A Rosy Celebration all Month Long - National Rose Month

I must admit, I was never a big fan of roses. Oh, they were pretty enough and they smelled OK. My grandmother had some roses in her garden, as did my mother and father. Most everyone I knew had some kind of rose. But roses always struck me as prissy, fussy flowers, requiring tons of attention and care. I was young, what can I say.

Now, I have 4 rose bushes in my yard that are true joys. I'm still not a true rose gardener, though, because I can't tell you the names of the roses. I can, however, tell you a little about them.

One of the oldest roses in my garden is a lovely, lavender colored hybrid rose. It struggles desperately every year, as I do have a problem with black spot in my yard - and three huge apple trees. Just when I think this little gem is done for, it comes back with some beautifully colored blossoms.

My climbing rose is extraordinarily happy growing up an old clothesline pole. It has tiny peppermint striped flowers that bloom heavily throughout the season. I really need to cut it back this fall, but it just looks so happy! And I always have birds nests in it.

My real pride and joys are my two rugosa rose bushes. They only thing I have to do with them is pick off the Japanese Beatles when those little buggers come around. The smell from these bushes is almost as magical as the wafting scent of my lilac.

These garden delights do not get treated with any chemicals or even fertilizer other than some compost once a year. Occasionally, they'll get a garlic oil and baking soda spray to help fight fungus. I USE my roses for so many things, I want to make sure they are safe and sound.

For example, dried rose petals are used in our So Soft Bath Salts. I also add dried flowers to a mix of cornstarch and rice flower for a lovely scented powder.

Fresh rugosa petals are infused into vinegar and honey to make our Honey and Roses Bath Vinegar. They are also infused into the vinegar of our Do Greiné Sunburn Spray. We use infused rose water in a number of body butters, and Rose scent in Moonlight and Roses Body Butter.

We also make rose hip jam and jelly from those wonderfully plump rugosa rose hips (rose hips are the berries of roses - I don't dead head my roses either, so I can get lots of berries). I mix the rose hips with beach plumbs and wild raspberries for the delightful Jersey Shore Jam. I've even made beads from rose petals! If you go here it give wonderful directions to make the beads - with pictures!

Roses are rich in history and grown around the world. About Flowers has some wonderful trivia facts, although it is on their Valentines Day page. Even if you aren't the biggest fan, take some time to celebrate the national flower of the US - the rose! You can find out more about roses at The American Rose Society or The National Home Gardening Club websites. There you'll find great tips to help with troublesome roses, if you're into that kind of thing ;)

Or find ways to celebrate on your own: Give a rose bush or some cut roses to an elderly neighbor or friend; try making rose petal jelly; research the many legends about roses; send cards to friends with pictures of roses; press some roses to use later for cards or pictures; or visit public gardens or rose gardens; look for the best roses or rose gardens in your neighborhood and tell the owners how lovely their roses are.

Or.... just stop and smell them.

Happy National Rose Month!