Greetings everyone and a warm welcome to my new subscribers this month.
Having just been out in the garden, my hands are chilly as I type this, but we have made it through the first month of Winter and have passed the shortest day of the year.
My roses have put on a final colourful display for the season and there is nothing more heart-warming than being able to pick roses from your Winter garden to bring inside.
This month I explore some Winter wonders and step back in time six years to share highlights of a special trip.
Whether your hands are wrapped around a warm or a cold drink, I hope you enjoy this little time with me.
The roses weren’t going into dormancy quietly.
Unconventional Lady had it’s biggest blooms of the season.
Gold Purse offered up bright yellow flowers to contrast the grey days.
Tranquillity lit up the dull days with it’s bright white many-petaled rosettes.
The spider’s were busy rigging up garlands of dew drop fairy lights.
Down at Sages Cottage Farm, the roses I care for are still providing posies of blooms to decorate the tables of the Harvest Café, and contributing colour to the Winter garden.
And snow drops, a symbol of hope and harbinger of Spring bloomed deceptively early.
Thinking of Snow Drops helped me discover this painting, The Coming Of Spring, by Edward Atkinson Hornel (1864 – 1933) a Scottish painter of landscapes, flowers, and foliage, with children.
I was surprised to discover that Hornel was born in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia, of Scottish parents, but when he was aged two the family returned permanently to Scotland.
Coffee and Mustard: an acquired taste
Two of the roses which have been slow to go into hibernation are my coffee-coloured Soul Sister (above) and the distinctive mustard Honey Dijon (below). These unusual coloured roses are regarded as a bit of a novelty by some and firm favourites by others.
I have painted Soul Sister on a number of occasions (below) and there is endless opportunities for painting this rose through all of its colour changes from copper, pure coffee, cocoa, milk chocolate and lavender. Honey Dijon also goes through different stages of colour. It has very formal shaped blooms whilst Soul Sister has a freer form.
These roses made me think of a bunch of roses I photographed back in 2015 in the New York flower markets. They were the Miss Piggy rose described as ‘sweetly pink on the outside and famously fierce on the inside’. I titled the painting Roses In A New York State of Mind as it was the first painting I did on my return home.
Memories of past travels seem even more magical in this new world we live in. So, when I saw that it was six years since my trip to New York to exhibit my paintings, I thought it would not hurt to do a little reminiscing.
Let me take you on a whistle-stop tour on the town.
Our first stop is the Cranford Rose Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens (pictured above and below)
Next we Catch the A Train to the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Gardens (pictured below).
We can spend a tranquil moment watching the boats on the lake in Central Park.
And on the banks of the East River you will find the United Nations Rose Garden. This rose garden may not be officially open to the public so check before you visit.
Collect a bunch of roses for your hotel room at the stall in the Grand Central Terminal.
Or perhaps we can get up early and go to the New York Flower Market.
Now we'll catch the ferry to Staten Island to visit the rose garden at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens.
Next stop is a step back to medieval times at The Cloisters Museum overlooking the Hudson River in Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park.
And we will end our tour with a stroll along the Highline: a 2.3km elevated linear park built on a historic freight rail line on Manhattan's West Side.
Finally, the ultimate souvenir from my New York experience was the video that was made. You can view it by clicking on the photo below.
Postcards from my readers
I always love to hear from my readers and seeing how my stories inspire you. After reading my story on mauve roses, Mariana sent me a picture of her very healthy looking Charles de Gaulle rose (pictured above). Being in a rental property, Mariana enjoys growing her roses in pots.
Melanie Trimper is also a fan of lilac roses and Melanie sent me a lovely photo (above) and message. Melanie says: "One of my favourites is ‘Lilac Rose’ bred by the late David Austin Snr. in 1990. It is a double bloom with good repeat flowering and a strong perfume. I would like to share with you one of my best photos of ‘Lilac Rose’ taken early on a spring morning with the dew glistening on the petals and the
bloom bathed in soft sunlight."
Thank you to Chris W. for sending me the stunning photos of the Sturt Desert Pea growing in the National Botanic Gardens in Canberra in November 2019. It really shows how they run along the ground, just fabulous, Chris.
And that brings us to the end of another edition of Art, Gardens and Always Roses.
Until next time, keep warm, keep cool, keep well and keep finding the inspiration around you.
Love and roses.
Michelle
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My Novel: Rose Garden Reverie
A story of transformation set in a rose garden with rose care tips throughout the seasons.
The soft cover book is 110 pages long and costs $20 (Australian Dollars) per copy via the button below with free shipping worldwide.
Also available from online book sellers.
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May the beauty of nature inspire you everyday
Michelle Endersby Art
www.michelleendersbyart.com
phone: 0400 473 173
[email protected]
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