Friday, May 13th, 2022 06:57 am
Rose buds and rose leaves stand out surrounded by fat full blown roses that smell heavenly

This is Zaide, known in its patent as Rosa hybrida var KORparofe. That variety name seems like some complicated key the hybidizer used in breeding roses: its seed parent, ‘DELge’, and pollen parent, ‘KORtuge’ have similarly entertaining names. I rescued Zaide from the Lowes sad plant pile in July of 2019 and planted it near the stick of a fig tree. They intermingle branches with each other.

This year i hadn't quite gotten around to pruning it back, and i chose to leave one long cane, looping it around itself to make a circle. The new canes poke up straight and tall, and it can seem like two different plants. I note the similarities between how the long rose cane behaves compared to its close cousins the blackberries: pulled more horizontal, both canes sprouts small spurs off skyward with a cluster of blossoms. Left vertical, the energy of growth continues upward with a smaller amount of branching and flowering. Cutting the leading growth on the cane promotes some branching.

The roses off Zaide smell divine, and i have comforted myself just walking around the yard with my nose buried in the petals, inhaling deeply. I've been dropping full blown blossoms in the tea pot and the jug i make mint tea in.

I think a year or so i succeeded in making a very rose scented sugar syrup by packing the roses and sugar in a jar in the fridge, and i vaguely remember a batch of rose scented sugar cookies. I don't know if i can dry the flowers and retain the scent - the rose petals i have dried look pretty but don't seem that scented (although they were from the miniature roses). Perhaps i should try a glycerine extract... or a vinegar extract for making "shrubs"!

Oy, too much poking at how others extract rose scent.

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It's been a week and i feel like i have been hit by a truck.
Friday, May 13th, 2022 12:00 pm (UTC)
Ooooooooh.

In general eating flowers makes me feel unhappily that my mouth is full of cologne, but I like rose. And nasturtium, of course.
Friday, May 13th, 2022 12:38 pm (UTC)
I clicked the bookmark to come here and your picture was the first thing I saw
those are beautiful!!!
I want to plant a couple roses here, I had roses in NJ when I was married the first time. Didn't have the place for them with Jeff, now I do
I had a hybrid tea called Medallion and I really want another one, it was amazing.
I almost thought the flowers you have were peony - which I also want LOL
I do have a red (not the pinkish red you see all over - this is RED) knockout rose by the front door, Sebastian and Miso are buried there.
Friday, May 13th, 2022 01:55 pm (UTC)
I am intrigued by the many uses of your rose petals!
Friday, May 13th, 2022 04:14 pm (UTC)
Beautiful!
Saturday, May 14th, 2022 12:17 am (UTC)
I have some lovely dried roses that retained their smell for years. I later topped it up by placing a drop of a rose oil skin scent in the bottom of the bowl (which I keep lidded).