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.

Jo Ann L. Breaux 6/7/21 Jo Ann L. Breaux 6/7/21

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.”

— The Jam

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.

check out the garden trail in RVA

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.

Jo Ann L. Breaux 4/5/21 Jo Ann L. Breaux 4/5/21

La Flora Decora

I love getting flowers, but I love having them add to my home decor…

One of the things I miss about New York besides the unlimited fashion catwalk or the music venues or the drive by cocktails, it’s actually the flowers. I used to love walking briskly down the sidewalks and seeing men with bouquets of flowers running to catch the train, or watching women carry their groceries with a simple bouquet of lilies peeking out their bags. There’s something about fresh flowers adorning your dining table or a little assortment on an end table that just brings a little something. As Spring has sprung, this is a great time to enjoy some flower power inspirations, whether freshly cut or fauxtastic.

My only problem with fresh flowers is they die. Some are great dried, but others leave a heap of dead petals behind. Faux flowers used to put me off, they appeared chintzy and dull. Those days are gone. Now you have great choices for faux florals that you can also paint vibrant or muted colors depending on your style or mood of rooms. I collected a few bouquet ideas for you to celebrate the renewal of Spring and to give your home a fresh, floral makeover.

Wreaths

Wreaths are always a good idea to perk up any front door, choose from large Peonies to delicate Rhododendrons. I’m thinking about trying to make one of these, but I’m not the crafty type and if you’re anything like me, you’ll just give Cari a call, and have her make one for you.

Framed

This is an easy way to show off your artsy skill. An age old process of pressing flowers and turning them into framed art creates a whimsical, vibrant, or bohemian accent. I love seeing these framed bouquets as well, looks expensive but really easy to DIY your own.

But this Vazzzz...

I think it’s cool when you find flowers in unexpected containers. A classy vase is always nice depending on the bouquet, but I love seeing flowers hanging on the wall in test tubes, or coming out of a skull head. I also like when flowers are mixed with things like fruit or vegetables. I love putting my flowers in unique vintage bottles and I prefer small little ones around the house. Depending on your choice of flowers will most likely determine the type of display you’ll want and it can be as simple or as robust as you’d like.

Flower Power

Your display will only be as powerful as the flowers you choose, whether it’s faux or real. My favorite types to use are peonies, lavender, dahlias, and hydrangeas. Even roses are good for painting interesting colors. Tulips in the springtime are always lovely because they bring so much color, they look great in kitchens. Try putting some little arrangements in the bathroom or on your nightstand. You’d be surprised at how much it’ll add to your decor and you can do it all year round!

For more on dried flowers

Arrangements

If you are anything like me and your crafty gene was lost in your creation, don’t worry, we have plenty of local floral experts who can arrange some mighty fine displays for your home or events. Whether real, silk, or paper, these local petalmeisters have a real knack for arranging florals, some even have workshops and subscription services.

Local Flower Farms

Don’t forget how many wonderful farms are in and around RVA to buy your fresh flowers. Some even carry dried flowers for your displays.

Jo Ann L. Breaux 5/4/20 Jo Ann L. Breaux 5/4/20

Quarantine Chronicles: Come What May

Yesterday was glorious! The sun. The heat. It might seem like everything was normal again—but, it’s not. I was talking with my neighbor and I asked him what all that banging around back there (points to his backyard) was all about. He said, he figured he had all this time right now and was talking to some fellow colleagues and they all started gardens. So, he decided to give it a go by building some raised beds and acquiring a spreadsheet with instructions. Apparently if you search for ‘garden spreadsheet’, a ton of different people have these available. Who knew? I can tell you, I didn’t.

I kill everything. From flowers to succulents, you give me a plant of any kind, I guarantee you, I will murder the hell out of it. I did not inherit this from my mom or my family. My mom is a magical horticulturist. I’ve seen her take the deadest plant and bring it back to life. I’ve seen her cultivate Japanese maples like it was her job. It’s pretty amazing. While my mom was making hybrid-colored roses growing up, she and my dad also maintained a vegetable garden. If there is anything this little pandemic has taught us is to utilize time wisely and who needs the grocery store when organic is freshly picked from your backyard.

For some of you, this may be a new adventure. I thought I’d help out, since I can only grow what’s in my wine glass, by providing some veggies and flowers that are perfect for planting at this time. So, get to growing!