I don't recall such a rainy summer since I started growing stuff. I'm glad for the blasts of heat in between downpours. Portland, one of my favourite new roses, Our Dreams and Little Rambler
A nice spray from Lilac Bouquet, it started late this year Dresden Doll, happy with this sweet rose. I've found it a nice grey, stoneish looking pot for next year as I like grey with pink.
Citrus posy of first flowers, Fellowship, Crown Princess Margareta and President Armand Zinch for @Nollie. Not the greatest specimen but it's not going to get any better outside. It smells strongly even though still closed, recognisably HT and something else which I'll say fruity as it reminds me of the Poet's Wife and I don't think because of the yellow.
Summer Sweetheart and Shropshire Star at far end. I don't find the pink and orange mix offensive although I wonder if it is🤔 To me it all looks blood orange shades.
Trumpeter, a smart little red and poor Caroline's Heart which I think would prefer to be a sunbathing rose.
My Etoile, Barkarole and Crimson Glory blooms seem fine with heavy rain - but there have been some canes breakages - my fault for not tying in before.
With hot sun and 28oC+ forecast for London at the weekend, I daresay we will have an over due dahlia explosion.
There has been some CSC (Complete Stachys Collapse) but it usally recovers with some sun. I'm glad my dahlias have fallen yet (I will prop them later). I may have use a bit too many water retaining crystals in basket planting.
@edhelka , @celcius_kkw I always though That the ones labeled edible just mainly have a combination of smallest petals and strong smell so they’re not chewy when you cook them and still retain the fragrance ? Haven’t even thought about organically grown prerequisites for ample harvest.
We have a no spray garden so e never really thought deep into it haha… but we do like eating rose! Going to make some jam today. Highly recommend rose and lemon mix! As runny jam on toast or syrup for drinks
On other note my trees are finally coming back after being destroyed by heat wave! woooooo! Really excited to enjoy them again!
And ‘Enchanted Peace’ still stays strong and keeps morphing in shape and color. Really falling in love with this rose this year. It’s most generous in pot, more than it ever had been in direct soil.
@Lena_vs_Deer Would you share your recipe? I've never done any cooking with roses Adding to salads or decorating cakes, that I understand. But jam or syrup, I don't even know how it's supposed to taste.
@Fire Dahlias have been a failure for me. I normally don't have major problems with slugs and snails, they usually eat the hostas and leave the rest, but they've found the dahlias very tasty and I haven't been able to protect them. And I realized why I like roses.
@edhelka I have to grow dahlias in high pots or they wouldn't standa chance. This year for the first time they have be mollucked too - one has barely been able to get going, even with night hunts and being in a high pot. It's not even a"bad year" for slugs. Luckily I have another ten or so on the go that are doing fine.
- - -
I try out pretty much everything that can be nibbled. Loads of flowers can be eaten but mostly there is no point. Crystalised rose petals are supposed to nice. Not my think. Fuchsia and salvia flowers are pretty rank. Borage are quite nice; nasturtiums; Violas look nicer in a salad than they taste.
@Lena_vs_Deer I second @edhelka we need your recipe! Do they retain the scent well in the jam / syrup?
I am growing dahlias for the first time this year and having planted them out at the end of May I have (touch wood) not had too much slug issue.. I did use an organic slug pellets (ferric phosphate) on a weekly basis at the start of their growth. Not sure if that was what made a difference.
@edhelka , @celcius_kkw they do retain smell! I think even the not so fragrant ones still has a very floral feeling, but it's hard to put a finger on what flower it is haha.
These proportions yield me few small jars, just enough to try it out and see if you like it. It's easy to multiply based on results.
Rose Petal Jam
1 ½ cups of water 2 ounces small rose petals (approx. 2 cups lightly packed or 2/3 cup dried) 2 cups cane sugar 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon fruit pectin
* Note on rose prep. The smaller petals the better, they will be less chewy. So singles and wild roses are preferable, but that means you need a lot of them We use a mix of every rose in a garden, but chop bigger ones to a size of fingernail. The one on the left is ideal, but the pink one on the right is still fine if chopped.
Dried petals sold for steeping tea (usually as full buds) are very nice too and work just fine! You just need to soak them in water and use that rose water as cooking water in a recipe to retain all the smell. Some of my best batches were made from dried tea rose petals on off-season.
Place water and roses in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. It will look a bit ghastly and roses will lose color, but hang on
Add 1 ¾ cups of sugar into the simmering petals, stir to dissolve it. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Watch color come back like on steroids
Simmer 10 more minutes over low heat.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup sugar and pectin as a dry mix.
While stirring the jam add that mix, sprinkle by sprinkle to ensure pectin incorporates without clumping between rose petals. Petals will be soft ,but they won't be dissolving and bursting like berries would.
Simmer gently (i usually do on smallest fire i can manage, we have a strong gas stove) for 20 more minutes. It may seem quite loose for jam, but it will firm up as it sets. But it does remain more of a silky syrup with luscious bits of petals. If for some reason there's too much pectin (depending on brand perhaps) it will be marmalade-like, but still nice. I would recommend to aim for runny consistency as it would be very versatile and more smooth in texture.
Supposedly, it lives about 2 months in a fridge and about half a year in a freezer if you just put it in a jar without canning it properly... but ours doesn't live that long ... we eat it in a week so I never tested that.
Depending on roses used, jam may be super rosey but not artificial (lemon lifts it) or just general floral with a hint of citrus, but it definitely won't be bland! Even in cases we had pretty dull roses used it still went really nicely with scones. It's also really good in ice-cream and you can sieve it while hot to use in jelly. We also tried to add some lychee to this jam, was really nice! This is about the consistency it will be:
Back from the highlands and catching up! Garden has bloomed more in my absence and been watered (bar some unfortunate use of the mist spray function resulting in some balled blooms and powdery mildew!). Ill post some pics in the week but meanwhile we visited Inverewe gardens whilst away so I photographed the roses they had to share below for you. Mostly Austins, annoyingly missing labels on most but distinctive enough to tell they were Austin! Inverewe gardens walled garden roses; I think this is "Teasing Georgia" below?; Labelled "Wisley 2008"; Kew Rambler I think; Labelled "A Shropshire lad" beautifully blushed flowers. I was really taken with it; More Shropshire lad;
Posts
Portland, one of my favourite new roses, Our Dreams and Little Rambler
A nice spray from Lilac Bouquet, it started late this year
Dresden Doll, happy with this sweet rose. I've found it a nice grey, stoneish looking pot for next year as I like grey with pink.
Citrus posy of first flowers, Fellowship, Crown Princess Margareta and President Armand Zinch for @Nollie. Not the greatest specimen but it's not going to get any better outside. It smells strongly even though still closed, recognisably HT and something else which I'll say fruity as it reminds me of the Poet's Wife and I don't think because of the yellow.
Summer Sweetheart and Shropshire Star at far end. I don't find the pink and orange mix offensive although I wonder if it is🤔 To me it all looks blood orange shades.
Trumpeter, a smart little red and poor Caroline's Heart which I think would prefer to be a sunbathing rose.
🥴
We have a no spray garden so e never really thought deep into it haha… but we do like eating rose! Going to make some jam today. Highly recommend rose and lemon mix! As runny jam on toast or syrup for drinks
@Fire Dahlias have been a failure for me. I normally don't have major problems with slugs and snails, they usually eat the hostas and leave the rest, but they've found the dahlias very tasty and I haven't been able to protect them.
And I realized why I like roses.
These proportions yield me few small jars, just enough to try it out and see if you like it. It's easy to multiply based on results.
Rose Petal Jam
1 ½ cups of water2 ounces small rose petals (approx. 2 cups lightly packed or 2/3 cup dried)
2 cups cane sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fruit pectin
* Note on rose prep.
The smaller petals the better, they will be less chewy. So singles and wild roses are preferable, but that means you need a lot of them
The one on the left is ideal, but the pink one on the right is still fine if chopped.
Dried petals sold for steeping tea (usually as full buds) are very nice too and work just fine! You just need to soak them in water and use that rose water as cooking water in a recipe to retain all the smell. Some of my best batches were made from dried tea rose petals on off-season.
- Place water and roses in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. It will look a bit ghastly and roses will lose color, but hang on
- Add 1 ¾ cups of sugar into the simmering petals, stir to dissolve it. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Watch color come back like on steroids
- Simmer 10 more minutes over low heat.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup sugar and pectin as a dry mix.
- While stirring the jam add that mix, sprinkle by sprinkle to ensure pectin incorporates without clumping between rose petals. Petals will be soft ,but they won't be dissolving and bursting like berries would.
- Simmer gently (i usually do on smallest fire i can manage, we have a strong gas stove) for 20 more minutes. It may seem quite loose for jam, but it will firm up as it sets. But it does remain more of a silky syrup with luscious bits of petals. If for some reason there's too much pectin (depending on brand perhaps) it will be marmalade-like, but still nice. I would recommend to aim for runny consistency as it would be very versatile and more smooth in texture.
Supposedly, it lives about 2 months in a fridge and about half a year in a freezer if you just put it in a jar without canning it properly... but ours doesn't live that long ... we eat it in a weekDepending on roses used, jam may be super rosey but not artificial (lemon lifts it) or just general floral with a hint of citrus, but it definitely won't be bland! Even in cases we had pretty dull roses used it still went really nicely with scones. It's also really good in ice-cream and you can sieve it while hot to use in jelly.
We also tried to add some lychee to this jam, was really nice!
This is about the consistency it will be:
Inverewe gardens walled garden roses;
I think this is "Teasing Georgia" below?;
Labelled "Wisley 2008";
Kew Rambler I think;
Labelled "A Shropshire lad" beautifully blushed flowers. I was really taken with it;
More Shropshire lad;