All Summer long I have been fascinated by the beautiful wild roses that grow in our hedge and in hedgerows all around us (rosa rugosa). They are so fabulous and bright but also quite fleeting. One moment they are in full bloom and the next I find all the petals on the floor.
It is unusual to catch one, as I did, with just one petal left to drop.
Of course the dropping of the petals is not the end of the rose but more like a mid-life metamorphosis. Having shed all its petals the wild rose now gets to work becoming a juicy, plump hip, full of sweetness and vitamins. A little later in the year I hope to harvest and bottle some of that goodness and turn it into syrup.
The roses will stay with me all year round.
