As I've mentioned before, some of my favorite types of flowers are the uncultivated kind... wild flowers & "weeds." May is one of the best times of the year at our house because the wild roses that litter our yard & climb up the surrounding trees have gone crazy!!! Below is a picture of a huge patch of roses behind our property that goes 20+ feet high. (Sorry, bad pic but they're the little white things all over the green ;)
The wild roses smell so perfect: sweet & the teensiest bit tangy... I seriously can't get enough.
I love having this untamed beauty that I don't have to take care of. My only job is cutting the roses to bring inside with my little helper...
He loves the smell too...
I love the simple relaxed feeling they bring to our table...
And, although I know we all have different beliefs & different religions, I thought anyone could appreciate the beauty of the wild roses next to the antique Madonna on our mantle. I found her at an antiques shop in Leesburg, Virginia. For Catholics, May is "Mary's Month" and many of the Churches have "May Crowning" Ceremonies. It was one of my favorite times in gradeschool because the 8th grade girls would all get to wear pretty dresses and one of them would put a crown of roses on a Mary statue in our Church. (Sadly, when I finally got to 8th grade after 8 years of waiting, we didn't get to do it... they switched it to 2nd graders- go figure! :) But now my family has its own Madonna, and Christian & I had so much fun carrying out the tradition yesterday morning:
...I've been moving the kitchen table roses from room to room with me because they smell so good. I need to get back out there & cut more!
Hope everyone's having an awesome week & enjoying spring!!! Any special Springtime traditions in your family?
xoxo,
lauren
As a decorator & a textile designer, this is my place to muse... perfection doesn't interest me; Reality and charm do. Fresh floppy flowers from the garden over long-stemmed roses any day, I love it when things are slightly off and tell a story. 
35 comments:
What a great post. I love, love, love bringing the outside inside. I do it all spring and summer...it makes me smile daily. You are right, the beauties that show up on natures watch are some of the best.
I too have been cutting the roses and bringing them inside. Vases everywhere! Your wild rose bouquet is just lovely in it's simplicity. The pic with Christian holding them is priceless. I love the madonna too and your antique one next to the roses is seriously framable. Great post. Happy Spring! -Delores
PS: Stop in and see my ice bucket of roses if you can....
Oh yes , you brought back very fond memories of my childhood. Catholic school from -12.
What a gorgeously simple table arrangement.
Fresh flowers add such life to any room. Your wild roses are just beautiful.
When we lived in Piedmont, CA there were always roses just going crazy in the neighborhoods. Sometimes when you would be just walking down the sidewalk you would get a wiff of an amazing scent. It could be roses or lilac or even wisteria. It was heavenly and I miss it soooo much! I had a poster stamp of a back yard and had climbing roses and many other scented flowers. Ahhh!
Anyway, I am going to plant my iron stone planters this week with maybe some lavender. I just love that way that looks!
Happy Spring and hope you are well~
jamilyn
The untamed ones are always the prettiest - the more natural and wild the better! They look lovely in your home.
btw, I love the wallpaper in your kitchen nook - you have such a beautiful style and the flowers make it so much more...
Have a lovely day!
Sarah
Love your Madonna tradition, great idea! I need to start one in my family! And I know how you feel about the May Crowning!
Sweet tradition! Lovely roses...Adorable helper boy...But I wanna know about the sunburst mirror...I have been looking for that exact one! Really.
There is simply nothing like fresh flowers in the house to make it feel special! Enjoy, Janell
I LOVE the Madonna tradition! I will have to do something similar. My son (who goes to the same Catholic elementary school I went to as a child) is bringing flowers to school for the month of May for their classroom Mary alter. They had their Mary crowning on Monday. So sweet!
Those are breath-takingly beautiful! They are gorgeous in that vase. Nice tradition too!
Lauren, Love the wild roses or the old roses. They still have the wonderful fragrance that the newer hybrids have lost. I am with you I like the flow of how they go into a vase. So pretty!! I wonder how long ago and who originally planted them.Enjoy them they are lovely. I finished my porch and posted it today, If you have time come by and take a peek, Kathysue
Those wild roses are absolutely beautiful and I love the way you've arranged them, Lauren. No particular spring traditions in my family, though we try and enjoy the gorgeous TX weather as much as possible before summer arrives and it's far too hot to go outside!
your roses are perfect!
We have an untamed wild rose bush next to our white picket fence and it is perfection! My neighbor has advised me to "take care of it" but I love its wildness too. Ours has deep fuchsia blooms that are just starting to unfold.
Also, I love your Madonna--she's perfect! I got to be the may queen in 8th grade :) and want to start the crowning tradition with my family too.
There's nothing like nature's own...the bouquet looks amazing...and you take BEAUTIFUL pictures!!!
I can almost smell the roses!
This brought back memories. i always felt so special in grade school because Mary's crown was made from roses out of my mother's garden.
My kindergartner had his first May Crowing at school last Friday and it was so sweet to see all of the kids with flowers and the girls with flower crowns on their heads. I love how you have your Blessed Mother out with the roses, I may just have to copy that for the month of May. So pretty!
So pretty! The wall of roses is breathtaking...i'd love to take a deep breath of that delicious fragrant air.
Your wild roses are beautiful. I have some gorgeous roses on my desk, but I carry them upstairs at the end of the day. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who carries roses around the house!
xo
Brooke
My children's school has "May Crowning" as well and not only does the statue of Mary in the entrance get a wreath of flowers on her head, the lower school children bring flowers from their yards and the teachers make a bouquet representing each class, which goes into a glass vase....which surround Mary on the floor. It's really quite quite lovely! I also LOVE the wild roses, not only for their looks but also their disposition--no TLC required : ) xx P&H
So jealous of your bountiful wildflowers! Thanks for the pictures and love the vase you are displaying them in!
Love the roses and what a beautiful Madonna. I have a larger one in my garden, next to my roses. :)
What a lovely tradition! the roses are beautiful too. When I graduated from high school (many years ago) I asked my mother for a white rose bush, planted below my bedroom winter, that way when i came home in the summer, I could adore them;)
Oh, if only I had wild roses growing in my back paddock. And I carry my flowers from room to room too, so you're not alone there. Why miss out on all that loveliness by leaving them in the one spot? K xx
Beautiful photo!!!!
Being a Catholic myself, I can really relate to May and the crowning of Mary. Thanks for the post! Very beautiful statue.
Your wild roses are a beautiful backdrop. Keep an eye on them for contorted, red new growth. If it happens, it may be Rose Rosette Disease ... a fatal virus-like disease that is spreading rapidly through the wild rose population in our area (I'm south of you in Fredericksburg). I do rose talks all the time, and this is always the part of the talk that I dread. Roses are my love and my livelihood, and this disease makes me really sad.
That said, I don't think there's anything quite like a big snoot-full of rose fragrance. The ones here in my garden are blooming like crazy right now.
Connie
Beautiful, beautiful! There is nothing like the glow of white roses against the green. Your little boy looks so sweet holding them. I, also had the 1-12 Catholic school days and beautiful May crownings. We would process holding huge white Chrysanthemums in our white gloved hands!
~Nancy
absolutely stunning... and i have a very similar statue of mary in my home... very old... like yours!
have a great weekend xx pam
My kids school just had their May crowning, a 2nd grader & 8th grader do it. I lugged our Mary out to our backyard a couple weeks ago so she'd be ready for her month of honor. I've always wanted to do our own May crowning with my kids making her some sort of flower wreath. One of these days...
So beautiful. Your photography is making me envious, Lauren. That last vignette is gorgeous.
been meaning to say how much I LOVE that image of your roses with Mary! so, so pretty.
Hi Lauren,
THese pictures are beautiful.
I have roses similar except they are light pink.
Your son is sooo cute.
I especially love the last photo.
Take Care
Maria
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