Last of the Roses

We've had an unseasonably warm Fall season thus far. For a while, I could have closed my eyes and imagined I was back in San Diego.

However, for the past few days, the temperature has dropped to more seasonable temperatures for central North Carolina (around the 50s F. by day, and falling to around freezing by night).

During the warmer stretch, during which we had a bit of rain, I noticed a couple of buds on the rose plant in the yard. I thought it was a bit late for that since it would have been past time for me to have cut back the rose bush. I just let it go.

Sometime late last week, I noticed the buds were starting to open. Today, after coming back from work, I decided it was a good time to harvest the flowers and cut back the plant. The picture you see are the flowers I cut from the plant earlier this afternoon.

I bought the plant from the Raleigh Farmers Market... I want to say maybe 4 or 5 years ago? I remembered being charmed by the tissue-like quality of the rose. I wish I kept the name of the plant.

Actually... curiosity led me to do a Google image search on the plant, and I was able to identify it! It's called Festival Fanfare. The Tacoma Rose Society has a page on the Festival Rose which may be accessed by clicking here.

I hadn't seen many pink-and-white variegated flowers like the one I'd seen on that bush, and if I recall correctly, it was the only one there with that particular colour and pattern. The next thing I knew, I was paying the money and taking it home with me.

So now, those two flowers are sitting in a vase in my bedroom. As winter approaches, I can look upon these roses and appreciate them. The trees are barren of leaves, and so, too, is the rose bush after having cut it back. Here's hoping that when the spring comes around, just like the trees, the bush will be awakened from its hibernation and yield beautiful variegated pink and white flowers once again.