My Ojai Garden Roses

 I was so nervous to plant roses in my garden in Ojai... and predominantly David Austin English roses.  I thought the weather might be too hot. I took a chance late last spring, surfed the web for ideas and ordered my favorites from Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria. then of course we had a horrendously hot summer and they looked like hell by August.  But, alas... spring came and what a great surprise.  My delicate little babies are twice as big and so abundant .... YIPPPEEE!!!

The roses shown above are "Johann Strauss", "Hot Cocoa", "Glamis Castle", "Gentle Hermione", "Jubilee Celebration", "Julia Child" and "Mary Magdalene"(not in order).

Fall in Paradise

Yes, this is Paradise... Paradise, California.  There IS such a place and it IS a paradise.  If you haven't heard of it, not to worry.  Just drive about 2 hours north of Sacramento, and between Oroville and Chico you will find this little beauty.  Lots of pines, lots of oaks, lots of maples, lots of sycamores, lots of nice folks.  And lovely colors this time of year.  These were taken on Thanksgiving while visiting my in-laws... in their front yard.  I hope you are enjoying fall while it's here as it's almost over!

Huntington Gardens ... a shared experience

My sister Lucinda and I are both artists, we both have blogs (hers is cobaltviolet), we both enjoy photography and we often go on outings together.  After most of these excursions, I often find myself getting a post together to find out that she has beat me to it and blogged on the same subject with very similar photos.  Oiy vey!  (spelling anyone??)  As we have some of the same followers I sometimes just pass on posting the same basic story.  But not today!  I'm not going to go on about how fabulous the Huntington Library in Pasadena is and how amazing the gardens... I 'm just going to post a few of my favorite images from our day a few weeks back.  If you want to know more about our trip, check out my sister's blog posts....  She took some great photos of the gardens and paintings and is quite prolific on this subject.  But I am proud to say it was my idea that she start a blog...  I'm glad she took my advise for once!

Huntington Museum in Pasadena - American Collection.

Chinese Gardens at the Huntington - Pasadena

Shakespeare's Garden - The Huntington in Pasadena, California

Japanese Gardens at the Huntington

I will say that it's the Chinese and Japanese gardens that keep me coming back.....

I'm cracking up right now....I was just looking for a quote on gardens and I found this one on brainyquote.com!!!

"Eventually my goal is get a place in Ojai where I can have animals and a big garden. Just drink wine all day and hang in my garden."
~Michelle Branch~

.....maybe I ought to call her over for a glass of wine?

Peony Roses

Peony roses. 

Yes, there is such a thing!  

They are my new favorite flower...well, almost.  

Peonies are still my favorite but they are impossible to purchase or grow in Southern California. 

It's possible that peony roses are also impossible to grow here too but no worries because I can order them from my dear friend Liza who owns a flower company (Fiftyflowers.com).  

I first saw these roses at mutual friends house who received them as a gift for Valentine's Day from her husband via Fifty Flowers.  I freaked out!  

When Liza and I decided to host and decorate a table at our kids school fundraiser this year, I said I would love to use the peony roses.  

By the way, darlings, the official name is "Peony Rose Yves Piaget"....so fancy.
AND, they are incredibly aromatic and smell like heaven above!

 Well, Liza ordered TONS....and gave me two dozen to take home.  Woohooo!!!

Thank you my dear!

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck."  

~Emma Goldman

Be Like the Flower....

I've felt so good the last few days since my "sweat".  The weather has been glorious.... sun shining, slight breeze blowing, birds singing.  Life is not perfect but somehow seems so lately.  Though the grass is always greener in someone elses yard because we have NO grass, I'm happy with our large plot of dirt and foxtails.  Looking around, everything seems prettier, happier, sunnier.   And bringing the outside in (from Farmers Market)  is a must.  

Be like the flower, turn your faces to the sun.
- Kahlil Gibran

Springtime Showers

Showers without rain?  Yes, today in Ojai...
my friends and I showered a lovely fertile friend with love as she is full and round with a new life growing in her womb. It was an idyllic gorgeous springtime day...... so beautiful that I carted everything out of the house to the picnic table under the old oak tree in the back yard.... white linen tablecloths and napkins, my Grandmother's floral wedding china and silver, wine glasses, fresh cut roses from my parents garden....  and the vintage silver tea service my mother brought back from Pakistan.  We were truly ladies today... eating our three salad lunch then sipping earl grey tea with milk & devouring my famous chocolate (with chocoloate chips) bundt cake.  The garden fairies were surely watching over us today, pleased that we were so full of joy at the abundance all around us.....I could just feel it.  

Arbolada Rainbow - Majenta

Did you know that Magenta technically isn't a color??? That may be so, but I saw a lot of it on my Monday stroll.

And why do little girls just love this color so? Dr. Hurlbert believes this predisposition to pink was ingrained in our genes back in the Stone Age when men were hunters and women gathered berries and fruit! I have a different idea. My favorite color is turquoise but while I was pregnant, I was drawn to everything pink. I couldn't get enough of it! Then, I remembered that pregnant women supposedly have pink auras. Is it no wonder then that we think of pink as the color of love and compassion? And don't little girls love playing with baby dolls too? Sorry Doctor, I vote for love.