Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Rose changing color? Garden fairy has come to visit.

Color speaks to us like no other reflection can. It has a way of changing how we perceive and feel about things around us. When colors change, we change.

Some of us know this better. When the golden shade of fall outside the window is here, we feel we change a little too. It's time to thank for what the year has brought and begin looking forward to new beginnings.

Change of color in my garden has a different turn. What has always been a shade of ultra pink to almost Persian pink, the same rose bush presents me with a new shade of color to look forward to.

The most creative garden fairy has come to visit.


What has been the familiar color, the roses blooming in the shade of ultra-pink.

Looking majestic, a bloom oddly singles itself out from the rest, finding itself with a splash of ruby red.

The norm and the odd. Both in full bloom, side by side in comparison. 

The garden fairy decided to do a paint job for a good surprise. Precisely half pink and half red.
Some may say it's a job halfway unfinished, but I say it's a work of nature that merit praises.

I complain not for the joy of discovering something as little as change of color on a negligible petal.
Like everything else in life, beauty may not exist without first a separation then 2 sides join in harmony. One who does not see this quick to draw a thin line in between and see only and only, the thin line.


I complain not but take present as a gift and smell the rose the same.

Why roses change color?


When a rose bush suddenly has blooms of a different color than it originally has, it can mean a few things, among others: 
  • The rose is grafted on a rootstock, means it is not grown on its own root. The different color blooms come from the rootstock/understock instead, which always is a totally different rose.
  • The rose is a sport (a version of) an older variety or/and is unstable, where the color of the parent rose/older version of the rose come to pop up once in a while, creating bi-color blooms or totally different color blooms altogether.
  • The rose is affected by weather/season. The color of blooms turns lighter during cooler months and darker and intense in the hotter months..

  
Author and copyright of Rough Rosa.

5 comments:

Sun-ni Mi-ni Gardener said...

So very interesting ..... gardening always has that element of delight when something unexpected or extra-ordinary happens!

Autumn Belle said...

Thanks to inspiration from you, I am growing roses again. Now I have 2 miniature rose plants, without thorns. Hopefully they survive under my care.

Stephanie said...

Oh you rough rosa sifu! You are really a 'sifu' in this area. My miniature rose has gotten tiny and still tiny. Waiting for a bigger bloom to come about! Your roses are gorgeous! That explanation on why roses change colour... great info. Thanks!!

ROUGH.ROSA said...

Sun ni@ I always love this kind of surprises. They made me think and learn more.. Don't u think? Hope your gardens has many delightful surprises too!

Aaron@Patience is virtue. Keep growing and keep reading..Haha sounds like a good advice..

AutumnBelle@I'm sure they will. Roses are easy when you know how too and they are forgiving to mistakes as well.

Stephanie@Sad to break the news, your miniature will remain tiny. May be better nutrients or the older it gets, the bloom quality will improve but only slightly. May I suggest you trade for bigger rose variety?

Stephanie said...

I was already thinking along that line :-D