Home is more than four walls and roof. Home is a door opening to you, your family, your pets, your lifestyle, your neighborhood, your community, your city. It’s all encompassing on so many levels.
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose
It’s #NationalRoseMonth and cultivating the notable English Rose in Virginia is idea for adorning your home inside and out. Here are some tips…
A Rose is A Rose...
It’s #NationalRoseMonth and we are celebrating these gorgeously, fragrant blooms with some tips.
“No matter where I roam, I will return to my English rose. For no bonds can ever tempt me from she.”
It is the month of the most famously romantic flora—The Rose. I’ve always looked at roses like engagement rings, they are pretty, but they don’t tickle my fancy say, like sapphires and peonies. However, roses hold a significant part of my memory banks and when I think of them, I think of my mother. She used to plant them when I was growing up and was so proud of them. Of course my mom can cultivate pretty much any plant on Earth, unlike my horticulture impaired self.
Over the last year, I’ve been ordering fresh cut flowers and I have been loving these decorative blooms. Some have even made lovely dried flower arrangements around the house. I particularly love the multi-toned hybrids. The rose that gets the best growth in Central Virginia is the—cue “Candle in the Wind”—The English Rose!
So, roses have genealogy as deep as our own and people take cultivating them as seriously as their breeding of Labradoodles. You’d think our roses came from Sir Elton’s home country, but actually they come from 18th century China. Now, for all of us rose dummies, the Kingpin of English roses, is cultivar David Austin. This man combined a special hybrid of old and new world roses. He’s so good at it, he created the most expensive selling rose, Juliet, selling it for $15.8 million. Shoo wee, that’s an expensive bloom sir! These gorgeous blossoms make any bridal bouquet stunning.
Are you ready to adorn your home in these fragrant and fairly easy to grow flora? Here are some tips on how to successfully do so:
Make sure it’s sunny! Roses love the sun so make sure where you plant them, they get the majority of the day basking in it.
They grow on bushes/shrubs so make sure you space them out accordingly. For the best effect, plant them about 40-45” apart. It will give it a more standout look.
It isn’t necessary, but to get best results make sure you compost and fertilize the soil to enrich it and to feed your blooms. Roses tend to grow in most soils, but for ultimate success prep your rose garden and keep the soil moist.
Soak them entirely before planting them and plant them quickly. Don’t let the bulb dry out.
Because we live in a more moderate climate here in Virginia, plant the base at ground level.
Keep them watered well during the first planting. After the first year, you can be a little more lax about the watering, taking it back to about every other day.
Remember to trim! You can prune your bushes to dictate how big you want them, but also remember to trim the blooms to make more room for others!
Decorate. Get those vases ready and showcase your girls!
Ask your local nursery for more detailed tips. Get growing!
Don’t forget to schedule your visit to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens for some prime Rose viewings.
National Homeowners Month
We all wish for the American Dream of homeownership, celebrate National Homeowners Month with starting your very own wishlist!
My dad is laying on the couch, a Kent King hanging from his mouth, green beanie on, newspaper in hand, football on the television while my mom’s sewing machine hums from my pink and white bedroom, altering clothes for the local department store. My brother and I just completed shooting hoops and climbing trees in the backyard and now we crave the Little Debbies! Our orange and white cat Tommy lays spread out on the orange and green kitchen floor waiting to be fed. The scenes from my childhood home varied over time. From crawfish littering the red patio out back while my aunts and uncles, Schlitz cans in hand, scuffled to Zydeco tunes, to the soundtrack from “A Star is Born” filling the house up on a Saturday morning, to the first time I watched in awe from our sun soaked living room, MTV’s first airing, that house held so many good, and not so good memories. And maybe a ghost a two. I remember that house in all its details like it was yesterday.
Owning a home brings with it the feel of the ultimate achievement. Home is where we find comfort and protection. It’s the place where we can put our feet up and dance naked. It’s the setting for birthdays, new beginnings and hopeful endings. It is our blank canvas and the expression of ourselves where we invite others to be a part of. There is nothing like coming home from a hectic day, taking off the work clothes, and sitting on the back patio, beverage in hand. Home is an extension of ourselves. I think that is why it is supremely satisfying to own one.
This month is Homeowners Month, and we want nothing more than to help you to obtain this goal. We have great lenders who will work to find you the best lending options. We have a dedicated and efficient team who will guide you through the entire process and we will all start with one thing—a dream. Your dream. Start putting that wishlist together because even though you think you can’t afford a home to call your own, ask yourself, where are you now? Are you paying $1200-2000 of someone else’s mortgage? Just sayin’. Start putting that plan in place because you CAN do it!
This month ask yourself some questions: If you already own a home, is it the one you really want? Have your needs changed? Do you even like it anymore after Covid? Are you crushing on your neighbors or has Mr. Jones’ dog driven you mad? Did you change jobs? Did your kids just graduate? Are you sick of mowing your lawn? Can you receive the long awaited guests you’ve been missing? Are you ready for a custom built fantasy? Are you NEVER going back to the office? Generational land becoming appealing to you? So many questions, so much pondering to do, but so many possibilities!
So, this month, think about what home means to you and where you want to be. We’re here if you need us! And yes, you can AirBNB the shed! You know what’s great for motivation, a vision. I too have a vision for Home Ownership, wanna see?
Who’s Your Daddy
Famous TV dads explore RVA…
Photo by: Jo Ann L. Breaux
I miss my dad. This past year was rough not doing our usual visit with each other. He resides in a very small town in Louisiana, and it isn’t always the easiest jaunt. I’m thankful for one thing during Covid, it brought me closer to my distanced family. I began a routine of calling them whilst I walked, which made me a) walk longer and b) really concentrate on having a conversation with them. I think once normalcy resumes in some capacity, we will be seeing more and more family gatherings especially with our families who live afar.
One of the things I love about our city is diversity in activity. No matter what you’re into, whether you’re a sporty dad or an artsy one, there’s something for every Father here. I decided to check out what our TV dads would do in RVA for their special day! (Click to enlarge)
