Cumbrian Roses

Over on our Instagram I’ve been sharing some rose-spam (I’ve been picking and deadheading roses today, and photographing them!) so I thought I’d share some here too….

Roses; such a joy to grow, cut and work with! The scent in our rose tunnel is sooooo delicious, and now my Workshed too. Is there a scent more evocative of English summertime?

Interestingly scent is one of the attributes of roses that has been designed out of commercial cut rose varieties. Scent attracts pollinators, and pollination triggers the plant to ‘finish’, which for a cut-flower means a reduced vase-life. Alongside the chemical preservatives used commercially, it’s why those long straight jobs bought in the supermarket last so long despite having spent time on a plane and in the supply chain.

Perhaps at odds with commercial pressure for long case life, I purposefully choose highly scented roses! For me their scent is one of their joys, a life enhancing quality that should be celebrated not evaded. If you can’t ‘stop and smell the roses’ what is the point?!

And we grow without chemicals - fertilisers, pesticides or preservatives - to ensure visiting pollinators won’t be harmed either. Or me or you! I wrote a blog about some worrying research on chemical use in the cut flower industry a few years ago. Well worth a read or refresh if you’re interested in sustainability, healthy homes and why locally grown flowers really are great for you and the planet.

Harriet x