There's nothing wrong with orange roses...unless your garden palette is primarily pinks, blues, and yellows and they clash horribly.
But Life--as well as students, their parents and my family members--keeps throwing those oranges (and apricots and peaches) at me. Mini-roses, baby roses, floribunda roses, hybrid tea roses--in all shades of orange from shocking to soft. Aren't there some sweet pinks and striking whites and yummy yellows out there that people can buy?
I know...I'm an ungrateful wretch. I received this amazingly lovely rose named Just Joey last year and I wanted more than anything to cart it to the nearest nursery and talk them into letting me switch it with All-American Beauty or Iceberg or an Austen rose. Because although I appreciate the sentiment behind the gift (and it is a lovely rose), mixing those oranges with my beloved pastels just doesn't work. It's not fair to either.
I kept Just Joey. I believe if someone takes the time to choose a gift for me with love, then I need to accept it gracefully. So I pulled up my Big Girl Panties and accepted the challenge yet again.
I have a dedicated garden by our mailbox reserved just for those orange hues. They co-exist there in harmony with a few white Shasta daisies and some English lavender. Just Joey joined the group last summer. I have so many oranges that I've also resorted to planting the baby roses in large pots that can be moved away from blue delphiniums or pink petunias as needed.
Plants (even orange roses) are my very favorite teacher gift and I like watering the "Twins" rose or the "Class of 2010" rose or the "Neighborhood Boys" rose while I remember how much fun kindergarten is. I wouldn't be surprised if some of my neighbors think that orange roses are my favorites as they walk or drive by our mailbox.
I admit I got a quick pang of regret when Just Joey started blooming as I thought about the beautiful rose I could have exchanged it for, but then I thought about the cute mischievous freckled grin that accompanied this rose and a real Joey from that same year and I've decided that orange might just be my favorite color of rose after all!
No, not really.
(But I'm learning to appreciate them.)
Thanks to Liz at Fresh Cut Friday for getting me out of my posting doldrums and back into sharing!But Life--as well as students, their parents and my family members--keeps throwing those oranges (and apricots and peaches) at me. Mini-roses, baby roses, floribunda roses, hybrid tea roses--in all shades of orange from shocking to soft. Aren't there some sweet pinks and striking whites and yummy yellows out there that people can buy?
I kept Just Joey. I believe if someone takes the time to choose a gift for me with love, then I need to accept it gracefully. So I pulled up my Big Girl Panties and accepted the challenge yet again.
I have a dedicated garden by our mailbox reserved just for those orange hues. They co-exist there in harmony with a few white Shasta daisies and some English lavender. Just Joey joined the group last summer. I have so many oranges that I've also resorted to planting the baby roses in large pots that can be moved away from blue delphiniums or pink petunias as needed.
I admit I got a quick pang of regret when Just Joey started blooming as I thought about the beautiful rose I could have exchanged it for, but then I thought about the cute mischievous freckled grin that accompanied this rose and a real Joey from that same year and I've decided that orange might just be my favorite color of rose after all!
No, not really.
(But I'm learning to appreciate them.)
And come join Cindy at My Romantic Home (talk about a girl who loves roses!) for some Show and Tell without compare!
Lovely! It's the color of enthusiasm and desire and they are just as beautiful as others.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I get them because I AM just a little on the enthusiastic side!
DeleteWhat a cute post! :) I love it that you are so organized that you have a color theme to your garden. I on the other hand took a totally different approach. I wanted every color of rose I could find. It is color chaos! :) I think you did a great job of using your gift and now you will always think of Joey. :) In a good way... I hope. LOL! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for joining in! This was a delightful addition! :)
~Liz
Awh, how cute! I tend to be this way too but we have to work them in!! Other's don't know our grand vision or personal preferences. Likely someone though "she hasn't got any of this color-I'll get her a new color to add in!" :-)
ReplyDeleteHey, you were ahead of your time with Tangerine Tango being all the rage this year! I love your roses!
ReplyDeleteLinking from Rose Vignettes,
~Ricki Jill
I'm so happy that you are enjoying this beautiful color rose..it is stunning and I would give anything if I could grow any color rose..I just cant grow roses..
ReplyDeleteit truly is a beautiful color..
Orange is my least favorite color--and it is my best friends favorite color! That rose is awfully pretty though:)
ReplyDeletenot really an orange fan but that peachy Joey is gorgeous! Glad you found a space for it in your lovely garden. Enjoy the weekend..;j
ReplyDeleteDon't think of it as orange,,, more like a tangerine sherbet sorta color.. I like it! And ORANGE is my least favorite color, trust me.
ReplyDeleteThankfully they do come in peach, apricot, sunset, etc...
DeleteJust Joey is gradually winning me over--each bloom is more amazing than the one before!
Well it is a gorgeous rose and I am not an orange color person either. Some of the peach roses I have planted have turned out more orange than I like but they are pretty all the same.It is hard to get other plants to go with them but I kind of like blue with them.
ReplyDeleteI agree on the blue not being bad, Lona, 'cause they look good next to my lavender bushes. It's the pink/peach/yellow combo that causes me to grit my teeth!
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