the kitten’s mother who has been coming to the garden. She’s very much a wild kitty. There is a rather large feral cat colony in and around our neighborhood which is backed by farmland and woods.}

In business news…

Just briefly wanted to send a heartfelt thanks to everyone who visited my booth at this most recent Winter Market at The Rivet in State College and shopped my candles, jewelry, ceramics and art prints. It was so wonderful seeing all of you! On the second day of the market, we had so much wind (!) that everyone had to break their tents down and a lot of vendors left. Jesse and I decided to just put our candles on a table and finish the day out. For those who missed the market or don’t live nearby, my shop website is still firing on all cylinders and if you’re local and want to pickup your candles at The Rivet, just send me a message so I can set that up for you.

If you feel up to sharing, leave me a note in the comment about how your garden fared last summer. I love hearing about what you’re growing and the kinds of projects you’re working on. Do you have a new favorite rose?

Wishing all of you peace and joy, wherever you are.

Love,