One of a kind, rare rose bouquets

by David Perry on July 27, 2010

in Come along with us on a farm visit,Facts and Lore,Growers,Home-Grown,Trivia

Anne Belovich treats us to bouquets from her garden

If you’ve somehow arrived at the conclusion that I’ve got a bit of a crush on eighty-something, Anne Belovich you’d be well within your rights and not far off the mark. The lady is magical.  She is also wise and funny, and smart, and generous to a fault with her time. And I am deeply in her debt.

There are so very many complicated demands and realities swirling about in Anne’s busy life these days, and yet despite them she made time last Sunday for me (and Mary), to visit her home and garden once again, which made the second opportunity for me to spend time with her in her garden within a week.

A basket of freshly cut 'Babette' (smaller, darker), and larger, 'Mary Wallace' roses for the vase.

I had asked Anne a few months ago if she, as a noted rosarian with more than 900 different roses growing on her property and easily  the most extensive collection of ramblers and climbers in the United States, would consider cutting from that extensive garden to make a few bouquets for our book project. Obviously, you can see by the video and photos here that her answer was yes, but her participation came with a few simple caveats.

Anne explained that she isn’t big on fussing about with teensy little details when it comes to cutting and arranging the flowers she grows. She’s far too busy she says, to worry her arrangements into states of ultra neat perfection.

Given the option, she really prefers things simple and, (ok, picture her smiling here, while whispering from behind a gloved hand), she generally prefers her roses still attached to the cane.

It makes sense.

So, you can see why it seemed such a profound treat when she said yes to my proposal, anyway.  Enjoy!

Here, Anne is working on her third bouquet of the morning, this one with pale blue, ‘Blue Angel’ clematis, ‘Long John Silver’ roses, ‘Winchester Cathedral’ roses and sprays of ‘Darlow’s Enigma’.

In Anne's estimation, short-stemmed, floppy stemmed and blackspot-leaved roses all find their best cut-use in a bowl arrangement. Here, she explains, the bowl itself provides the visual element of the leaves that were lost when they were stripped from the roses.

Here, Anne is cutting sprays of 'Mary Wallace' roses for the bouquet you see in the video, above.

Yours truly, shooting the banquet that has been set before me.

Our assignment complete, Anne heads back down to the house, laden with fresh cut flowers for the dining room table, where she and husband, Max will soon share a leisurely picnic lunch with Mary and me.

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Lorene Edwards Forkner July 28, 2010 at 6:15 pm

lovely, simply lovely. treat indeed and a privilege for sure. many thanks…

Janet Davis July 28, 2010 at 8:02 pm

Hey tripod-less man! Someone after my own heart (but I do believe I see the requisite equipment in the background). These are such lovely, simple, humble arrangements — but so sumptuous! I can hardly wait to see how they all unfold in the book.

David Perry July 30, 2010 at 9:40 am

Dear Lorene and Janet,

Thank you for the generous treats of your visits and your kind words. As both of you know very well, the steady work of moving a project along . . . and along asks a great deal of one. It helps one develop patience and fortitude. And knowing that there are these generous souls standing along the sidelines rooting for you from time to time can be such an encouragement. I thank you, sincererly.

Colleen August 2, 2010 at 1:02 am

Beautiful pictorial, and I want that green bowl!

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