In 1988 I was in infancy stage of designing the garden of my dreams. It started with an herb garden (15 X 16′) inside a picket fence and surrounded by roses. The same fence is there today … of course built by the mega talented Mr. G.
During that time I was reading anything I could get my hands on regarding historical roses, fragrant roses, rose crafts and gardening. I found several stories of pioneer women who left the east to travel the Oregon Trail in search of adventure and a new life. As I read their stories, I found myself feeling akin to these women in so many ways, especially when their stories turned to the plants they grew and the way they used them.
It was also during that time that I found a book that is a game changer book – I love it to this day. A book that brings beauty from the garden on every page.
THE SCENTED ROOM by Barbara Milo Ohrbach
A beautiful and practical book filled with potpourri recipes, wreath making designs, floral arranging tips, growing and preserving flowers.
RESOURCES!
In the back of THE SCENTED ROOM was an extremely valuable RESOURCE GUIDE (no internet) for both US and England! Where to find essential oils, florist supplies, dried flowers and roses! Under the heading RARE & UNUSUAL ROSE BUSHES is … High Country Rosarium (today High Country Roses) and Roses of Yesterday and Today along with others. Fun!
If you were gardening during that era you may have this book too. If not, it is still for sale on Amazon (link) for a fairly good price! I would highly recommend it! Every time I pick it up I am transformed to beautiful, fragrant places and inspired to create more and more beauty from the garden.
I’m curious, what is one of the books that continues to inspire your garden adventrues through the years.
POTTING SHED PUTTERINGS
A few weeks ago I set out to make a fresh batch of potpourri. Once I gathered up a glass bowl, wooden spoon and flowers I dried last year. It was time to open the storage box for oils, fixatives and dried flowers from the garden.
Every time I open the little boxes the smells transfer me back through all the years of gardening in this space. Some of the oils date back to the beginning. And it all smells earthy and floral!
It is now in a glass jar being turned regularly to cure. It will be ready in a few weeks.
Note: I didn’t use an actual recipe — just made the most of the supplies I had on hand. I used lavender, roses, cinnamon sticks, various flowers from the garden, and lemon verbena. Oils were rose, victorian rose, and lavender. Fixative was orris root.
MEMORY LANE
Warning: Rabbit Hole…
Along with Barbara’s book, other places I found resources were magazines like The Herb Quarterly and Victoria. I subscribed to several rose newsletters like Bev Dobson’s Rose Letter and Heritage Roses by Jan Wilson. Do any of you remember those? We also attended herb festivals, which was fairly common during that time. Actually some of my first Old Garden Roses were bought at Herb Festivals. My favorite was the festival at the Newburgh Country Stone in Newburgh, Indiana. If I remember correctly they had old garden roses from Pickering in Canada. Two of my first Old Garden Roses were Madam Hardy and Bourbon Queen. I still have them.
Aren’t garden memories so special? I’d love to hear some of your earliest memories in your garden? Share below!
I still order organic lavender and organic rose petals for my potpourri to have enough but supplement with the flowers I dry from the garden.
Whether I officially make potpourri or not, I always clip enough roses during the season to fill a bowl or two of timeless beauty.
ROSE CHAT
So many of you have told me how much you enjoyed my chat with Gaye Hammond on The History of Roses. Huge thanks to Gaye for her research and her love of all things ROSE! She is a treasure!
You can listen anytime… HERE
🌹NEW ROSES
I am making some tweaks to the garden (raise your hand if you are shocked) and wanted to try some new roses and “new to me” roses so I have several on order. 🎉🎉 There are soooo many beauties out there!!! We’ll talk about those next time…
