Fragrance of a rose

Tremulous light, the smell of vineyards, the rustic flute

of an ardent nightingale that moans and thinks no more.

Chaste amidst the trees like a virgin fast asleep, 

a row of wheat waving on the hilltop.

Night’s pure bird that makes stars shudder 

with its echoing soul full of plaintive sighs: 

withered roses pave pale carpets 

where the roving light of thought is lost.

Near a star that sheds tears, the fragrance of a rose 
silent and timid, beneath a sky far too pure. 
These azure tears granted you more sweet-scented aroma, 
oh chaste sober sadness of the reclusive soul!

And, while upon the breast of every newborn Spring 

your weeping will live forever, pure bird of night, 

my sigh will perish unnoted, as it falters 

beside the fountainhead of your sweet scent, oh frail rose!

Marià Manent 
(Barcelona, 1898 - 1988)

The transplantable rose.

Transplanting roses whilst they are in bloom is never recommended by 'garden experts'.

When we were settling into our first home we had three large Queen Elizabeth shrub roses, which though covered in large pink blooms were never the less in the wrong place, at least in our view. In high summer we dug out the flowering shrubs and transplanted them to a more suitable location. Everyday we sprayed them with a water mist and kept the roots damp. Those roses hardly noticed the move and thrived in their new home.

Many years later and we were faced with another badly positioned and established rose, (which despite the label had turned out to be a climber), in this our 'Mediterranean jardin'. We decided to relocate the offending specimen from it's position in the shrubbery on the west side of the villa to a new home in front of the stable block. Despite frequent watering, the move combined with a much harsher Mediterranean climate did shock the plant, which dropped both flowers and leaves.

A few weeks later and the rose had recuperated and now scrambles up the stable wall. Never say never.

A bonus for us was that in digging the rose out of the rocky soil part of the root was left behind, the root has generated a new rose now we have to decide when to move that one.

Raindrops on Roses

A dusting of snow has appeared on the Pyrenean mountain tops a sure sign that the weather is turning cooler despite the bright blue sky. Daytime temperatures in the garden are still pleasant in the low twenties centigrade (mid 60’s F.) Though night-time sees the thermometer record temperatures around 5C.

Working in the season’s cooler sunshine is quite pleasant, and the little rain we have had has refreshed the plants. Roses in particular have enjoyed the showers.

Digging into the earth reveals that the soil at three to four inches down is dry as dust. The grass which seemed to have disappeared in the summer heat has been rejuvenated though still weed infested and patchy. The drought well into its third year has seen water levels in the reservoirs at an all time low, and water prices have risen to a corresponding high. Any further development of the plot particularly tree planting is on hold for the time being.

Rose Pink Favourite

Still looking good in the early fall is this rose named pink favourite. Although it has only a weak fragrance it has a good flower and shows up well amongst the lavender plants at the shadier end of the flower bed. It's pink petals also pick up on other red foliage within that same bed.

Rose

Of the three supermarket roses I bought only this one has produced a viable plant. The other two dark red roses were failures; the first of them died off in the pot the second produced only suckers from below the graft.