Saturday, October 3, 2009

A Pink Surprise at Heart and Home

Hello and good morning to everyone on this fine Pink Saturday!  Beverly at How Sweet the Sound hosts us every week,  it's always so much fun to go visit and see all the pinks out there in Blogland! 

Well, since it's October I was not expecting to see the Cecile Brunner roses blooming again. This is a small plant that had been transplanted from a pot to replace a really large and lovely one that was destroyed by those varmints the gophers.  I was so sad to lose the other rose, since I had planted it on the side of the arbor in memory of my mother - but what a surprise to see how this one has thrived in it's new location.  I never would have guessed it would bloom again at this time of year-Cecile Brunners are not known as repeat bloomers. The big one on the other side  (that's it in my header picture) stopped blooming awhile ago, and it gets much more sun. But here they are, this handful of tiny pink flowers greets me each day.




They're aren't a lot of blossoms, but still.....



the ones that are there are lovely!







Flowers have always been such an important part of my life. My parents always had a wonderful vegetable garden, with lots of tomatoes and peppers, and all sorts of delicious treats. But what I remember  from the time when I was very young is working beside my mother in her little flower garden. Together we planted sweet peas, gladiolus, daisies, petunias, lobelia, alyssum, carnations, and always in the fall rows and rows of bright yellow and orange mums, and lots of tulip and narcissus bulbs. She never had the fanciest garden, but it was really pretty! My mother could coax just about any nearly dead plant back to life, she would transplant all the plants her friends brought her (you know - the grocery store mums and lilies and such) on the hillside in our backyard. That became the most vibrant and colorful little hill -



These Cecile Brunner roses are pretty simple to grow, and they are hardy and have abundant blossoms, and are fairly pest resistant (not counting those pesky gophers, and moles, and the deer). They don't need a lot of attention or a ton of sun,  they seemed like the perfect plant for my first try at growing roses.





So far, I haven't been disappointed! In many ways, they remind me of my mom - I've told you a bit about her before (read that, here). Like these roses she was beautiful, and tiny, just barely 5' tall - but she was a very strong and determined woman! She rarely took no for an answer, and when she wanted to do something, she figured out a way to do it...



...it's been two and a half years since my mother passed away.  Strange how it's always the little things that bring back a flood of memories and break my heart. But life is just that - an endless string of  little things, some of them sad, and others - like seeing these roses each morning - that remind me of happy times, planting flowers with my mom in our little backyard garden.

Thank you for stopping by today! I truly appreciated it, and I hope you have a great weekend - do something fun and, because I'm feeling sentimental, I'll add:  hug the people you love!

Remember:  to be included in the giveaway see more info here and here. The winner will be announced on Monday - and I'm working on something fabulous this weekend that I'll show you then, too!
Until next time,
XO
Heidi



17 comments:

My name is Riet said...

What a beautiful soft pink rose. Delicate colour but as you say, very strong. That's what's supposed to be. Happy pink Saturday

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Happy Pink Saturday, Heidi! Your roses are truly beautiful in their delicate pink blooms! Thank you for sharing them with us. Enjoy your weekend.

Blessings,
Sandi

Regina said...

How pretty.
Happy Pink Saturday!
Regina

Glenda/MidSouth said...

What a beautiful flower. I love roses.
Have a great weekend.

Iphigenia said...

happy pink saturday. i love roses, they never fail to make me feel pretty when i admire their beauty and they are so hardy!!

Nancy said...

What great fortune to have them blooming now. I read down a bit and was so happy to see that white can do well with fall accessories since I am hoping to do white slipcovers soon. And, I am always at a loss with all the wood in our home trying to soften it up. The runner idea on the coffee table is excellent.

♥Mimi♥ said...

Winter is just around the corner in my neck of the woods and I won't see much pink in my garden again until at least April so THANK YOU for the wonderful blog entry and for giving me a little pinkie-lift today!

Hoping that your weekend is filled with laughter and sunshine☺

Char said...

I was saddened to hear of the rose you lost that was planted for your mother. What a wonderful post today. I have to say it only takes one bloom to make us smile. I would cherish each and every last one of them, very pretty hue of pink, Happy Pink Saturday and have a great week ahead, Char

♥ Liz ♥ said...

Beautiful roses and real sentiment about your Mum. She sounds like a wonderful person. Thank you for sharing your post this week. Happy Pink saturday :)

Mary Bergfeld said...

I just love the delicate pink of that rose. It's nice to know they'll be back again next summer. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

Mary said...

What wonderful memories you have of your mom in the flower garden...you have a beautiful flower garden too, and the Cecil Brunner is a lovely reminder of how simple life can be, and we can grow with a little sunshine, water, and love. Always enjoy your posts an seeing your home and yard!

blessings to you!
Mary

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful surprise mother nature gave you. They are absolutely beautiful.

Lisa

CC said...

What a beautiful post Heidi. And such sweet,sweet memories of your mother. I agree.. sometimes it's the smallest things that brings back the sweetest memories. Your roses are gorgeous and I'm so happy they're blooming for you again..Happy Pink Saturday..hope the coming week is a wonderful one for you.
p.s. Your header is gorgeous..

Unknown said...

Such a lovely rose. I grew up in Southern CA and grew many roses. I love them but they are much more work here in prairie country. Harsh winds and lots of ice are not nice to roses. Enjoy yours :)

Blessings!
Gail

Anonymous said...

My mom died two years ago this coming November. She loved roses and we used to plant flowers in our yard, too. I can totally relate to your post. I found your blog via Susan at BNOTP. Your house looks beautiful!

The Old Parsonage said...

What a pleasant surprise. Love that they are still blooming!

Enjoy your roses and your day!
Big Hugs to you!

Leann

Jennifer said...

The roses are beautiful. I can't grow a thing. I wish I could grow roses! In the meantime I will just look at the beautiful flowers everyones else has! Thank You for sharing your Pink!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Jennifer

Livin' With Peaches