A rainy month of June lends an air of urgency to the garden, especially when the roses are in bloom. An awareness of how fragile the flowers are, how little they enjoy a storm and how quickly their petals fall to the ground and their branches hang low with the weight of the water on their stems.
Rather than feeling glum about the weather and the consequences, I prefer to make the most of the flowers for bouquets indoors. When it comes to roses this is no great sacrifice, since most of them like to be picked, and simply grow again all the more generously after.
The one flower that simply cannot resist the heavy rain is the peony. Its ruffled petals quickly fill with water and within a day they are done for. I have a friend who puts up a large parasol to protect his favourite peonies from the rain, but I never seem to find the time to follow his example.
This bouquet was put together on a very rainy day. Windy too, in fact the whole bouquet blew over face down a couple of times while taking these pictures. I started off with a pedestal vase, but the weight of the flowers was simply too much to handle, so I put the whole lot, including the flower frog into this silver ice bucket, and the shape worked so much better.
Hope you are having a lovely weekend. I’m making the most of mine, as this time next week I’ll be on my way to the States for the start of my book tour. We have listed all the dates HERE, and HERE and I really hope it will be an opportunity to meet many of my readers and talk about important things like … roses in the rain.
27 comments
Stunning! The bouquet is gorgeous. Did you know they have to cancel the Rose Bowl parade if there”s more than a little rain? It’s because the flowers get so heavy with the water, the trucks can’t pull the weight!
The Rose Parade has never been cancelled. And it has rained exactly once in the last sixty plus years on New Year’s Day.
Beautiful, a lovely post to wake up to on Saturday morning.
Beautiful photos! I always take such Joy in your posts!
Even wet and wind blown…your arrangement is still gorgeous.
I’ve also put up my outside umbrellas to provide shade for new planted tender plants in the past from the beating sun…but currently dealing with strong winds (for over a month now) that dry everything out. =)
Beautiful flowers!
Absolutely gorgeous arrangement and such glorious blooms!
I enjoy your lovely bouquet even from the rainy Seattle Washington area
Your flowers are beautiful! My peonies just popped open two days ago and now it is raining, with a chance of frost tonight! I’m afraid the season I look forward to the most, will be short-lived. I’m glad I brought some indoors as well.
Luscious……I needed some roses today.
Thank you for all this loveliness in the midst of a very sad and confusing week. Brought smiles.
Hello!
Your roses are amazing!!! What type of fertilizer do you use? My roses are struggling!!!!
Thank you in advance.
Beautiful, beautiful flowers! Can you give us the names of a few of the roses?
Have a big peony arrangement in my living room. !!!love their delicate smell
Ah! Absolutely stunning and such a romantic look with your home in the background! Thanks for sharing. I too would love to know the types of roses that you grow.
Aren’t the roses just fabulous at this time of year. But rain and roses are not always a happy combination. We have had so much rain which makes everything grow like weeds, but at the same time the poor roses have suffered just a little. Your flower arrangements always look so fabulous, Hope you have a wonderful weekend and I hope this weather settles down soon. We were under a hail warning today instead we had non stop sunshine and 26C!!!
dear Sharon,
I’m headed for Lourdes June 11 and 12.
How far are you from the village of Lourdes?
Ann
Roses and peonies, so happy together! Love the little bachelor’s buttons mixed in!
You’ve inspired me, Sharon, to snap more photos; also recently gifted w a new 18x lens for iPhone.
Fortunately, the roses will keep providing beauty each day!
Please send some of your rain to us here in dry, hot San Antonio, Texas!!! My poor garden is always thirsty and I spend my mornings making sure my flowers don’t expire!
Dear Sharon, thank you for your beautiful posts. They always make my day day when I see them. This one is a beauty Such joy.
Good luck with your book tour.
Absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous Sharon! I envy you with these glorious blossoms. Enjoy your weekend as I am sure you are.
What a glorious sight! That rose feast just took my breath away.
The arrangement is absolutely gorgeous. Love peonies and roses, especially when I am
able to share…not so much this year! All your beauty is breathtaking. Thank you.
Your book tour will be a joy, for all those attending.
Love all of the beautiful flower photos, but the one with the petals strewn on the ground under the rose bush is so romantic!
Such joyful photos…always a bright spot in my day! Merci bien
Stunning. Hoping our weather in the U.S. will be wonderful for your book tour.
We are having spring weather sun rain n wind , my roses and hydrangea are blooming , I reseeded my clover lawn for my bees . Since we’ve all been staying in , I’m getting a lot done . Moving on to painting my patio wicker furniture next ., I’m not at a loss for projects during this time of isolation tuning into my garden and exterior curbside here on the island in puget sound .
Jerry West Sanders