“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Roses have always been my holy grail of flowers.  I have bought a few miniature ones from a store that I planted around the house. But never have I been so emotionally (yes, emotionally) vested in flowers-- as much as these roses.  And this is a big statement from someone who loves dahlias and the entire process, as much as I do.  But roses... ahh, roses are entirely different.  Yes, there is the romance of roses but it is about femininity, about how delicate yet strong they are.  Depending on the rose, some can evoke passion and burning love, while others remind you of delicate ballerinas at the Kirov ballet.  Others, like the ones I am growing, evoke bucolic images of English cottages, afternoon teas and the ladies of yester years.  These are the ones I love.

Taking the plunge to buy David Austin roses took some thought because they are an investment. But I did it for two reasons-- I love how beautiful they are but more importantly, I need beauty in my little corner of the world.  Have you seen the news? Flowers, especially these roses, offer me escapism from the chaos.  I love tending to them, watching them grow, talking to them (yes, I do talk to these girls), and seeing them thrive until the bloom.

This particular rose is the Alnwick rose, named in honor of the Duchess of Northumberland who created the stunning gardens at Alnwick Castle, which include a large collection of English roses-- about 3,000 are David Austin roses.  I was a bit nervous because they came as bare root but the instructions were very detailed. One interesting note, which the roses I chose are zone 4 tolerant, this is Minnesota and the past few years the temperature has gone down to -18F.  So I do not want to risk it.  Plus in about another year, we will be building a house and I want to bring these with me.

Gosh, can you tell that I am already in love with this rose? I just know that my new found love for roses will only extend from here.  Thankfully my husband likes roses very much and humors my love too.

Do you grown roses? Any David Austin? If so, which ones?

Sharing with: In a Vase on Monday, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day (15th of the Month), Simple Saturdays, The Homemaking Party, Home Sweet Home, Gardens Galore, Floral Bliss, Home and Garden Thursday, End of Month View (31st of the Month), Harvest Monday, Blooming Friday, #MyGloriousGardens, Six on Saturday, Pink Saturday, Dishing It & Digging It, Strawberry Fields, Home Sweet Home