Owl Grove Roses

12/28/2024

12/24/2024

The first person that can decipher what the following photos mean for 2025 at Owl Grove Roses will win a $50.00 Gift Certificate.
Post your 5 answers in the comments and how they are all connected.

12/24/2024

I am missing my roses so I thought I would share the pending 2025 curated list of what is on the horizon.

Crown Princess Margareta
Lady of Shalott
Olivia
Queen of Sweden
Strawberry Hill
The Alnwick rose
Bolero
Catherine Hershey
Easy Does It
Ebb Tide
First Crush
Julia Child
Koko Loko
Kosmos Fairytale
Life of the Party
Poseidon
Singin' in the Rain
Soft and Sweet
Soul Sister
About Face
Delany Sisters
Honey Dijon
Alaiza
Chandos Beauty
Champagne Fragrant Showpiece
Belinda's Blush
Distant Drums
William P.J. McCarthy
Canadian Glory
Oh My!
Don Juan
Abbaye de Cluny
Bronze Star
Loves me, Loves me not
Bliss Parfuma
Earth Angel
Princess Charlene de Monaco
Rouge Royale
Secret's Out
Yves Piaget
Mother of Pearl
Crazy Love
Desert Sky
French Lace
Leonardo da Vinci
Powerpuff
Plum Perfect
Lavender Veranda
America
Florentina Arborose
Honeymoon Arborose
Quicksilver Arborose
Tangerine Skies Arborose
Cloud 10
Collette
Pretty in Pink Eden
Polka
Zephirine Drouhin


Cecile Brunner
John Cabot
Golden Showers
Swan Lake
Austrian Copper
Persian yellow
Duc de Cambridge
Ispahan
Minette
Sir Thomas Lipton
Cosmic Clouds
Sultry Night
Morden Blush
Therese Bugnet
Martin Frobisher
Easy on the Eyes
Gentle Hermione
Darcy Bussell
Generous Gardener
Scepter'd Isle
Tranquillity
Roald Dahl.
All Dressed
Violet's Pride
State of Grace
Glowing Peace
Dream come true
Parade Day
Wild Blue Yonder
Cha-Ching
Perfume Factory
Grande Dame
Chantilly Cream
Marilyn Munroe
Blue Girl
Neptune
Stainless Steel
Winter Sun
Moonlight Romantica
Marmalade Skies
Veranda Cream
White Licorice
Celestial Nights
Queen of Elegance
Arctic Blue
Forever Amber
Silver Lining
Melody Perfume
Love Song
Drop Dead Red
Vavoom
Angel Face
Intrigue

Inventory may change in numbers and varieties depending on winter dormancy and storage.

List does not include the 24 rare varieties pending.

12/21/2024

Still looking for a gift that will be unique and bring all those "comfort and joy" feels?
I can create a customized Gift Certificate or e-card for our Subscription packages !
(Look at me getting all techie, desktop creative/publishing fancy)
Just message me the details of your who of Whoville recipient, your heartfelt message and the email you would like it sent to.
(Your recipient's email to gleefully dance about when then they see "You've Got Mail" or your email to print off the e-card and get the gleeful hugs in person).
Head over to the website : https://owlgroveroses.square.site/
and see what we presently have as presents.

I also have a handful of single paperwhite bulb kits for stocking stuffers at $5.00 each. Very limited availability.
Those are a porch pickup.

I am also on Redbubble for all things printed from cards to mugs to phone cases, pillows, journals, coasters, t-shirts, aprons, etc.

12/19/2024

So this is on the wishlist.
Do you think Santa can fit this onto his sleigh?
I have been working really hard so there has been zero time to end up on the "naughty" list.
It would certainly help to extend the rose growing season so I can get locally grown roses to folks who want them.
Field growing only provides blooms from June-October and it would make propagating the historicals much easier.
Plus it would be awesome for concerts, small weddings, wine tastings and chef's table dinners.

12/14/2024

Taking today to tidy up the website and work on dates for the 2025 workshops at the farm.
I am toying with the option of adding weekly peony subscriptions this year.
The monthly subscriptions do not have specific dates assigned just yet ( just the delivery day-Thursdays) because our Spring was 3 weeks early in 2024 so the bouquet harvesting was adjusted.
Mother Nature loves to keep things interesting, so the specific dates will be added closer to the Spring reveal.

At the moment I am considering offering a workshop for
Rose type selection and planting.
A bouquet making workshop.
A yoga evening in the cutting garden.
A boutique wine tasting workshop.
A golden hour photography evening.
Our always popular watercolour workshop and lunch with Meg Fox.
Plein Air day for artists in the garden.

What kind of workshops would you like to attend for 2025?

12/14/2024

The most important "ornament".
Tree inspector checking out branch dispersal spacing.

12/11/2024

"What doesn't kill you will make you stronger."
"What doesn't kill you will make you stronger."
"What doesn't kill you will make you stronger."

Ok.
With a leap of faith, spite and exhaustive, painstaking planning I just embarked on what is either going to be absolutely glorious or I am going down in a blaze of glory.

Being a self-employed micro farmer in a niche market is certainly not for the weak of heart when you have little discretionary funds at your disposal and a whole lot of balls being juggled.

12/10/2024

Rosebushes are lovely gifts to bring joy, beauty or to mark a special occasion.
But they are REALLY, REALLY difficult to wrap
so a Gift Certificate towards our 2025 selection
(there will be at least 500 rosebushes to choose from)
would certainly be an appreciated gift to look forward to in the Spring.

Message [email protected] here on our FB page or visit our website or instagram profile and we can create a customized gift certificate that can be e-mailed directly to your recipient or to you if you would like to print it off to present.

They can also be used for our
freshly-harvested and locally-grown
heirloom bouquets from June to October.

From Our Farm to Your Arms, Naturally.

12/09/2024

These lovely bi-coloured heirloom chrysanthemums were part of an arrangement cut for a birthday bouquet the second weekend in November.
This photo was taken on December 8.
And I still argue with myself over whether I know what I am doing regarding growing flowers.

12/03/2024

Today, Tuesday December 3rd is know as "Giving Tuesday."
The focus being on supporting charities, initiatives and non-profits to benefit from your generosity or to just exhibit kindness to another.
It is also the day when these organizations send out their seasonal newsletters for holiday giving.
Unfortunately with the postal strike, those campaigns are not launching by mail.
Rescues, hospice, theatres, grief support, shelters, land initiatives, etc, all thrive on the kindness of donations and often get lost in the myriad of scrolling online.

Take a moment today to contemplate where you might be able to direct some funds that are dear to your heart and actively seek out those who are trying their best to make a significant difference or enrich the community we share.

Small, local businesses are always grateful for your support as well.
From buying a gift certificate or subscription, sharing or liking their socials or even stopping in with a coffee and a cookie is appreciated.
Take some of that love and gift to those fighting the good fight.

Tuesday

12/01/2024

Farming is the long game towards return of investment.
This time of year people clamber for the evergreen arrangements, garlands and the fresh Christmas trees.
Farming Christmas trees is a bit like raising children.
Planting them is the easy part, then the real work begins.
They must care for them (weeding, mowing), treat their ailments (insects and pests), feed them (water and fertilizer), discipline them (shearing), and so on for 10-12 long years.
That is occupied land that needs to be paid for in taxes and a business that has labour costs with a product only offered ONCE A YEAR.
Not a quick turn around like a seasonal crop of strawberries, corn or soy.
Not a yearly yield from investment like apples or peaches once the trees mature.
This is a 10-12 year waiting game and commitment to a finished produce that is then cut and done.
To moan and complain that the tree of your dreams is $40.00, $60.00, $100.00 etc is just unrealistic and actually, kind of rude.

Have you gone to a nursery to see what a tree actually costs to plant in your yard that brings years of benefits to your space?

You WANT something special that took great time, skill, effort and expense to create and now you want to dicker and ridicule the very people who are providing that magical service and desired experience.

That must be soul crushing for the tree farmer
and they must really dislike the snarky attitude of "I want the best but I want it affordable".

I understand that everyone is feeling financial burdens and are aware of what they spend but that does not mean that the Christmas tree farmer is immune to those very same concerns as well.
You want to help protect the agricultural landscape of your local farms?
Support local farmers so they can continue seeing the value in what they do.

11/30/2024

Sometimes it is the little things that bring us joy.

11/27/2024

UPDATE: I only have 7 sleeves left of the naked 5 bulb packages available.
$5.00 a sleeve.
Let me know by Sunday, December 1st for pick up.

This weekend is the last call for fragrant paperwhite kits if you want to have them blooming for the holidays.
I have a selection of single bulbs in cottagecore mason jars with growing medium, packaged and ready to go for $5.00 or a sleeve of 5 naked bulbs for your own containers.
Both come with growing instructions.
Porch pick up in Brighton.
Toss me a message to arrange as I should be at the farm all week getting things put to bed for the winter.

11/24/2024

Another design out in the world!
We are thrilled to be sponsoring a wreath in this year’s Festival of Lights and Trees at .
With over 80 items available for raffle, and all the proceeds supporting the theatre, this sparkling event is a must for many and their holiday traditions.
Running from now until Dec 22.
Don’t miss out on your chance to bring home this wreath or one of the many other decorated trees!
Public viewing schedule can be found at the Capitol Theatre website.

11/23/2024

Let's talk about being gullible and fooled by AI today.
If you are like me, you spend a lot of time scrolling through rose images.
I have my very reputable suppliers and nurseries that I work with and trust what they offer.
I know that some photos are the "best of" shots of that particular rose.
Many open one colour and change as the days go on.
Heat, hydration, daylight, nutrition and age all contribute to the colour of a rose.
Maiden flowers rarely look like what they should and most roses do not hit their optimum stride until their 3rd year in the ground...sometimes longer.

So how can we trust what we see?

Up front...there are no black roses.
Dark red like Black Baccara is the closest at this time.
Black roses would most likely hold too much heat and burn to a crisp as roses require a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight.

AI generated images have now made us second guess our ability to discern reality.
Things that are attributed to masterful craftsmanship, with breathtaking skills, are dismissed as AI fakery and unnaturally crafted images are slack-jawed fawned over with emojis of "beautiful" and "breathtaking".

Roses do not grow identical to their parent plant by seed as they have been cross-pollinated.
(Please remember your grade 4 science on reproduction of plants).
Rose seeds are notoriously petulant to stratify and sprout and this is why roses cost what they do when they are hybridized new releases.
Those hand-pollinated parent roses produced hips with seeds, those seeds were sprouted by possibly a thousand in trays to grow on.
Those sprouts then were chosen years later for their genetic merit for health or shape, colour, fragrance, hardiness and growing habit, sometimes repeat bloom, all around approximately the 5-6th year of growing.
They then need to be trialed in outdoor gardens for a few years and patented if they make the cut.
Those that make it must then be deemed worthy of a supplier growing them in large quantities for retail from bud stock or cuttings that are grafted on suitable root stock.

The person who genetically cracks the code on creating a truly black rose will be financially rewarded for their skill.
We are really close on a true blue but even those are more lavender/grey at this time and there are no naturally rainbow roses or embossed patterned petals.
These AI images are there to entice you from your money, clear and simple.

Florists may spray dye on a rose or soak in an uptake solution to colour enhance the greenhouse grown florist roses but to install a black rosebush in your garden is a present fallacy.

A reliable source is https://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/roses.php
or a recognized nursery catalogue, a garden club, a rose grower (waves enthusiastically), a botanical garden, a local garden centre, a horticultural society or group or gardening blog or an aficionado.
Books! Books are a great resource.
Either from a bookstore, the library or second-hand value store.

Below: Left is from an Etsy ad for $15.00 for a couple of Black rose seeds.
Right is Black Baccara in someone's garden, taken at peak condition.
The third is also Black Baccara, heavily colour-enhanced from an online market, but the shape is accurate.

11/18/2024

Sometimes a shift in your creative view is good for inspiration and provides a welcome break.
Created and installed this Krampus Earth Breaker at my mother's house in time for the Santa parade.
A nod to my Germanic heritage and haunter's heart.
Dec.5th is Krampusnaucht where naughty or ungrateful children are sought out, collected in a basket and tossed in the river or chased and hit with a birch switch.
As the compatriot of St.Nicholas, Krampus has been given Christmas associated fame.
Much more convincing than a tattling elf on the shelf.
Nice to use my costuming skills outside of the theatre.