Another Rose Roundup: Shades of Pink
I’m pretty sure that all bloggers, at some point, have had the feeling that they’ve simply run out of things to say and maybe it’s time to call it a wrap. I know I have in the past, and even with that lovely break, I do sometimes question why I keep sharing here. The thing is, and this is what always brings me back, is that I genuinely get excited about roses–still, and probably always. And when you’re excited about something, you just want to tell everyone, you know? Today, after a particularly cold walk with the pups where I swear I felt like my face froze off, I sat down with a cup of tea and my rose files and found a smattering I hadn’t shared yet. So I hope you haven’t had enough of rosy posts these past few weeks, because there’s more!
In winter most of all, I find that I really crave the color pink. I want to surround myself with pink walls, pink china cups, pink bedding, pink bubble baths, pink gemstones…you get the idea. Recently, one of my favorite bloggers Lobster & Swan blew all our minds on Instagram when she told us that the color pink has the same effect on our moods as sunlight and I felt oddly validated for loving this color as much as I do as a grown adult. Put my love of pink with my love of roses and it reaches almost fever pitch during the grossest months of the year (looking at you January & February) and it’s no wonder that when I reserve my roses for spring they’re all in shades of blush to deepest berry. {Seen above is David Austin’s ‘Lilian Austin’}
When I visited the Rose Garden at PSU last year I snapped a couple of photos of the crazy beautiful Centifolia ‘Crested Moss’. I had to move quickly, as I managed to pick the time to visit when the volunteers had descended on the garden to plant out the annuals and I was really in their way. If I had more time I would have photographed the heck out of this rose. I’m sorry, but look at those adorable fringed sepals. They really do look like a tri-cornered hat!
I can’t help but sneak some photos of Princess Alexandra of Kent in here, even though I know you’ve seen her before. I think this rose forms one of the most perfectly shaped flowers in such a gratifying shade of pink.
Like fluttering bits of silk, the petals on R. gallica officinalis appear more of deep, cherry-pink even though this rose also goes by the moniker ‘The Red Rose of Lancaster‘. As the blossoms fade, they turn more of a dusky mauve.
For a pink that’s as fresh as spring, look no further than R. eglanteria (R. rubiginosa). I do love how the leaves of this rose smell like green apples when crushed, but I have read how it can be a bit of a beast if left to it’s own devices. Since I was inspired by this particular species when I chose my blog/shop name, I felt it only appropriate it should grow just as it pleases in our garden.
This sweet thing was one of the casualties of the winter of 2013/14 but was lovely while it lasted! Does it remind you of ‘The Fairy‘?
‘Reine Victoria’ also got whomped last winter and I wasn’t sure she would come back at all. She did, a little bit, at least. We were graced with a delightful spray of blossoms in vivid pink but nothing like the spring before and I fear this winter has also not been kind. But when this rose is happy, she is quite breathtaking!
The rose I am guessing is ‘Henri Martin’ also wears a deep, cherry-pink coloring similar to ‘Apothecary’s Rose’ with perhaps a bit more red.
And ‘Madame Ernest Calvat’ dresses up in shades of pink leaning towards lavender.
The diminutive blooms found on R. glauca (‘R. rubrifolia‘) are clear pink with a white eye, which then produce the most marvelous hips like red jewels to adorn itself for autumn.
‘R. virginiana‘ is another species that looks pretty year-round, with fresh pink blossoms in spring followed by colorful foliage and canes in fall and winter.
You might be saying, isn’t ‘The Endeavour’ more of a coral color? Well, that’s one of the things I love about this David Austin rose: the blossoms are so changeable and can be seen in shades of pink, as well. (I think they are influenced by air temps.)
I’m sorry these photos above are not any larger; I seem to have misplaced the original files. The rose on the left is the Alba ‘Königin von Dänemark’, a seedling of the popular ‘Maiden’s Blush’ and the rose on the right is, you guessed it, the famously “thornless” climbing Bourbon, ‘Zéphirine Drouhin’. I always think of Zéphirine bearing such an odd shade of pink and I believe that may be because the color is so flat. Still, she can stop traffic when covering an arbor. When selecting pink roses for the garden, I tend to lean towards lighter shades with some dimension, like Königin.
Some roses, like ‘Marie Pavié’ bear white blossoms with just the most whisper-shade of pink evident in the buds. Definitely a quiet beauty!
I hope you enjoyed these pink roses this morning and did they make you happy like sunlight on your face? 😉 In other news, the Mister and I are gearing up for a reconnaissance trip to NC to start looking for our new home and I can’t wait to see where our new garden will be. I had dreams about planting asparagus last night!
Aaah.. Pink is my all time favorite color. I find that there are just so many shades in pink. The colors can be soft/blush..romantic..hot..bold..vintage. For some reason the color pink reminds me of garden and flowers. My 9 years old son bought a bouquet of pink roses when I was sick because he knew that it is my favorite color. Isn’t that sweet 🙂
Hope your trip to NC is fruitful for you and your family. Have fun.
Thank you! That is super sweet of your son to bring your those roses. You are training him well! 😉
We had a lovely time in NC; it made it all the more difficult to return to snowy PA!
What lovely shades of pink! You always make everything look even MORE beautiful than in person, and that is saying a lot. These are like fairy tale pictures! And SO summer!
Oh gosh, thank you Mom! Can’t wait for summer! ♡
Truly beautiful. I love pink. One of my current favorites is a deep cerise pink, the Thomas Affleck rose from the Antique Rose Emporioum. Every time I see these old garden rose styles it just makes me happy!
That is a gorgeous rose, and definitely one I’d like to see in person! I agree, Old Garden Roses just put a smile on my face every time! 🙂
I bought Madame Ernest Calvat after reading about it here. Please continue to tell everyone about your roses.
Oh how wonderful! I hope you are enjoying that rose, it’s still one of my favorites! 🙂
Laurie, thanks so much for your pictures of the roses and your stories of growing them. You really have a gift for photography. Your pictures are incredibly beautiful. Somehow you get the light just right. I know you had mentioned that you’re not sure if it’s worth the trouble to do this, but you have such a talent you should continue to let it flow, even if it’s not in a blog. I stumbled onto your website a year or so ago when I was looking up Dr. Huey Rose. Your pictures of even that rose were so beautiful that I looked through all the rest of your website. I had been sickly for a long time and was just coming out of it, and your pictures and your blogs gave me hours of pleasure when I was too sick to do much more than lay on the sofa. So, at least for me you made a big difference. Thanks so much for what you do and I hope you continue to enjoy gardening, writing and photography in North Carolina!
Aww, thank you Mary! It makes me pleased as punch that these posts lifted your spirits. I do know that feeling! I was sick in bed for months last winter and pretty photos got me through it. 😉 It means a lot to me that you enjoy the photos, too, as I strive to convey their beauty as best as I can since I can’t actually share them with everyone, although I wish I could!
Thanks for sharing these – we have a habit of placing pink roses in our collection as well. I often think that I need to branch out more, but I’m always drawn to the pink ones. Please know that all of your posts are inspirational and appreciated!
Thank you Cole! I love our rose-y chats here. It’s been so nice getting to know you!
I agree with what everyone has said, you are VERY talented at this and have given me hours of pleasure…I am going through a tough break-up with my Significant Other of 18 years and your blog has really helped me through this! Please do not stop!!! I only subscribe to a few blogs…I have searched for quality blogs on roses and there are none with the quality of yours! You have a wonderful writing style which makes us all feel we are talking with a good friend. And the photos, well, gorgeous. And yes, I have bought a few extra roses and other flowers because of your descriptions!! Love, love, love this blog. And I love, love, love roses and still get excited about them at my local rose society too!
Take breaks if need be, slow down on posting but don’t stop!
Thank you!!!
Holly! You’re such a sweetheart, thank you for that much-needed boost! I am so glad that these posts have cheered you, that means more to me than I could possibly say! 😀 ♡♡
Somehow I missed this post. I’m so sorry I did because pink (sunlight!! how cool is that?) roses are my favorite. It’s funny because I used to hate the color pink. Tastes change. And I’m glad they do.
I hope you have a wonderful trip hunting for your new home and checking out your new stomping grounds. What an exciting adventure!
Thank you Anne! It’s funny b/c I love pink, but I hate wearing it. Go figure, right?