Welcome 2012! The Year of the Rose

The New Year has now swept. Hopefully, you have all welcomed it in merrily, safely and soundly.

After the whirlwind of the holidays - shopping, visiting, wrapping, baking and making gifts - I'm finally catching up on some reading and emails. I was reading an email from the International Herb Association and was absolutely delighted to discover that the Herb of The Year is a top favorite of mine - The Rose! 

In my younger days, I merely thought of roses as OK. My parents had some growing, as did my grandmothers, and they smelled nice but didn't really move me. 

Much later (I'm not fessing up to the number of years), I was in Island Beach State Park and became entranced by the beautiful abundance of the lovely and vigorous roses growing throughout the park. Yep, I'd fallen in love with the hearty Rosa Rugosa. I never realized they grew in such abundance along the shore line. The scent was full and entrancing, they had huge rose hips that made wonderful teas and jellies, and - this is the best part - they are pretty darn easy to grow! 

I'll be exploring the many wonders of the rose all year, and sharing my discoveries and ideas. Please feel free to share any ideas or discoveries of your own? Do you have a favorite rose?  Do you cook with roses? Let's see where this adventure can take us!