A Rose Garden
Every year in May, around the same time, our garden fills with colorful roses.
There’s something comforting and reassuring about things that happen, predictably and without fail, every year. Just like traditions, they have a way of anchoring our lives, of being a constant in an ever-changing, fast-paced reality.
There’s also something unsettling, maybe even a little upsetting, in realizing that another year has already gone by, especially since the older you get, the faster time seems to go by.
For a blogger, it’s always interesting to write about the same topic year after year, then compare old posts to new ones. My rose post from last year is quite similar to this one, except that I got myself a better camera a few months ago.
Other old posts, such as this post for International Women’s Day 2008, which is very different than my post for International Women’s Day 2009, make me cringe and think I have come a long way as a blogger.
Cringing when reading old posts is actually a good thing. It means you’re growing and developing as a blogger and as a writer.
Yellow roses are still my favorite flower. 
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Kim Woodbridge responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 5:17 am →
Beautiful photos Vered
Going back and reading old posts makes me cringe too.
Tracy responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 5:29 am →
Your garden is gorgeous!
Some old posts make me cringe, and some, I’m sorry to say, make me laugh and think “dang I’m good”.
What kind of camera did you get?
Evelyn Lim responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 5:53 am →
OMG….you have a gorgeous garden!! Your roses look so pretty!
I avoid reading my old posts as much as I can. Urrghh!
Lovelyn responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 5:54 am →
I’m so jealous of your garden. All I have is a weed ridden gravel driveway, but oh how I long for grass and roses.
Betsy Wuebker responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 6:03 am →
What a beautiful hideaway your garden is, Vered! And your photography is fabulous! You must be loving your new camera!
Your roses look to be precious hybrids – and the climate in San Francisco favors them very much. Have you any idea their names? I have only two roses, one is a very bushy sort which blesses us in profusion all summer. It is very hardy, surviving cutbacks and three different transplants. The other is a climber who was beat back by hail last year. That one is bravely sending shoots up the trellis, so we shall see. Both have yet to bloom as June is the month for it in Minnesota.
Are we getting old, posting pictures of our gardens and oohing and ahhing over them with each other? It’s not the sort of thing I see most twenty-somethings giving a rip about! Oh well, they don’t know what they’re missing.
Writer Dad responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 6:31 am →
LOVE your roses, Vered. You may not know this about me, but I am a rose expert. I can name about four hundred varieties without pause. One of my primary jobs at the flower shop was the purchasing of all the roses. They were our specialty and we went through about 5,000 stems per week. I bought farm direct, mostly from plantations in Ecuador. Seeing bundles of roses is one of the things I deeply miss about working at the shop. There is a yellow rose called Skyline. It is both a high quality and low quality rose, depending on the farm. At it’s best, it would slow the beat of your heart. About the size of a child’s fist, with a rich yellow that flirts with tangerine, deep inside the inner petals. And it smells like clean sky.
MommyNamedApril responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 7:10 am →
beautiful roses! sure wish i didn’t have a black thumb :-/
Melissa responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 8:18 am →
i just bought 4 rose bushes this spring! i love them so far. i hope i can keep them alive!!
i bought 2 yellow ones and 2 pink ones.
LOVE your roses! they are beautiful!
melissa
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 8:56 am →
@ Kim Woodbridge: I knew I wasn’t the only one.
@ Tracy: Nikon D60.
@ Evelyn Lim: Thank you.
@ Lovelyn: I wish I could give you advice, but it’s the gardener that does this magic, not me!
@ Betsy Wuebker: I have no idea! The gardener does it all. And yes, we ARE old. Who cares.
@ Writer Dad: I didn’t know you were a rose expert! I’m impressed.
“About the size of a child’s fist, with a rich yellow that flirts with tangerine, deep inside the inner petals. And it smells like clean sky.” Sigh. Your writing. Wow.
@ MommyNamedApril: Hehe thank you, but it’s the gardener’s green thumb, not mine.
@ Melissa: Yellow roses are so pretty.
Lori Hoeck responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 9:00 am →
Beautiful captures of the roses of spring! Nothing stops and draws the eye quite like a rose. And nice job with the depth of field.
Carla responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 9:59 am →
You have a beautiful garden! I can only wish for something so majestic if we ever become homeowners. Sometimes I cringe at my older posts because I wonder “what was I thinking when I wrote that??”
J.D. Meier responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 10:09 am →
Those are some seriously intense pics and yes you’ve grown as a blogger, writer, and Mom.
cindy platt responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 10:17 am →
You are an inspiration to so many. I adore flowers especially roses. I picked Sean as my flower when he worked at the family flower shop. He is the sweetest rose in the bunch. How fortunate for your family to be surrounded by an abundance of grace and natural beauty. Now that is what I call aromatherapy.
janice responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 10:22 am →
Stunning photos and what a beautiful garden! I’m a flower addict and even get excited about the cut flowers in jugs at my kitchen window. if I had a garden like this, I’d be out there with the camera and sketchbook all day and the kids would starve! I love sticking my face right inside roses after the rain when there’s still raindrops in them, but I’ve never had much success growing roses myself. We have a lot of rhododendrons here in Scotland, but the fragrance of roses is something else. (And who’d have guessed Sean’s a rose addict!) I don’t mind looking back at old posts; I reckon my writing’s actually got worse this year.
RC - Rambling Along... responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 10:38 am →
I’m impressed by Writer Dad’s expertise on roses! Wow!
You are very fortunate to have these beautiful specimens in your yard, since I know how difficult it is to cultivate them. We’ve tried countless times to grow roses in our yard, and were only successful one time – at our old house. Yes, my one rose gardening success isn’t even at our current home – I was too scared to try and transplant it, since I wanted it to continue to grow and bloom, so the current owners (my brother-in-law and his family) can now enjoy a full spring and summer full of blooms. For some reason that bush blooms constantly until the fall.
As for looking back at our posts – I even have more recent ones that make me cringe.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 10:58 am →
@ Lori Hoeck: Thank you!
@ Carla: That’s exactly what makes me cringe.
@ J.D. Meier: Thanks!!!
@ cindy platt: Indeed. They smell great too.
@ Janice: I’d love to visit Scotland some day.
@ RC: Credit for my roses goes to my gardener, not to me.
And I know what you mean about cringing when reading recent posts!
Dr. J responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 12:27 pm →
Wonderful garden and roses!! It’s hard not to like the rose above all other flowers. They don’t grow too well in Florida, but with effort, it is possible, and several of my neighbors have them. Even a poorer column of yours, Vered, is still a rose
Natural responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 3:09 pm →
whoa, your garden looks like a nice place to read and take photos. save me a seat out back.
Natural responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 3:11 pm →
and good use of depth of field and macro settings. what kind of camera did you just get. i purchase a new one too. canon powershot g10. i love it and might take it outside after dinner tonight.
Patricia responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 3:31 pm →
Wow your garden is a lovely haven and must bring you joy – all the roses are just in the perfect spots.
My father in law gave me a rose bush for every occasion and my Father loved growing roses, but here I have to work hard at keeping mildew and dusty fungus under control. 15 in the front yard and 15 in the back yard – they take all of my Sunday mornings.
I too have a new camera but mine is just a little digital – the rest of my family must take pictures with perfection – I think I need a tripod to take pictures with my shaky hands. My IT person does great photoshop to what I send her. Your pictures are just lovely and so delightful.
I have been working on learning to draw a rose with craypas…I love roses – my husband loves yellow roses.
All around our roses are vegetables, which everyone says “Oh don’t mix roses with veggies!” But it has worked for 32 years – it just makes the yard look meandering not NEAT.
Thank you for this delightful – beautiful post.
PS
Sean writes beautifully and he has been very helpful to me in my rose ignorance – very smart guy!
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 4:54 pm →
@ Dr. J: Thank you.
@ Natural: It’s Nikon D60. I have to admit I know nothing about depth of field and macro settings! I just play with the lens until it looks “right,” then shoot and hope for the best.
@ Patricia: Growing your own vegetables is great. I need to try it some day.
The Lawyer Mom responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 6:14 pm →
If I only had a green thumb . . . .
I want your roses and . . . I want your camera! What incredible pictures. What incredible roses. Sigh.
turnitupmom responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 7:40 pm →
You have a beautiful garden. It’s obvious how well-loved it is! I love how you say that the flowers that come back year after year “anchor our lives”….I love to garden, and I couldn’t have said it better. Gardening nourishes my soul.
Jannie responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 8:30 pm →
Vered, I swear I could smell a faint cool hint of roses while I read this. Thank you.
Gorgeous garden! Do you spend much time sitting and enjoying it?
And I cringe a bit at some of my older posts (even some newer ones.)
But I keep blogging too.
Rowe responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 11:26 pm →
Vered, we are our own worst critic, I could not find anything cringeworthy in your 2008 International Year of Women post. These rose pictures are as gorgeous as each rose is. I can only be jealous (in a good way, of course) of your beautiful roses and surrounding garden. May I ask what make and model of camera you have used?
Dot responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 7:33 am →
So much beauty! I would love to sit back there and just relax and inhale. Your photos are knockouts, too. Do you have any lavender roses? I’ve heard that they’re the most fragrant. If I was able to grow roses, I’d want some of the vintage ones, too. When I broke my ankle, one of my neighbors brought me a dozen yellow roses and some chocolate. Could there be anything better for a pick-me-up?
Michelle @ Find Your Balance responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 9:04 am →
Lovely photos, I need a new camera too! When I look back on old posts I’m mostly dismayed by my lack of good photography. It’s funny to read what you’ve written, right? Like an old diary, a little embarrassing sometimes.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 9:40 am →
@ The Lawyer Mom: Thank you!
@ turnitupmom: Alas, I can’t take credit for this garden. My very talented gardener can.
@ Jannie: “Do you spend much time sitting and enjoying it?” Yes, especially in the spring and early summer – we entertain a lot in the garden and also have most of our dinners outside.
@ Rowe: Thank you! I thought the post was too short and shallow for such a serious topic. Camera is Nikon D60. I never even bothered with reading the manual – I just play with the lens focus and shoot and it does a pretty good job.
@ Dot: No lavender roses… a dozen yellow roses and some chocolate sound perfect.
@ Michelle: Yes! Embarrassing!
Paisley responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 1:56 pm →
I also love yellow roses. Thinking of blog posts as roses to form a bouquet is an encouraging one. I’ve got lots of weeding to do first. Nice pics.
Marelisa responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 2:04 pm →
Your rose post last year was the first post I commented on at Momgrind
And a year later, I still love your roses.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 8:03 pm →
@ Paisley: Red are the most romantic, but yellow are more unique.
@ Marelisa: I often think about you and about how we still have this relationship after all these months, and after so many others have disappeared. I hope we are still there for each other next year.
Bamboo Forest responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 11:51 pm →
A very enjoyable post. Nicely done.
Your garden looks pretty darn amazing.
Anthony responds:
Posted: May 22nd, 2009 at 12:22 am →
Those roses are really a treat for the eyes. Very tranquil looking garden.
Barb Hartsook responds:
Posted: May 22nd, 2009 at 5:17 am →
Your post says so much more than fragrance and color and exceptional photography, Vered. I looked at the pictures first. And then sauntered my way through your garden — beginning right up top where I get to see exactly where I’m having my coffee this morning. Gorgeous.
And then I read… You’re right about certain predictability, and also about the time-slide. (I think it has to do with the ratio of our today to our yesterdays. I’m a mommy too. But add to that grandmommy and now, great-grandmommy. Time passes, but we don’t pass out of the roles we are created to fill, we just get better at being. And time slides by more quickly every year. I try to prepare my kids for that as their kids grow into and out of their short years at home.
That you take the time to look back and evaluate for the purpose of moving on — smarter, wiser — and stop to see the beauty around you — that’s all very healthy. And fulfilling I think.
I enjoyed your post very much.
Barb
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 22nd, 2009 at 12:05 pm →
@ Bamboo Forest @Anthony: Thank you!
@ Barb Hartsook: Yours is easily one of the most thoughtful comments ever left on this blog. Thank you.
“we just get better at being” – this fills me with hope. You don’t sound scare of the future. I often am.
Over Coffee… Let’s Talk » Blog Archive » Do You Have a Minute, Jack? responds:
Posted: May 23rd, 2009 at 4:48 am →
[...] morning I’m stealing a rose from Vered’s beautiful garden for the side board. If you get a chance, scoot over there for a bigger bouquet and for her [...]
Barb Hartsook responds:
Posted: May 23rd, 2009 at 5:03 am →
I often am scared too, Vered. But I’m learning that in spite of my own anxieties, kids grow up okay. The flowers grow with or without new mulch (or if you’re late putting it down haha). Someone will probably do tasks you simply don’t have time for. The reason for arguing in the first place passes. And so on, from the simplest to the most complex issues.
I read a lot. And I’m learning that at any point in history, the same dooms existed and were somehow overcome. Yep — there’s been a whole lot of ugly in many lifetimes — but we, by ourselves, only have now. With who we are. And who we love and are loved by.
There’re good things to be scared of. But like your battles, choose them wisely…
Thank you so much for coming to Over Coffee blog — I’ve been reading yours for a while now. I admire all you do.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 23rd, 2009 at 10:05 am →
Thanks, Barb! I’m glad we connected.
Tess The Bold LIfe responds:
Posted: May 26th, 2009 at 11:27 am →
wow what a garden! I love flowers. I think I was a bee in another life time…what kind of camera did you get? I love that as well. Bloom on! Tess
Davina responds:
Posted: May 26th, 2009 at 11:11 pm →
Hi Vered.
Lovely photos, and I can just imagine the aroma. On the farm where I grew up we had beautiful wild flowers growing everywhere, but as for cultivating a garden, it was veggies, veggies and more veggies. I’ve tried to grow flowers on my little apartment balcony but for some reason, I’ve lost my green thumb.
I think it is a good idea to read your older posts. I haven’t started doing that yet and it’s almost a year for me too. Loved Dr J’s comment, “Even a poorer column of yours, Vered, is still a rose.” It makes a lot of sense what you say about noticing how we’ve grown as bloggers over time.
Stacey / Create a Balance responds:
Posted: May 27th, 2009 at 6:11 am →
Your garden is divine! I’m moving in a few weeks and we are starting to think about our garden. I am looking forward to planting annuals that will bloom and grow with me year after year.
Suzie responds:
Posted: May 27th, 2009 at 10:13 am →
They are so beautiful and I am so allergic to them
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 27th, 2009 at 5:40 pm →
@ Tess: Thank you! Camera is Nikon D60.
@ Davina: They do smell great!
@ Stacey: Good luck with the move!
@ Suzie: Oh no! That’s sad.
Robin responds:
Posted: May 28th, 2009 at 2:46 am →
Hi Vered – your garden is so beautiful! So lush and green! I love what you say about cringing at past work showing how much we’ve developed – and my favourite roses are the yellow ones with a tinge of pink on the edges – we have a climbing bush of these on the front verandah (otherwise our plants are extremely uninteresting). – R
Lilly responds:
Posted: May 28th, 2009 at 6:34 pm →
I jsut read your interview on Rowe’s blog and thought it was great. It never ceases to amaze me about all these blogs we just do not know about. Your picture of the rose is gorgeous. I love hot pink anything!
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 29th, 2009 at 3:32 pm →
@ Robin: Yellow roses with a tinge of pink on the edges – sounds beautiful.
@ Lilly: I know exactly what you mean about blogs. It’s amazing.
Cricket-Tammy responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2009 at 8:02 pm →
Going back and looking at old posts does put a smile upon my face. I love to see how I have grown as a person.
Lovely pictures!
Spring | Blogger For Hire responds:
Posted: February 18th, 2010 at 7:02 am →
[...] can’t wait for my roses to start blooming [...]
Jannie Funster responds:
Posted: February 18th, 2010 at 12:54 pm →
They are even more beautiful and fragrant than they were when I first read this post last year!!
xi
Jannie Funster responds:
Posted: February 18th, 2010 at 12:54 pm →
I mean xo, not xi
Roses Blooming | Blogger For Hire responds:
Posted: April 14th, 2010 at 7:14 pm →
[...] a disturbing thought: could this be my THIRD “my roses are blooming” blog post on this blog? Why yes it is. Maybe I should stop harassing you with [...]