Green Belles!

Miniature roses are actual roses but bred to stay small in size. Most mini roses also have smaller flowers than standard rose bushes but they come in a variety of types and colors. Miniature roses are quite hardy plants despite their small size. In fact, they are more winter hardy than most tea roses. Miniature roses also tend to be repeat bloomers which is an advantage in adding them to your gardens. Listed below are a few of the more popular miniature roses.

Climbers: Minis with a vertical growth habit and can become trained to grow against supports.

Miniflora: An American Rose Society classification for newly developed mini roses that have a slightly larger plant and bloom size than miniature roses. (more…)

Some say roses aren’t climbers by nature and must be taught. Just think….a climber that can grow to forty feet up a tree, yes, it’s possible! If you prefer a smaller version, there is also the miniature climber to consider. Any rose is beautiful, but you might say climbers have a farther “reach”.

Suppose I give you an image flower lovers can appreciate? Imagine a field such as seen under the warm California sunshine. It’s a grapevine field, with rows and rows to fill. Now substitute the grapevines with climbing roses! What a vision that would be to behold.

However, you must choose your climber with care, for some are only able to tolerate small amounts of sunshine and will bloom only with the proper amount of sunlight. You’ll need to keep it properly pruned for the better health of the plant. It will need plenty of room to spread its spectacular beauty. Some climbers grow taller and larger depending upon their climate. You’ll need access to the taller parts of the plant. You may decide to shape it. (more…)

Because white is a symbol of purity, honor, and innocence, white roses are often the type of flower chosen for weddings. They seem to exude cleanliness, freshness, and sophistication. A bush loaded full with white roses is an outstanding sight to behold! One might think of them as having heavenly beauty.

The beginning of a new relationship, a fresh start, a baby’s birth, could be celebrated with a gift of breathtaking white roses. They can bring an air of importance to any event, or to your outdoor scenery. They can bring out the best in a formal setting and add a teasing glimpse of bright color and beauty to an informal setting.
White roses are used in garlands, as adornments for hair, decoration on hats, or in corsages and boutonnieres. When used fresh, they can only last a few hours. (more…)

Roses may be the traditional gift given on Valentines Day, but they are definitely well received any day of the year. Buyer beware before you buy roses, know what message you are sending in the color. Men as well as women, express that they love to get flowers and floral gifts. Remember color talks! Although it is a common acceptance that all roses convey warmth and affection, the person receiving them may know and understand the meaning of roses colors and the symbolic message conveyed. It would be nice to assure that you are communicating the right message to that special person sharing a special language between the two of you.

The color of a rose can certainly be interpreted than the thought you intended. To ensure that your love (or friend) understands what the roses you are sending mean, follow the guide below so you can be sure of no misinterpreted gestures. (more…)

When sending flowers, fragrant flowers are usually at the top of the list. Fragrant flowers just keep on giving long after the initial flower gift is received. Who can argue that flowers are so delightful and make our spirits rise for so many different reasons. When considering sending flowers or planting a garden, choosing fragrant flowers will definitely be a nice addition. Everyone has their favorite fragrant flower but the list below might offer you a good idea of the most fragrant.

Roses: Roses are the irresistible fragrant flower. Who can resist the temptation of the first thing being is to smell the intricate rose? All roses are not the same so be sure to use your sniffer and find the fragrance you like best.
.Sweet Alyssum: If you do not readily think of sweet alyssum when you think of fragrant flowers, try putting some by your window or door. These dainty flowers can be planted as ground cover or potted in a plant and given as a gift. Wherever these fragrant flowers are, you will catch their delicate scent. These are a lovely, fragrant addition to your garden.
Carnations: Carnations have a very distinctive fragrance that is spicy and sweet. It is a fragrance that once you have smelled you will always recognize it’s odor. Carnations have a wonderful lingering that will fill your house. Carnations also seem to last longer than other cut flowers. (more…)

When one thinks of an antique, a rose might not immediately come to mind. But antique roses have been around for centuries. Shakespeare used the word ‘eglantine’ when speaking of the rose in his sonnets and plays. Eglantine is described in the dictionary as a European rose with sweet-scented leaves and pink flowers.

If you aren’t familiar with the word ‘emporium’, it means a large store with a wide variety of things for sale. There are antique rose emporiums to delight rose growers. You can buy an antique rose already rooted from a rose emporium.

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The use of landscape roses can make the exterior of any house more graceful, fragrant and inviting. Selecting the right varieties to compliment and accent the home’s style and your vision, will contribute to the success of your landscape and rose garden design.

Finding the perfect roses for your rose garden is not hard at all because of the the diverse varieties roses come in. The problem lies in choosing the right ones for your landscape needs and the design you wish to attain.
Roses come in a number of classes. Each class holds characteristics that make them a great choice for use as landscape ornamentals. If you’d like to have roses growing up and over a trellis or archway or cascading from window boxes, the tall growing tea roses are a perfect choice. Tea roses are known for their wild growing blooms and all who walk under the archway enjoy a beautiful display of roses.

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Ask anyone who has a green thumb about rose gardening, and you may need a tape recorder to remember all the advice you’ll get! Almost anyone who has an interest in gardening flowers and plants will eventually mosey into rose territory. It’s almost irresistible because of the beauty and scent of one of the most popular plants on earth.

A rose is like no other. Rose gardening then will certainly open up grounds for controversy among fellow gardeners. It’s a subject like that of rearing children. To the rose gardening crowd, their plants often become like their own children. They must be fed and nourished and guided properly to bloom and flourish into their majestic beauty.

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Just like the Nike ad says “Just Do It,” this is exactly the perspective one needs in getting good at garden designs. You can always move plants around your gardens and as your ideas and taste change, your gardens can grow with you. There are some simple elements of garden design. Think of designing your garden with living art in mind being creative and free to try whatever suits your taste. There are no limitations to the creativity that’s’ within, no comparison or fear of failure. Although gardening successfully requires learning certain skills, when all is said and done a garden’s beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Just go for it and let your gardens be the expression of you.

Garden design and its principles used may be called by different names. There are three basic concepts when combined together will bring about good garden design. Ultimately your gardens’ design is up to you and should reflect your own personality and flare.

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It is amazing that something as simple and quietly elegant as the rose, a simple flower, has such a huge market. Not only in the flower itself, but in the products, the word itself which sparks stories, poems, and songs, and the fact that the rose plays an enormous part in romance.

There is an endless array of products and services that center on the popularity of the rose. It has been long admired by folks from all walks of life. It sells. It sells on skin as tattoos, in jewelry, in decals, on clothing, in hair products, bath products, perfumes and deodorizers, on fabric, room decorations, at funerals, in weddings, at parties, carved into furniture, in paintings and drawings, even in children’s color books, stories, and movies. Roses are everywhere and anywhere and are a welcome item in an abundance of shapes, forms, sizes, colors. The rose sells inside, outside, and all year-round. It sells in rain, sleet, fog, snow, hot or cold weather.

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