ROSE DRAWINGS | ROSE GARDENING AND ROSE PRODUCT

Essential Care Organic Rose Moisturiser

2010-02-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

Top 3 in the Soil Association Organic Beauty Awards 2007
Recommended by top beauty journalists Jo Fairley and Sarah Stacey

Actress Denise van Outen says she "can't live without it!"

Treat your skin to the best that nature can offer. A luxurious, antioxidant light-textured day-cream which is fully absorbed leaving the skin soft and velvety smooth. Deeply moisturising with shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil, aloe leaf, and the essential oil and hydrolat of damask roses. The cold-pressed plant oils, naturally high in antioxidants of vitamins A & E, and sea buckthorn help counteract the ageing and collagen-destroying effects of 'free radicals' and sunlight. Please note that this moisturiser is also suitable as an eye cream.

We make the Rose Moisturiser with:

* organic shea butter (protecting and moisturising)
* organic sea buckthorn (a rich plant source of a natural component of our skin, an Omega 7 fatty acid, the production of which declines with age)
* organic coconut oil (moisturising, conditioning)
* organic aloe vera (nourishing, repairing)
* organic rose water
* organic rose (gentle, calming and restorative)

Ingredients:
Aloe vera juice*, filtered water, rose flower water*, jojoba oil*, coconut oil*, shea butter*, rose extract*, cetearyl alcohol (plant origin), cetearyl glucoside (plant origin), rosemary extract*, levulinic acid (plant origin), sea buckthorn*, honeysuckle extract, lichen extract, xanthan gum (plant origin), rose essential oil*, eugenol* (in the rose oil).
*Organically grown/produced (min. 95% of product)

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans organic

Rose Oil and Love Life

2009-10-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

The rose is perhaps one of the most powerful symbols in the metaphysical world. It is also one of the most accessible tools that can be used for everyday magic.

The gift of a rose is also one of the simplest ways to say, "I love you" without too much hocus-pocus. The thorns on its stems represent the "prick" of love and the overcoming of obstacles to achieve your desires. It is the pinnacle of metaphorical purity and symbolizes completion and perfection.

The element associated with the rose is Water, so it is particularly friendly to the astrological signs of Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio. Both Mercury and Venus rule this flower. A bath in rose petals or rose water (which is distilled from the buds) is said to attract love to the bathing beauty.

An ancient custom is to sprinkle the bed of newly weds with rose petals to sweeten the initial carnal relations. In ancient alchemical formulas the red rose is used as a masculine principle and the rose represents the feminine or receptive principle. The combination of the two (perhaps growing the two bushes intertwined in the garden) represents harmony and unity.

Rose oil, which is extracted through a rather expensive process from the petals of the flower, is also prominent in both love and healing rituals. When applied the temples the oil is said to cure a headache. When applied to the thighs or breasts it is supposed to attract a suitor. As an essential oil, the rose's essence is thought to relieve depression, PMS and postnatal depression.

It is also said to cure frigidity and impotence. Bach's Herbal Remedies makes a distillation of the Wild Rose.

Taking drops of this under your tongue is thought to help the patient free themselves from a rut or feelings of hopelessness and being trapped by fate. Rose water is used in cooking spells and added to curries and cake mixes to infuse the dish with good spirits and love attracting qualities. The water is also splashed on the skin (but not around the eyes) to give you a complexion as dewy as the flower.

The rose historically also symbolizes the female genitalia and is associated with Cupid, Eros, Adonis, Aphrodite, Isis, Hathor, and Demeter. Rose water and rose petals are often used in magical rituals to honor these gods and goddesses.

Although red roses are traditionally seen as symbols of lust, love and the flower also has a long association with such qualities as purity, compassion and divine perfection. The white rose in particular has an affinity with the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit.

The color of the rose is also significant. Red roses symbolize love, sex and passion. Pink roses suggest friendship, joy, gratitude and fun. Yellow roses can symbolize enthusiasm, but according to some folklore, the yellow rose can symbolize deception or "the perfect crime." Orange roses signify enthusiasm, passion and a lust for life. White roses are symbolic of significant landmarks in life (such as death, birth and marriage), unconditional love, purity and innocence.

The flower is not the only part of the rose that is used in divination and magic. To discover their romantic future, women used to take pluck three green rose leaves and name one after each of their suitors. The one that stayed green the longest was her soulmate. Rose hips can be strung like beads on a thread and worn as a necklace to attract love. Drinking rose-hip tea is thought to increase one's powers of prophecy.

Ironically, for a flower that is often given as a gift, the most powerful roses are said to be those that have been stolen from another person's garden.

Skin Care With Rose Oils

2009-05-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

For centuries the rose has been associated with feminine beauty and hence skin care. Bulgarian pure rose oil is a top note essential oil. Its frequency is extremely high and rapid. Rose oil has the highest frequency (320 Hertz) of all the essential oils on the planet. This in itself is an important factor. It means that the fragrant molecules of the rose oil, on inhalation or application, are able to quickly penetrate and travel the infinitesimal pathways of the body, rapidly energising every cell, bringing balance, harmony and beauty to the body. more info>>

Rose essential oil has a long history in folk remedies, especially in the area of skin care. It is suitable for all skin types, but it is especially valuable for dry, sensitive or aging skins. It has a tonic and astringent effect on the capillaries just below the skin surface, which makes it useful in diminishing the redness caused by enlarged capillaries. It is important to ensure that the product you use contains the genuine rose essential oil. Many manufacturers label their products containing rose essence but it could be synthetic. Synthetic rose ingredients have no therapeutic value at all! Remember, with authentic rose otto, a little goes a long way.

Magical Use of Rose Oil

2009-04-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

The Rose is a Goddess herb belonging to Venus and the Water element. Rose is the accepted love scent. Rose buds are added to bath water to conjure a lover. Place some in a red cloth bag and pin it under your clothes. Rose hips worn as beads attract love

True rose essential oil and rose absolute are expensive but worth it, one drop has powerful properties. DO NOT use synthetics. Rose oil is used in formulas designed to attract love, confer peace, stimulate sexual appetites, and enhance beauty. A tea of rosebuds drunk before sleep induces prophetic dreams.

Rose petal and hips are used in healing spells and mixtures. Rose petals sprinkled around the house calm personal stress and household upheavals. Roses planted in the garden attract fairies and are said to grow best when stolen. Burn as incense for: Healing, Health, Love, Luck, Creativity, Balance, Anointing, Divination, Clairvoyance, Protection, Psychic Awareness.

Bulgarian Rose Oils

2009-04-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Made from fresh steam distilled Bulgarian Rose (Rosa Damascena) petals, rosewater is renowned as a gentle skin softener. Care for your skin with our completely natural product for skin and hair.

The natural rose water is a gently cleansing and toning product for all skin types. Maintains the pH balance, stimulates regeneration processes, has a calming effect in acne and sunburns. As a result the skin texture becomes even and elastic.

Recommended for acne and skin irritation. For nourishing and hydrating the skin and face. For moisturizing the body after a shower or bath. For dry and damaged hair.

Extensively used in perfumes and as an emollient in skin care products. It’s tonic and soothing quality is useful for all skin types, especially mature, dry and sensitive, helpful for inflammation and reducing the visibility of broken capillaries. Can be used as a facial toner on it’s own. Can be used as an air freshener to balance the spirit.

Rose also offers a soothing property to the nerves and emotional and psychological state of mind. It is regarded as a mild sedative and anti-depressant. It is increasingly used in treatments for conditions of stress: nervous tension, peptic ulcers, heart disease, among others.

Aromatherapy and Essential Oils

2009-02-22T15:02:00.000-08:00

In aromatherapy, rose oil inspires emotional calm and stability without sedative effects. The aroma is powerful and comforting. Its physical actions are mildly astringent and balancing. Rose and lavender facial cream is excellent for sensitive combination skin. Dabbed onto a freshly washed face this cream is a fragrant, toning emollient.

Gather the following:

* 4 ounces jojoba oil
* 3 ounces distilled water
* 1/2 ounce beeswax
* 20 drops rose absolute or otto
* 15 drops lavender

Melt the wax in the jojoba oil using a double boiler. Add the distilled water in a thin stream while vigorously beating the mixture with a wire whisk. Remove from heat and continue whisking the oil while adding the essential oils drop by drop.

Suggested variation: Make a tea of fresh rose petals and lavender flowers and use this in place of the distilled water.

Aromatherapy and Essential Oils

Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils extracted from plants for both physiological and psychological treatment. Aromatherapy is an ancient practice that began when people of early civilizations began discovering the healing properties of plants.

The term "aromatherapy" was first used by René-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist in 1928. Gattefossé was working in his family's Operfumier business when he accidentally discovered that lavender caused a severe burn on his hand to heal more rapidly and without scarring. Another of his observations was that essential oils in their whole state were more effective than synthetics or any of the isolated active ingredients of the oils. Another French scientist, Dr. Jean Valnet used essential oils to successfully treat both medical and psychiatric disorders. The first actual aromatherapy clinics were established in Paris, Britain, and Switzerland by Madame Marguerite Maury.

Essential oils are not oils as we generally think of oils. Most of them have a very light texture and evaporate quickly. Essential oils are found in all the various parts of plants including the bark, roots, leaves, flowers, seed, wood, resin, and balsam. Some plants produce rather large quantities of oil, some have very low content. Take for example one of the most popular oils, rose. There is so little aromatic content in rose flowers that it a ton of petals produces only 10.5 ounces (300g) of rose oil. It's important to note that essential oils should virtually never be applied directly to the skin until mixed in a carrier oil. Carrier oils are pure gentle oils, such as sweet almond oil and apricot kernel oil that "carry" the essence to the skin.

Today, essential oils are extracted from the plants used for aromatherapy, making them very concentrated. The two basic ways aromatherapy is accomplished is by applying the oils to the skin and by inhalation. The term "aromatherapy" can be a bit misleading because it's not only the aroma that is therapeutic. The oils also interact with body chemistry directly, thus affecting certain systems and organs.

Recipes:

To treat irregular periods - mix the rose oil in a carrier oil and massage the abdomen and lower back daily.
To treat depression - inhale, or use a rose oil in a carrier oil to massage the chest, neck and face.

Rose Oil Warnings

Rose oils are for external use only. Keep rose oils away from children. Avoid eye contact. Do not use rose oils during pregnancy. Rose oils are not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any disease. Familiarize with pure essential oils before use.

The Magic of Humus

2009-02-17T02:59:00.000-08:00

If your soil is out of the correct pH range, you can change it. This is where the magic of soil biology creates miracles. Humus is the magic formula for most soil problems. Humus, which you can create by composting with compost bins, will help improve your soil pH. It will also improve soil that is too sandy, has too much clay, or has other problems.
If your soil is extremely acid, which can happen in an area with heavy rainfall, or soil that has had overdoses of chemical N-P-K fertilizer, you may need to add limestone to “sweeten” the soil.
For most other soil problems, humus is the answer. You may not have humus available. If that is the case, don’t worry. We will discuss how mulching can help your roses. For more information on composting, see the Composting Guide.
You can create compost with plant clippings and other yard debris, rather than throwing them away. They will provide you with a continuous supply of humus in the future.
You should be careful if you decide to purchase compost. Many compost products are not fully composted and are still too ‘hot’ for your garden.
Organic fertilizers should be added during the growing cycle. You can even find special organic rose fertilizer that is designed specifically with rose gardening in mind.

Herbal Teas-2

2009-02-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more satisfying and enjoyable than the fresh taste of a hand crafted, loose-leaf herbal tea. These delicious and nourishing beverages make a lovely compliment to your morning, a revered companion in the afternoon and they faithfully represent the required relaxation we all deserve in the evenings. Unlike finely cut conventional tea found in mass manufactured tea bags, our loose-leaf herbal tea is fresh, fragrant, tasty, longer lasting and far more economical. Our passion for freshness provides us with the groundwork that all of the herbal teas we blend are made fresh prior to your order and exclusively with aromatic organic materials. It is this simple recipe that enables us to provide a tea which is unrivaled in taste, color, depth and aroma, and in fact we firmly believe nobody can deliver a better cup! The loose-leaf herbal teas offered by
Mountain Rose Herbs are made with certified organic ingredients, and when organic materials are not available, we will opt for carefully wildharvested herbs. We never have, nor will we ever use conventionally grown materials in our teas which may contain pesticide residues and other harmful chemicals. Each loose tea is packaged in a re-sealable kraft bag with a paper glassine liner and comes with complete brewing instructions. Our 3 oz size brews 8-12 cups of tea, and our 1 lb size brews 40-60 cups of tea. All herbal teas are caffeine free.All of our herbal supplement teas are Certified Kosher through Oregon Quality Kosher and those marked certified organic are 100% organic blends certified by OTCO.

Infusion = Tea made from leaves, flowers and light material. Put 1-2 teaspoons of herbal tea material into a brewing utensil of your choice and place in a 6-8 oz size cup. Add lightly boiled water and allow it to steep for 3-5 minutes. For a more "medicinal" effect steep 15-30 minutes. Will keep refrigerated for 24 hours.Decoction = Tea made from bark, roots, seeds, twigs and berries. Put 1-3 tablespoons of cut herb, seed, root, bark, etc into a pot of 16-32 oz of water and allow to sit in non-boiled water for at least 5-10 minutes. Set on stove and bring to a slow boil then turn down to a simmer for 10-30 minutes. Strain and drink. Will keep about 72 hours if kept refrigerated. Most decoctions can also be brewed via single cup through a regular infusion process as noted above but without the strength.

How Much To Water Roses

2009-02-05T02:57:00.000-08:00

Roses like a lot of water during the growing and blooming season. But this doesn't mean give them a small amount every day. Like with watering other plants, it is better to water deeply rather than just a little bit at a time, so that the water can fully penetrate the roots. Just sprinkling them with the hose is not enough.
Let the hose give your roses a full, thorough soaking. A good four or five gallons worth of water per rose bush is a basic rule of thumb. Depending on how much rain your garden gets, a deep watering once a week is usually enough even in drier parts of the country. If it is extremely hot and dry, perhaps every four days or so.
Avoid watering during the heat of the day in direct sunlight. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to water.

Flowering Teas

2009-01-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

Wonderful, captivating and engaging; flowering teas transform the simple act of drinking tea by producing an aesthetically rich experience full of color and vibrancy. Hand-sewn flowering teas are produced in remote tea gardens in southwestern Yunnan province in China near the borders of Laos and Vietnam. White, green and black teas are picked in the early mornings. While damp, the tea leaves are flattened and sewn with cotton thread into the various shapes and bundles. (Tea leaves may also be scented with jasmine blossoms before sewing begins for a more floral flavor.) Some shapes take about one minute to sew while other more elaborate designs may take up to 10 minutes. While still moist, the leaves are shaped into balls, mushrooms, cones, etc, and finally, the teas go through the usual drying, oxidation and firing process which closes the process and provides the finished product.The line of flowering teas and our tea sampler come beautifully packaged in a recycled content canister, making them ideal and convenient gifts.
Steeping Instructions: Place one Flowering Tea in a teapot (a clear glass teapot is recommended so you may watch it unfurl). Bring water to a low boil and pour over tea. The tea leaves will unfurl and the tea flower will slowly open. Allow to steep 2-3 minutes, or to desired strength.After enjoying the first pot, a Flowering Tea may be re-steeped 2-3 more times. The tea you make should be decanted into teacups within a short period of time so that leaves do not remain in hot water, which would adversely affect the fine taste of this tea. Please note that above estimations are based upon a teapot which holds 18-20 ounces.

ROSE GARDENING TIPS

2008-12-09T02:40:00.000-08:00

Hybrid tea roses or grandifloras are best for classical long stem roses, but floribundas, shrubs, or climbing roses are a better choice if you want your rose garden to bloom continually.
Climbers on a trellis can create an amazing display of color or hide an unsightly shed.
Roses need well-drained soil. If you have clay, or other soil that doesn’t drain, you may have to create a drain line or plant your roses in a raised bed.
Don’t forget mulch. Mulching around your roses and other plants will make them very happy and reduce pathogen problems.
Purchase hardy roses that are resistant to infestation. These are often the older varieties. You will also find that sturdy varieties vary from region to region. Check with local organic gardening associations to find out what works best in your specific area and under your specific conditions.
Instead of planting your roses in even rows, you can stagger them. By staggering them, you get more roses in a small space without crowing them.

Companion Plants Rose Gardening

2008-12-05T02:49:00.000-08:00

Once you have decided on the roses you like, you need to learn about companion plants. Roses really do love garlic, as well as other plants of the onion family. Onions are of the order Asparaginales and family Alliaceae. The onion family is made up of 500 species.
Although planting garlic in your rose garden will help protect your roses, there are many other onion varieties that will protect your roses and also provide beautiful flowers to enhance your roses. Marigolds, mignonettes, and thyme are also good companions for roses.
When you are deciding on companion plants for roses, check to see when they bloom. Other characteristics, such as texture and height, should also be
considered before deciding on your companion plants.
An excellent book on companion planting is Roses Love Garlic by Louise Riotte. Here's an interesting link about companion planting.

2008-11-18T01:10:00.000-08:00

apaiku

HOW NATURE WORKS

2008-09-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Whether it is roses, other flower gardening, or just about any type of plant, the secret to successful organic gardening of any kind is to understand the way nature works. Nature always tries to maintain a delicate balance. By understanding the basics of how plants grow, you will understand how to maintain nature’s balance and thus keep your roses healthy.
Basically, water and nutrients are absorbed into the root system and pulled up through the stems into the green leaves by the process of photosynthesis.Photosynthesis is a plant process that uses water and energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates that it uses for growth and other plant functions.
The carbohydrates are stored in the branches and stems of roses, trees, and other plants. These stored carbohydrates are used as reserve energy for the plant. When a crises occurs, such as a broken stem or pathogenic attack, the stored carbohydrates are used. Stored carbohydrates are also used in the spring to create new stems and foliage.
A natural soil environment teems with bacteria, fungi, nematodes, earthworms, and other soil organisms. Many of these soil organisms break down dead leaves and other materials into humus, which enriches the soil. Other soil organisms form symbiotic relationships with roses and other plants.
A symbiotic relationship is a relationship that is beneficial to all participants in the relationship. Mycorrhizal fungus creates an important symbiotic relation with roses and other plants. Mycorrhiza attaches itself to the roots of your roses and other plants. It uses some of the carbohydrates stored by your plants to grow, but helps your roses and other plants by making minerals more available. In a healthy soil environment, the mycorrhizae attached to one of your roses will grow and become interconnected to the mycorrhizae of other roses and plants. In effect, it provides a secondary root system for your garden plants.
Roses and other plants also release exudates from their roots that attract beneficial organisms. As an example, exudates from rose roots attract friendly bacterium that ward off pathogenic fungi.
Beneficial soil organisms, which are found in natural humus and compost, also make minerals more available to your roses and other plants. Beneficial soil organisms also help protect roses and other plants from predatory life forms.
Another important thing to understand is that plants of all kinds are a little bit like humans—some get along very well and some don’t. Some plants grow well together and actually help each other survive. Other plants inhibit neighboring plants. Plants that grow well together are referred to as companion plants. Companion plants are an important factor in any garden. We will talk more about them later.
Organic growers recognize that pathogenic attacks are an indication that the plant or plants are out of balance. Organic growers know that pathogens can’t get a foothold on a healthy plant.
Commonly used chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides destroy soil organisms and throw roses, flowers, and other plants out of balance. The imbalance created by these chemicals attracts pathogens.
Our meddling also creates havoc in roses and other plants. Over-pruning reduces carbohydrate storage, throws the plant out of balance, and often opens the door to pathogens. Hybridization often creates weaker plants. The practice of grafting rose stems onto a different root stock often creates roses that are susceptible to pathogenic attacks.

ROSE OIL

2008-08-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

2008-07-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

Benefits of Buying Organic
1. Chemical free food/herbs. (Need we say more?)
2. Natural sustainable agriculture. (Organic crops build healthy soil through crop rotation, using composting methods, and relying on natural cycles of life to help reap bountiful harvests)
3. Farm worker safety. (Non-organic harvesters are directly exposed to agricultural chemicals. Adding enormous health risks, skin irritations, lung degeneration, and several known cancers. Organic harvesters need not worry about this)
4. Reduced pollution. (Organic agriculture avoids substances that contribute toair, water, and soil pollution and it does not contribute to the problem of chemical manufacturing and waste disposal)
5. Our bodies will thank us!

Some Interesting Facts Concerning Pesticides
1. The EPA estimates that US sales of pesticides in 2000-2001 exceeded $11 billion dollars, thus representing over 2 billion pounds of pesticides being dumped on U.S. farm soil, homes, gardens, schools, golf courses and more. This number is about 8 pounds for every man, woman and child in the entire country.
2. There are over 21,000 different pesticides on the U.S. market containing over 875 active compounds. Many of these have been proven to have health implications and the others are unknown.
3. In the study, "Food and the Environment: A Consumer's Perspective," 86 percent of respondents said they believe there is a connection between the health of the environment and their own well-being.
4. Since 1945, total U.S. crop losses from insect damage have nearly doubled. During the same time, insecticide use has increased tenfold. Today, seventy-one known carcinogenic pesticides are sprayed on food crops. (In Harmony's report, "Pesticides: Losing Their Effectiveness")
5. EPA estimates that there are approximately 20,000 physician diagnosed pesticide poisonings each year among agricultural workers. These are only thee ones which have been reported.
6. The EPA reports that Americans ingest and are exposed to over 167 times more dioxin every day than the acceptable daily level.
7. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, only 1% of all imported fruits and vegetables are tested by the Food and Drug Administration for illegal pesticide residues.
8. The CDC has gone on record as stating… “Pesticides are toxic to life forms by their very design”

Use At Least 10% Organic For A Better World
Here are some statistics concerning the incorporation of organic products into our own lifestyles which we find to be faithful and staggering.By converting at least 10% of your food, fiber and cosmetic purchases you will;
Eliminate pesticides from 98 million daily U.S. servings of drinking water.
Assure 20 million daily servings of milk that are produced without antibiotics & genetically modified growth hormones.
Assure 53 million daily servings of pesticide-free fruit and vegetables. (Enough for 10 million kids to have five daily servings.)
Eliminate use of growth hormones, genetically engineered drugs and feeds, and 2.5 million pounds of antibiotics used on livestock annually. (More than twice the amount of antibiotics used to treat human infections.)
Assure that 915 million animals are treated more humanely.
Fight climate change by capturing an additional 6.5 billion pounds of carbon in soil. (That's the equivalent of taking 2 million cars, each averaging 12,000 miles per year, off the road.)
Eliminate 2.9 billion barrels of imported oil annually. (Equal to 406,000 Olympic eight-lane competition pools.)
Restore 25,800 square miles of degraded soils to rich, highly productive cropland. (An amount of land equal to the size of West Virginia.)

Mountain Rose Herb

2008-07-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

At Mountain Rose Herbs we are proud to be the nations largest retailer of certified organic herbal products. In fact, we believe that when it comes to your health and well being, organics should be your first and only choice. When we review materials, or survey harvesting sites we always take our health, and the health of our customers into very serious consideration. If an herbal product is available in a Certified Organic form, that will be our first and only choice for our products…. regardless of price. After all, it is our health that we are talking about, so why skimp? We are hopeful that one-day soon all the products that you see throughout our catalog will be grown and sold with organic certification, and we are currently forming partnerships with several organic associations and farmers. The point of this is to implement a ubiquitous acceptance of organic herb cultivation and to introduce more of these products to the public. In addition to this a good number of our products are grown biodynamic. To find out more about this please check the web for a multitude of biodynamic articles and organizations. We can never stress the importance of organics enough, so to make things simple we have highlighted why the world needs not just organic but certified organic. There is a small selection of herbal products offered by Mountain Rose Herbs that are not certified organic. In this case, they were harvested in the wild (wildcrafted), thus liberating ourselves from commercial farming dependencies, where chemical use may be employed.
Pesticides? No Thanks!
Organic farming methods often involve more labor but take far less of a toll on the environment and your health. In fact they improve the local ecology through soil building, crop rotation, careful harvesting, assimilation of the local environment and composting. Conventional non-organic crops require large amounts of synthetic chemicals and fertilizers which are directly sprayed on the crops or injected into the ground. This presents serious problems in the form of run-off from the originating farms, and contributes to the contamination of our ground water supply. This residue will also be fed through wildlife by a process that is known as bio-accumulation, forever changing the blueprints mother nature designed. It also neutralizes the composition of the soil creating an "addict"-like dependency for synthetic supplements, which of course lead to an increased use in chemicals. We need to remind ourselves that when we do not buy organic, we are assuming a risk. Not only with the planet but also with our health.

Planting Roses

2008-07-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

It is best to plant your roses between spring and early summer so that they have time to develop a root system before winter sets in.
Roses don’t like to be crowded, so give them enough room. Hybrid teas, grandifloras, and floribundas should be planted 18 to 30 inches apart.
Climbers should be planted 8 to 12 feet apart. Miniatures can be planted approximately 12 to 15 inches apart.
If you have container roses, make sure they have been watered and keep them wet while working. Dig holes for your roses that are 2 ½ times the size of the root ball. It is a good idea to put some well composted organic matter in the bottom of the hole. Mix more composted matter with the soil that you removed, but are planning to put back in the hole.
If you don’t have composted matter available, you can substitute a good quality planting mix. It is best to use planting mix that doesn’t contain chemical fertilizers, although it is sometimes difficult to find.
Take the rose plant out of the container and put the rose plant in the hole.
Pack the prepared dirt under and around the rose, making sure that the dirt on the top of the rose root-ball is level with the ground. It is a good idea to put a straight stick across the hole to make sure the dirt level of the rose is the same as the ground level. If your rose is planted above or below ground level, it may have a difficult time growing properly.
Planting bare-root roses is the same process, except that you must gently pack the dirt around the roots. If you have a grafted rose, you need to make sure that the graft union is a little bit below ground level.
Purchasing organic rose fertilizer will insure that you have fertilizer to add during the growing season, if you don't already have it on hand at home.
Mulch
Mulching will help your roses after they are planted. Mulching is the practice of adding plant material, such as leaves, dead grass, or shredded bark on top of the soil. The plant material will eventually be broken down and pulled into the soil by soil denizens. It will become humus. Mulching also helps to retain moisture in the soil. In a natural environment, leaves fall to the ground and stay there. They act as mulch. For more information on mulching, see the linked article at Clean Air Gardening

ROSE GALLERY

2008-07-16T02:14:00.000-07:00

Rose garden

Exotic Red rose

Romantic Rose

Pose Rose Girl

Traditional Rose Festival

2008-07-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Name: Sweet Surrender

Class: Hybrid Tea Rose (Modern Large Flowered)

Hybridizer/Date: Weeks, USA 1983

Parentage: seedling x Tiffany

Fragrance: VERY strong, tea ARS

Color: Medium pink

Awards: All America Rose Selection 1983 40 petals

ROSE TYPE PLAYBOY YELLOW

2008-07-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Name: Playboy

ARS Color: Red blend (Orange, yellow and red)

Class: Modern Cluster Flowered Floribunda

Synonym: Cheerio Hybridizer/Date: Cocker, Scotland 1976

Parentage: City of Leeds x (Chanelle x Piccadilly)

Fragrance: Mild Awards: RNRS Trial Ground Certificate 1975,

Portland Gold Medal 1989

ROSE TYPE SUMMER FASHION

2008-07-11T03:27:00.000-07:00

Name: Summer Fashion

Designation: JACale ARS

Color: Yellow blend

Class: Modern Cluster Flowered Floribunda

Synonym: Arc de Triomphe Hybridizer/

Date: Warriner, USA 1986

Parentage: Precilla x Bridal

Pink Fragrance: Strong Awards: 20 petals

ROSE TYPE PURPLE PASSION

2008-07-10T03:22:00.000-07:00

Name: Purple Passion

Designation: JAColpur

Class: Hybrid Tea Rose (Modern Large Flowered)

Hybridizer/Date: Dr. Keith W. Zary, USA 1999 Parentage: ?

Fragrance: Extremely Strong, sweet lemon, citrus

ARS Color: Mauve and mauve blend 30 petals

ROSE TYPE VETERAN HONOR

2008-07-09T03:20:00.000-07:00

Name: Veteran's Honor

Synonym: Five Roses Rose, City of Newcastle, Lady in Red, Five Roses, City of Newcastle Bicentennary Designation: JACopper

Class: Hybrid Tea Rose (Modern Large Flowered)

Hybridizer/Date: Keith W. Zary, USA 1997

Parentage: Unknown

Fragrance: Medium to Strong, Raspberry

ARS Color: Dark Red 40 or more petals

ROSE TYPE SUNSET CELEBRATION

2008-07-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

Name: Sunset Celebration

Synonym: Chantoli, Exotic, Warm Wishes

Designation: FRYxotic

Class: Hybrid Tea Rose (Modern Large Flowered)

Hybridizer/Date: Fryer, England 1994

Parentage: Pot O'Gold x(seedling x Cheshire Life)

Fragrance: Mild or strong depending on who you ask, fruity

ARS Color: Apricot and Apricot blend

Awards: All America Rose Selection 1998, RNRS Trial Ground Certificate 1993, New Zealand Rose Society Best Hybrid Tea 1996, Belfast Gold Medal 1996, The Hague Gold Medal and The Golden Rose Award 1997 35 petals

ROSE TYPE GRAHAM THOMAS

2008-07-07T03:11:00.000-07:00

Name: Graham Thomas

Synonym: English Yellow, Graham Stuart Thomas

Designation: AUSmas

Class: English Rose Modern Shrub

Hybridizer/Date: David Austin, U.K., 1983

Parentage: Charles Austin x IcebergXSeedling

Fragrance: 'Pleasant'

ARS Color: Yellow Awards:

ROSE TYPE BEAUTY PARFUME

2008-07-06T03:04:00.000-07:00

Parfum beauty
Name: Perfume Beauty

Synonym: Fragrant Lady, Mary Potter

Designation: MEIniacin

Class: Hybrid Tea Rose (Modern Large Flowered)

Hybridizer/Date: Meilland, France 1991

Parentage: MEIlista x (Carina x Silvia)

Fragrance: Strong

ARS Color: Medium Pink

Soil

2008-07-02T02:54:00.000-07:00

Soil is the key to healthy and beautiful roses. Dig into your rose plot in several places to see what the soil it is like. Soil is seldom perfect. It may have too much clay, too much sand, tons of rocks, or any of a dozen different problems. pH is also important.
You should test your soil pH. pH kits are available at nurseries and over the internet. A good pH test kit is worth the expense because inexpensive ones are often inaccurate. Most roses grow well with a soil pH of 5.5 to 7, although a pH of 6.5 is ideal. pH is a measure of acid-base balance and uses a scale of 1 to 14. 1 is extremely acid; 7 is neutral; and 14 is extremely basic (alkaline). Few flowers will grow in a pH that is too acid or too alkaline.
A pH of 6.5 is the point where nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, plus trace minerals, are most easily available to your flowers. Arid regions tend to have alkaline soils and regions with heavy rainfall tend to have acidic soils.

Choosing Your Plants

2008-07-01T02:51:00.000-07:00

Choose hardy roses. Generally, old varieties of roses are the hardiest. Try to pick roses that haven’t been grafted onto a different root stock. Choose the colors you like. Bare-root roses are less expensive than potted roses, but potted roses are easier to plant and more likely to survive
Choose flowers from the onion family, or other companion families that will complement your roses. Once you have chosen your colors and plants, and have decided how to arrange them and what your rose garden will look like, you can dig in and begin working with your soil.

Rose Garden Location

2008-06-28T02:34:00.000-07:00

Your first step in selecting a location for your rose bed is make a quick surveillance of your property and select a site that has complete access to sunlight. Roses require a daily dose of at least six hours of sunlight in order to thrive and blossom. If you are beginning a rose bed for the first time it might be good as well to get some gardening advice and your local garden center should be able to provide a free gardening tip or two.
Rose garden design is not rocket science but it doses require some planning and preparation. The basic gardening tips will also apply. Ensure that the rose plants have adequate space to grow within the rose bed and that you have room to look after the care and planting of your roses. The soil in the area should be well-drained as roses do not like to have “wet feet”. Use only the best quality fertilizer to prepare the rose bed before planting and make sure that this space is cleared of debris.
Roses as we know will grow in almost any type of soil but they prefer fertile soil that is high in organic matter. They also like chemical fertilizers versus organic fertilizers so you should add a quantity of superphosphate to the soil before planting. Choose your fertilizer wisely and don’t be afraid to ask your local expert for their gardening advice.
You can begin getting your location ready for planting as soon as any frost in out of the ground. If you are beginning your rose gardening experience remember the gardening tips from above and clear and clean the area and prepare and fertilize the soil. As soon as the temperature rises you can plant your roses and then wait as the miracle of creation occurs.
During the spring you should water the roses once a week if they don’t get any rain and as the weather grows hotter you should water them more frequently. Monitor your thriving rose bushes for insects and diseases throughout the summer and keep cleaning up the soil and area around them.
In the fall you can still enjoy your roses as they will continue to bloom during September and October. They may need a little care and pruning of dead canes throughout this period but they really do require very little maintenance. Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas the plants will begin to go dormant and that is the time to prepare them for winter.
Most hardy roses require little winter protection and pruning your rose bushed is not recommended until spring. A good covering of mulch at the base of the plant will protect them from any frost damage and if you wish you can use rose cones to cover some of the smaller plants. If you do use cones you should cut the tops off them to ensure that they can get good air circulation during the winter period.
Then they and you can get a well-deserved rest until springtime arrives. Then it’s back to basic gardening and maintenance and preparing for the joys of another rose gardening season.

How Nature Works

2008-06-27T02:32:00.000-07:00

Whether it is roses, other flower gardening, or just about any type of plant, the secret to successful organic gardening of any kind is to understand the way nature works. Nature always tries to maintain a delicate balance. By understanding the basics of how plants grow, you will understand how to maintain nature’s balance and thus keep your roses healthy.
Basically, water and nutrients are absorbed into the root system and pulled up through the stems into the green leaves by the process of photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is a plant process that uses water and energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates that it uses for growth and other plant functions.
The carbohydrates are stored in the branches and stems of roses, trees, and other plants. These stored carbohydrates are used as reserve energy for the plant. When a crises occurs, such as a broken stem or pathogenic attack, the stored carbohydrates are used. Stored carbohydrates are also used in the spring to create new stems and foliage.
A natural soil environment teems with bacteria, fungi, nematodes, earthworms, and other soil organisms. Many of these soil organisms break down dead leaves and other materials into humus, which enriches the soil. Other soil organisms form symbiotic relationships with roses and other plants.
A symbiotic relationship is a relationship that is beneficial to all participants in the relationship. Mycorrhizal fungus creates an important symbiotic relation with roses and other plants. Mycorrhiza attaches itself to the roots of your roses and other plants. It uses some of the carbohydrates stored by your plants to grow, but helps your roses and other plants by making minerals more available. In a healthy soil environment, the mycorrhizae attached to one of your roses will grow and become interconnected to the mycorrhizae of other roses and plants. In effect, it provides a secondary root system for your garden plants.
Roses and other plants also release exudates from their roots that attract beneficial organisms. As an example, exudates from rose roots attract friendly bacterium that ward off pathogenic fungi.
Beneficial soil organisms, which are found in natural humus and compost, also make minerals more available to your roses and other plants. Beneficial soil organisms also help protect roses and other plants from predatory life forms.
Another important thing to understand is that plants of all kinds are a little bit like humans—some get along very well and some don’t. Some plants grow well together and actually help each other survive. Other plants inhibit neighboring plants. Plants that grow well together are referred to as companion plants. Companion plants are an important factor in any garden. We will talk more about them later.
Organic growers recognize that pathogenic attacks are an indication that the plant or plants are out of balance. Organic growers know that pathogens can’t get a foothold on a healthy plant.
Commonly used chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides destroy soil organisms and throw roses, flowers, and other plants out of balance. The imbalance created by these chemicals attracts pathogens.
Our meddling also creates havoc in roses and other plants. Over-pruning reduces carbohydrate storage, throws the plant out of balance, and often opens the door to pathogens. Hybridization often creates weaker plants. The practice of grafting rose stems onto a different root stock often creates roses that are susceptible to pathogenic attacks.

Rose History

2008-06-26T02:30:00.000-07:00

Roses are the most revered flower in the world today and have probably always been the most revered flower. Ancient civilizations revered them for their beauty, aromatic oil, and medicinal powers.
Rose petals have tannin, which is an astringent, and were used to control bleeding. Rose petals were also used as an infusion for diarrhea. Rose oil and rose water were used in China for stomach and colon problems. It would be easy to write a book about the many early uses of roses.
Modern rose classification refers to wild varieties of roses as ‘Species’
roses. Roses belong to the family Rosaceae (plums, apples, almonds, etc.), and the genus Rosa. Wild Species Roses contain many different varieties. They have colorful five-petaled flowers, usually bloom once in the summer, and are usually very hardy.
Hybridization and other ‘meddling’ has added many beautiful colors and other traits, but has often created weaker plants. As an example, grafting one kind of rose onto a different rose root stock is a common practice, which often creates a rose that is more prone to pathogenic attack.
The oldest rose fossils that have been found are in Colorado. They were alive 40 million years ago. Wild roses grow naturally in many parts of the northern hemisphere; from India and the Tigris-Euphrates River Valley to Egypt; and from Siberia and Europe to the Americas. In the Americas, they grow from the snows of Canada to the tropics of Mexico.

However, wild roses are found most frequently in temperate climates and, amazingly, do not seem to be native to the southern hemisphere.
Roses were the most sacred flowers in Egypt and used as offerings for the Goddess Isis. They have also been found in Egyptian tombs, where they were formed into funerary wreaths. Confucius, who lived from 551 BC to 479 BC, reported that the Imperial Chinese library had many books about roses.
Indian sages referred to roses in ancient Sanskrit literature. Ancient Samarians of Mesopotamia (in the Tigris-Euphrates River Valley) mentioned roses in a cuneiform tablet written in approximately 2860 BC. Obviously, roses were used and cultivated long before they were documented by early cultures.
Roses were also cultivated by the Grecians and Romans. It is possible that Romans introduced cultivated roses to England and France. The English were already cultivating and hybridizing roses in the 15th Century. That’s when the English War of Roses took place. The winner of the war, Tudor Henry VII, created the Rose of England (Tudor Rose) by crossbreeding other roses.
Cultivated roses were brought to the Americas by the 16th Century.
In the early 1800s, Empress Josephine who was now divorced from Napoleon, created a rose garden with every known variety. She also encouraged the crossbreeding of roses.
Besides Species Roses, there are now two other important categories—Modern Roses and Old Roses. Modern roses are generally accepted as roses that were developed from 1867 to present (1867 is the generally accepted date of the first hybrid tea rose). Old Roses are roses that existed before 1867. There are 15 categories of Old Roses and 10 categories of Modern Roses.
You can find a lot more fascinating rose history if you spend time on the internet or visit your local library.

GROWING ROSES THE ORGANIC WAY

2008-06-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

Maintaining an organic yard is an excellent way to protect your family, pets, and wildlife from harmful chemicals. It is also an excellent way to help create a sustainable environment.
Roses are the ‘Queen of Flowers’ and can add elegance and a real sense of joy to any yard. If you love roses, you will be pleased to find that growing them organically is easy and inexpensive. The real secret to all organic gardening is a basic understanding of how nature works. Once you understand the basics of nature’s garden, tending your own organic roses will be a thrilling adventure.
Before digging into mother earth’s gardening secrets, you may be interested in the amazing history of roses.

ROSE GARDENING ARTICLE

2008-06-24T02:21:00.000-07:00

Creating Your Own Rose Garden

If you want to plant a rose garden that consists of two or three roses, or a whole bunch of roses, you need to begin planning.

The first thing to do is to think about where you want to plant your roses and what colors you might like. Be sure to consider the other colors in your yard, as well as your house, walkways, etc. Roses grow best with a minimum of six hours of full sun, although some varieties can tolerate a bit more shade. Your shade/full sun areas will affect your possible rose garden locations.
The next thing to do is to find out what roses grow well in your climate.
Look at rose gardens in your local area to see what roses seem to grow well and how much you like them. Ask nursery experts what roses grow well in your area. Another good source is your local rose club. This will give you a good idea of the colors, sizes, and other characteristics that will grow well in your area.

ROSE GALLERY

2008-06-22T02:07:00.000-07:00

ROSE GARDENING ALBUM

Stop and Draw the Roses

2008-06-20T05:20:00.000-07:00

How to Draw Roses
The most common search term that leads people to my blog is “How to Draw Roses”. Whenever I get traffic from that search I feel bad, because I’ve never written instructions for drawing roses. I can imagine their disappointment when they get here. So this post is for them.

Of course my knee-jerk answer to, “How do you draw roses?” is, “The same way I draw anything else.” I know that’s not what these people are looking for, but it’s true. The approach to drawing any subject is basically same.

I think the most important skill required for good drawing is learning how to see. And the second most important skill is drawing what you actually see, and not a picture that is a symbol for what you see. Everyone has seen a child’s drawing of a tree. It looks something like this…

And we all know it is meant to be a tree. It has all the important tree parts - a trunk, branches, the leaf canopy. It’s a tree! Except I’ve never seen a tree that looks exactly like this. In fact I’ve noticed that every tree looks different, even trees of the same species. As a child I learned to draw roses like this...

I thought I was pretty clever. But this is what a rose actually looks like…

copyright 2007 Stacy L. Rowan
So how do you get from a drawing a symbol of a rose to drawing an actual rose? Start by looking closely at a rose. Really look at it. Look at the shapes of the individual petals, how the petals relate to each other, how the petals sometimes fold over, all the details that make a rose a rose. Don’t try to draw anything until you have spent time really looking at it. And when you draw a subject, for heavens sake, make it easy on yourself and have the subject in front of you. Or at least have a reference photo of a subject. (Make sure it is your own photo, or one you have permission to use, so you are not in danger of breaking any copyright laws!) Most artists don’t draw without references.

So how would I draw a rose? I’d start out by drawing a simple shape that the rose can fit inside. By simple shape I mean square, rectangle, oval – you know, those shapes you learned in kindergarten.
copyright 2007 Stacy L. Rowan
Then I start drawing the outside petals because they are easiest to relate to the shape. After the outside petals are drawn I start thinking about simplifying. I don’t try to draw every single petal. I just draw enough petals to get the essence of the rose. There are artists who draw every petal, I am sure. But I tend to lose my place in the complex center portions of the rose. So I fudge it. And I have yet to have anyone say, “Hey, you missed a few petals there.”
copyright 2007 Stacy L. Rowan
Of course, for anyone starting out with drawing, there are tools you can use until you are comfortable drawing freehand. Some people start out tracing their reference. Or you can use a grid to help you transfer the drawing to your paper. Sighting or using a pencil to measure lines might also help. Ultimately, drawing is like any other skill. It takes lots of practice. If you are interested in seeing more in depth information about learning how to draw, I recommend you check out Katherine Tyrrell's Squidoo lens "Drawing and Sketching - Resources for Artists".

So that is my lesson in “How to Draw Roses”. I hope people searching for that information find this post useful. At least now I can stop feeling like I am letting these searchers down.

Flower Drawing - Rose

2008-06-19T05:19:00.000-07:00

Flower Drawing - Rose

Drawing in Colored Pencil

I've left this drawing unfinished, to give you and idea of the stages in progress. The scanner hasn't handled the variation in reds - the more solid-looking petals have more variation in hue created by using several shades of red and magenta.
Outline the Form: Begin your drawing by sketching in the main form of the rose, choosing a color which is close to its color, and using as light a touch as possible.
Add Body Color: Colored pencil blends well but most colors (and especially yellow) can be rather transparent, so for a smooth graduation of color, you need to add overlapping fine layers rather than a single heavy layer. Begin with a faint layer of the main rose color, keeping any lighter-colored areas clear. This layer will help the darks blend more smoothly.
Add Darks: Look for the shadows in the flower, noting any areas of reflected light which will be lighter than the edge of the shadow. Depending on the color of the flower, these may include browns or dark purples, orange for a yellow bloom, or yellows or blues for a white flower.
Reserving any white highlights, add lighter values where the petals are more brightly lit.
Build Color in Layers: Shade in the body color of the flower, overlapping the light areas ande shadow areas. For large, flat areas, you can use several similar colors to add variation. Look for textures in the petals and let your pencil-strokes reflect these.
Work back over the drawing, adding layers to build up shadow, highlight and body color.
Tip: Choosing a good paper and quality pencils is important for colored pencil drawing. A lightweight hot-pressed watercolor paper works well. Some artists like Stonehenge (the paper used for this example) or similar rag papers. A good paper will hold many layers of pencil, while sketch paper tends to be too coarse, resulting in white patches. Soft, smooth pencils such as Prismacolor or Faber-Castell are easy to use; Derwent pencils are hard and are hard work to layer.

"Start By Drawing Pencil Sketches First..."

2008-06-19T05:17:00.000-07:00

"Start By Drawing Pencil Sketches First..."
Tips for beginners
For beginners, the most important thing is to take your time. You can not expect to have a perfect hand drawn pencil sketch in an hour. Almost all great hand drawn pencil sketches have taken an enormous amount of time.
Most certainly they have come back to their drawing time and again to change and correct things and have spent more time to get the proportions right.
It can start off to be very frustrating for the beginner. And be assured, most artists haven't done a perfect drawing job first time around, but as you progress with practice and become more in touch with your drawings you will become addicted, and before long you will be drawing everyone and everything.

If you are working from a single piece of paper you will need a flat rigid piece of wood around an inch or two bigger than your piece of paper, which you can secure your paper on using a few pieces of blue tack to secure on each corner, you may not need this as it can be easier without, it's just what your comfortable with. (Do you know what does a good drawing pencil set consist of? Find more information on Drawing Pencil Set).
Okay, are you ready to learn how to draw pencil sketches in a simple step-by-step drawing lesson?

Let's start...

Drawing pencil sketches No. 1 - Pencil drawings of angels - An easy way to have your pencil drawings of angels. Have a look at some examples of angel wings drawings.

Drawing pencil sketches No. 2 - Animal pencil sketches - Provides animal pencil sketches or animal pencil drawings examples and step by step how to learn to draw animals such as a horse, a wolf, tigers, a scorpion, a snake, dolphins and even a butterfly.

Drawing pencil sketches No. 3 - Pencil flower drawings - Provides easy ways to have pencil flower drawings through some flower sketches examples and step by step how to learn to draw flowers. You can start by drawing a Hibiscus sp. in your Hawaiian flower drawing topic.

Drawing pencil sketches No. 4 - Rose Pencil Drawings and Sketches - Learn to draw roses. There are many rose pencil drawings or rose sketches you can draw.

Drawing pencil sketches No. 5 - Pencil Sketches of People - Pencil sketches of people are the most popular art of pencil drawings. There are many categories that you can have a look...

Drawing pencil-sketches No. 6 - How To Draw Cartoon Characters - How to

JAPANESE TATTOO |CREATED TATTOO TIPS | ZODIAC TATTOO

2008-06-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

JAPANESE TATTOO |CREATED TATTOO TIPS | ZODIAC TATTOO

red rose

2008-06-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

This about half of the whole drawing of the rose flower and it's buds.
This sketch was used for the detail needed in producing the Sepia ink drawing in the Gouache and pen and ink gallery. It was drawn, using a 2B pencil on cartridge paper, as it grew in situ. I've added a small section of the rose so you can see the pencil marks in more detail.

Drawing a Rose

2008-06-18T05:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some trick and tips how to drawing a rose by Hillary Sadur
Drawing a Rose
Software: Ulead PhotoImpact 6 and 7
Author: Hillary Sadur
Home Page: EwaNevaland
PI Projects: www.reflectionshawaii.com/pi
Skill Level: All
Featured Tools: Airbrush, paintbrush. Wacom or other graphire tablet is preferable
Description: This is a fun way to try out your artistic ability. This was done rather quickly and is merely to show you, step-by-step, how to draw a single rose and bud.

Open a 200x400 white canvas, resolution of 600 pixels. Turn on the grid in order to help you with the drawing (if necessary).
Choose airbrush at approximately 75% transparency; color = black; size=1.
Begin by placing a light "+" in the center. Use 1/3 of the top space to outline rose. Use 1/3 bottom area to outline leaf. Then draw your forms and shapes progressively.
Note: Let me also remind you to save your image as a UFO file often.

It's important to be loose in your drawing to just position the forms. Also, if using the Wacom graphire tablet, use just slight pressure in the initial sketching. As you progress, draw quick, short strokes (just as you would with a pencil).
Please note that the drawing step pictures have been reduced somewhat to save space. If you wish, just right hand click and save the picture and the actual size will be saved.

This is when you start adding your detail. Remember, I've adjusted the size of the actual picture for the page; however, the full size is what will be saved.
You may want to choose the paintbrush, color-black; size=1.
BTW, it's important to remember that, if you wanted a drawn rose to look like a photograph, then just take a photo. Play and have fun with this little rose and its bud.

On this one, I added Drop Water and did just a bit of blending. Because this was done quickly, I didn't deal with erasing; however, it could definitely be cleaned up.

On this one, I just played with some coloring and added the Texturizer effect -- Sandstone setting (relief=2)

On this rendition, after I did the black and white sketch, I applied the linear gradient tool set at a medium rose to dark green & applied it diagonally from top left to bottom right, then I applied the Ulead Texturizer, set at relief=2 and colored the rose, using the paintbrush tool set at transparency=0 and 2 colors. I picked green red and chose colors from dark to light to fill in the leaves and rose petals, using the lightest shade for the highlights. The dewdrop was pure white.

I then applied the Blend Emboss filter from FM Filters.

You can always save the image you've been working on as a UFO file and practice coloring techniques.

That's it. Just sign it and claim it as your own!
Good luck and email me if you have any questions.

Rose

2008-06-16T04:58:00.000-07:00

For other uses, see Rose (disambiguation).
"Red rose" redirects here. For the tea company, see Red Rose Tea.
Rose

Bridal Pink, hybrid tea rose, Morwell Rose Garden
Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Rosales

Family: Rosaceae

Subfamily: Rosoideae

Genus: Rosa
L.

Species
Between 100 and 150, see list

A rose is a perennial shrub or vine of the genus Rosa, within the family rosaceae, that contains over 100 species. The species form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp thorns. Most are native to Asia, with smaller numbers of species native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Natives, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and fragrance. [1]
The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, with sharply toothed oval shaped leaflets. The plants fleshy edible fruit is called a rose hip. Plants range in size from tiny miniature roses to climbers that can reach 20 metres. Species from different parts of the world easily hybridize, giving rise to the many types of garden roses.
The name originates from Latin rosa, borrowed through Oscan from colonial Greek in southern Italy: rhodon (Aeolic form: wrodon), from Aramaic wurrdā, from Assyrian wurtinnu, from Old Iranian *warda (cf. Armenian vard, Avestan warda, Sogdian ward, Parthian wâr).[2][3]
Attar of rose is the steam-extracted essential oil from rose flowers that has been used in perfumes for centuries. Rose water, made from the rose oil, is widely used in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Rose hips are sometimes made into jam, jelly and marmalade or brewed for tea, mainly for their vitamin C content. They are also pressed and filtered to make rose hip syrup. Rose hips are also used to produce an oil used in skin products.

ROSE IMAGE

2008-06-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

HOW TO DRAW REALISTIC ROSE

2008-06-12T05:23:00.000-07:00

Rose Drawing Tutorial - How to Draw with Colored Pencils
I made this tutorial to show step by step how to draw a realistic pink rose. For this lesson I will be working on Canson Mi Tientes black paper and using Prismacolor Colored Pencils. Every color that I mention will be of the Prismacolor brand. :)

Step 1 The first step is a basic outline. Since it is extremely hard to erase colored pencil, I did my outline on a seperate piece of paper and transfered it.

Step 2 I started on the left side. I always work this way since I am right handed, so I never have to rest my hand on a finished part of the drawing. I applied "deco pink" and "light peach" to this petal and used "process red" for the edges. I used white for the highlights on the edges of the petal.

Step 3 I move on to other petals on the rose. My light source is coming from the left and above so the left side of this rose will be lighter than the right. The edges of the petals will be white. Again I used a combination of "deco pink", "light peach", and "process red".

Step 4 Using the same colors, I continue left to right. For the most part, every new petal will be white on the left side and a darker tone on the right.

Step 5 Paying attention to my reference picture I move on working on new petals. It's important in realistic drawing to work one small area at a time. If you focus on the drawing as a whole it will be overwhelming. Think of realistic drawing as a puzzle, work one area at a time and in the end it will all come together.

Step 6 I am working into the right side of the rose now and this area has to be darker than the left side. I used "rosy beige", "process red", "clay rose", and "crimson lake" for these darker areas. My eyes were getting a little strained from working with the pinks so I started working on the stem of the rose. I used 3 different shades of green for this, "true green" for lights, "grass green" for midtones, and "dark green" for darks. The stem follows the same light source rules as the petals. The left side will be lighter than the right side.

Step 7 I worked more on the petals.

Step 8 The drawing is almost complete at this point. I work some more on the petals and the leaves at the bottom, using the same greens I used for the stem.

Step 9 The drawing is completed. At this point you can go back and do some detail work and clean up areas that need it. I added some veins to some of the petals and some other details.

I hope this tutorial has helped you in some way or another. I can explain how I do things all day but the basic idea of drawing is to just understand how tones flow and to train your eye to see what others don't see.

2008-06-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

ROSE DESIGN THUMBNAIL More!

ANGEL DRAWING

2007-06-10T07:57:00.000-07:00