My fears about the effect of yesterday’s rain on these blooms was well-founded: when I went out this morning they were lying in a neurasthenic attitude across a nearby heuchera, which was not appreciating the experience, and no persuasion by me could induce them to lift again. That is the big drawback of David Austin roses, I find – the stems tend to be thin and lax, and the bushes collapse under stress. Luckily, they do come with compensations!
Anyway, I faffed about for a while, trying to no avail to prop the stems up at least enough for the blooms to be photographable, and then lost patience, fetched the secateurs and snipped them off. I then spent a happy half hour wandering round the house with them to see where the light was best to photograph them; followed by a less enjoyable three hours editing and culling the 56 shots I somehow managed to take.
“So, what did you get up to today?”
“Oh, you know – stuff…”
By the way, the roses are now on the kitchen table, and the room is filling with the most glorious perfume – “Peaches and something,” said R. “Strawberries,” I said. “That’s it – peaches and strawberries!” Just lovely.
I hope you all have a good weekend. 🙂
