Tag Archives: Roses

Summer Flowers To Make You Smile

The Language of Roses and the Colours of Summer

Roses are, perhaps, the most expressive of flowers.

The Language of Roses and the Colours of Summer - The Last Krystallos.

They can be brash and bold, or full and heady, or delicate and sweet, or subtle and fragrant, and so much more…

Wedding-Jacaranda-Garden-Valentine-Funeral-The-Last-Krystallos

When people are asked for their favourite flower, roses are one of the most popular responses, and they are definitely the jewel in the crown in both florists and gardens. Roses generally flower from Summer to Autumn, but these days I’ve had roses blooming as early as April and as late as December!

I carried Jacaranda, deep mauve, roses as a bride, Vince brought me handcut roses from the gardens he worked at (he was a gardener) on our first date, I’ve adored a variety of roses in my garden, I’ve had single red roses for Valentine’s, and we recently had red and white roses at my mother’s funeral.

The Language of Roses and the Colours of Summer - The Last Krystallos

So what do roses say?

Red Roses © Lisa Shambrook

Burgundy Roses say a little more than red, promising undying love and cherishing unconscious beauty!

Red Roses are the traditional way to say “I Love You,” the colour of passion and the definition of love. They also represent courage and respect.

Orange-and-Yellow-Roses-The-Last-Krystallos

Orange, Peach, and Yellow Roses © Lisa Shambrook

Orange Roses; imagine the colour of fire and you have the flowers that embody passion to rival red roses representing desire, enthusiasm, and excitement.

Peach Roses are a delicate shade of gratitude and sincerity, a gentle rose to offer appreciation.

Yellow Roses show friendship, care, and platonic love, there are no romantic undertones with yellow roses, just sunshine and friendship. Yellow roses also convey memories, and are often given in long term relationships. They are also perfect for welcome home and new beginnings bouquets.

White Roses © Lisa Shambrook

White Roses represent purity and innocence, spirituality and reverence, often seen as bridal or sympathy blooms.

Pale Pink Roses © Lisa Shambrook

Pale Pink Roses suggest friendship and elegance, and can signify a new budding romance. They also offer sympathy and innocence. The delicate charm that laces pale pink matches the sweetness that they convey.

Deep Pink Roses © Lisa Shambrook

Deep Pink Roses express appreciation and gratitude, and a lovely way to show happiness and contentment.

Purple Roses © Lisa Shambrook

Purple and lavender Roses; purple has always been the colour of mystery and enchantment, and they express love-at-first-sight. Deeper purple roses signify majesty and splendour.

I adore roses of all colours, and every variety, from hybrid tea roses, to dog roses, climbing and rambling roses, old English, and modern hybrid, floribunda roses, and shrub roses – they all enchant me.

Roses © Lisa Shambrook

I believe roses were given to us to celebrate colour, fragrance, and beauty, let’s not take them for granted.

What are your favourite roses?

When were you last given roses, or do you buy or cut your own?

What colour beguiles you most?

* All photos are roses from my garden or from the tables in Calon my local coffee shop (now called Pethau Da) and a couple of pics of bouquets from supermarkets!

10 Late Summer Flowers – Beautiful Blooms

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As Summer takes its leave let’s take in and delight in its legacy of beauty.

Despite a wet and cool British Summer the season still enchants
with a bountiful spread of flora, what have been your favourites?

nigella, love in a mist, the last krystallos,

Nigella © Lisa Shambrook

Nigella Damascena: Often known romantically as Love-in-a-mist, this is one of my most favourite cottage garden flowers. Easy to grow from scattered seed, and they self-seed beautifully, they can decorate your garden with pretty pastels. They’re often blue, but I have a penchant for the pure white, and their narrow, threadlike leaves just add to their feathery enchantment. I even love their bulbous seedheads which can look stunning in a vase amongst other summer flowers too!

Lavender © Lisa Shambrook

Lavender: I can never decide which lavender is my favourite, either delicate British lavendula augustifolia or French lavendula stoechas with its crown of purple feathers! I’m not actually a fan of its fragrance, but its silver leaves and simple purple flowers brighten my summer borders.

roses, rhapsody in blue, Louis XIV, blue moon, audrey wilcox, peach, iceberg, red rose, the last krystallos,

Roses © Lisa Shambrook

Roses: What can I say about roses? They need no introduction. It’s perhaps the world’s most romantic flower renowned for both its beauty and its fragrance. My particular favourites are purple, pinks and whites, and can you ever talk about roses without including red ones? Those pictured here are: Blue Moon, Rhapsody in Blue, unnamed peach rose from my parents’ garden, Louis XIV, Audrey Wilcox and the traditional Iceberg.

mock orange, philadelphus, mock orange flowers, belle etoile, the last krystallos,

Mock Orange © Lisa Shambrook

Mock Orange: the gorgeous philadelphus ‘Belle Etoile’ has one of the most beautiful scents of summer. I adore this delicate white flower stained inside with deep red about its yellow stamens, and I look forward to watching my shrub blossom with buds. It’s sister ‘Virginal’ a double mock orange also claims the stunning scent and can quite easily steal the show in a bouquet.

paeony, paeonies, sarah bernhardt paeony, pink, the last krystallos,

Paeony © Lisa Shambrook and Caitlin Shambrook

Paeony: You can choose whether you spell them paeony or peony, I don’t think it matters. They are one of my husband’s favourites. We have an amazing red paeony which flowers early, and a beautifully subtle pink Sarah Bernhardt which flowers later. Paeonies like to be planted shallow so their bulbous roots can sunbathe just beneath the soil, plant them too deep and they won’t flower so prolifically. There are many varieties, from single, bowl-like, papery blooms to full doubles as big as your hand!

clematis flowers, Dr ruppel clematis, the last krystallos,

Clematis Dr Ruppel © Lisa Shambrook

Clematis: another flower with a multitude of varieties. You can find a variety of clematis that will fill your garden with flowers pretty much all year round. I’ve had tiny white freckled clematis right through to huge Dr Ruppel, pale pink with bright pink stripes. Blues, purple, pinks, white and reds dominate, but you can even find delicate green clematis too, and bright yellow bell-shaped ones which leave bearded seedheads once they’re finished – I delighted in the silver seedheads when I was small!

blue hydrangea mophead flowers, the last krystallos,

Hydrangea © Lisa Shambrook

Hydrangea: this is an odd choice for me, as I hated them with a passion as I grew up. I disliked the bog standard dusky pinks and dull blues, and saw no further than the dirty roadside shrubs in local gardens. When I finally got a garden which already contained a blue hydrangea, I began to appreciate them. They have large mopheads which blossom with tiny flowers and I noticed how my blue flowers began as tight green/white buds and opened into pale pink flowers and slowly changed to big lilac blue flowers. I learned that the colour you get is often dependent on your soil. Blue most common in acid soil, mauve in acid to neutral and pink in alkaline soil. I would love to have a white hydrangea.

geranium johnsons blue flowers, geranium johnsons blue bee, purple flower and bee, bumble bee and flower, the last krystallos,

Geranium Johnsons Blue © Lisa Shambrook

Geranium: I don’t really like most greenhouse grown geraniums and prefer the hardy garden varieties, much like the bees do! When Johnsons Blue blooms it creates a cloud of purple and the buzz from bees is audible. The flowers are almost ultraviolet and they add a beautiful swathe of colour for the summer.

japanese anemone septembers charm flowers, japanese anemone, the last krystallos,

Japanese Anemone © Lisa Shambrook

Japanese Anemone: definitely one of my favourite late summer flowers. I love the white varieties like Honorine Jobert best, but the dusky pinks, of which I have September Charm, are glorious too. Japanese anemones’ green button centres surrounded by tiny gold stamens are quite bewitching! They have long wiry stems which let the flowers dance in the breeze, and they finish with the strangest cotton wool seedheads which float away once they’re done.

rudbekia flower, yellow flower rain, the last krystallos,

Rudbekia: these are fun flowers that brighten up the end of the season. You can often find Rudbekia and Echinacea in the same gardens as they are both of the cone flower variety, offering late colour into the autumn. They’re often known as black-eyed susan and also come from the sunflower family. Guaranteed to brighten your garden!

So tell me, what have been your favourite summer blooms?
If you had to pick a favourite rose which would it be,
and what colours your summer garden?

If you’d like to see more of my flower photography please take a look at my
Flickr page and The Shutterworks Photoblog…

Roses and Berries…

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I knew what I wanted to make, when I thought about my anniversary cake…it was just putting it into practice that concerned me!
Don’t know why I constantly worry about my own ability…it turned out beautifully!

It was always going to be chocolate cake, I wanted to use berries…and when we tried Morrisons’ Strawberry frosting, that was decided too! It was about how to ice the cake…

I searched Google images trying to find what I was looking for, after all it always helps to have something to refer to!

I found lovely pics of all sorts of cakes, but this one stood out…here…

This linked to another blog which offered step-by-step instructions here…

So it was decided, all our dresses had roses on them so roses were perfect…I would have a go at piping frosting and see how it went.

The cake (devils food chocolate cake, you can find recipes anywhere or cheat and buy ‘Betty Crocker’s’) was easy, I made two and placed them side-by-side…then began frosting. Morrisons Frosting comes in 400g tubs…I bought six. I had taken on board that I needed lots! I didn’t realise how much though…covering the cake for a basic coating took two tubs, then when I reached this far…

…I realised that my remaining tubs may not be enough! So there was a quick trip to the supermarket to grab more. I bought the last strawberry tub, was apologised to by staff that they had no more, and bought a few vanilla just in case I’d need to improvise!

Back home It took all seven tubs, 2800g, to complete the frosting…and allow me to place a few extra roses on top!

Then I added my berries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and redcurrants…

I was worried the juices would leach out and ruin the icing, the main reason I did not choose strawberries, (I’d used strawberries before on a chocolate frosted cake, put it in the fridge overnight and the next day strawberry juice glistened across the top of the cake and melted the icing in places). However the fruits I chose were dry and none of them leaked juice!

The only problem with this cake was leaving it in the fridge, everytime I opened the fridge the fragrance of strawberry was so lovely, I was hard pressed not to plunge my finger straight into it! Leaving it in the fridge also meant the icing hardened a little, which stabilised the design.

In the end the whole thing turned out better than I could have imagined!

On the night, it was gorgeous and tasted divine…the sour redcurrants and sweet berries worked wonderfully with the frosting and melt-in-the-mouth chocolate cake…mission accomplished!