La Vie en Rose

Surrendering to late summer with a table setting that captures the essence of a rose garden.

Though I am one who loves to linger in summer, moving to the mountains has taught me to embrace an earlier oncoming of autumn. Mornings here have already begun to take on a breezy chill, and the next week forecasts temperatures in the seventies. It’s hard to believe much of our country is facing heatwaves, but we live at such a high elevation that we are always at least ten degrees cooler than Atlanta, which is a short hour’s drive to the south.

THE INSPIRATION

Yesterday as I sat on our deck with my morning coffee looking over the hillside, I could already detect the first traces of fall. I thought what better way to begin the slow sending off of summer than to honor the full bloom of garden roses.

All my life I have dreamed of keeping a rose garden – a place to bask in the sweet fragrance, maybe have a cup of tea, and gather fresh cuttings to bring into our home. Growing up, my mother kept a bountiful garden of herbs and wildflowers. She is a master gardener, former flower show judge, and a certified environmental instructor. She has an inherent talent for maintaining the trickiest of plants and flowers. For years, she kept a vast collection of award winning African Violets.

Unfortunately, we have yet to figure out how to grow a garden due to our terrain, the shade of our surrounding forest, and deer who see gardens as a fortuitous buffet.

THE SETTING

I wanted to embrace the femininity of a rose garden with floral linens and shades of pink. Set on a backdrop of block print linens kindly gifted by Jhelum Jaipur, handcrafted in India, I chose to set the table with simple cream stoneware and cutlery on my favorite woven placemats. I wished not to detract from the linens and florals, but to truly let them shine on center stage. I added a touch of baby’s breath and a single mini carnation to the classic hemstitch linen napkins.

THE FLORALS

Garden roses, of course! But these are no ordinary roses – these are the most stunning roses I have ever seen, gifted to me by Grace Rose Farm. As soon as they arrived, I knew they were going to be something special. They came carefully packaged in a unique hydrating system with detailed instructions on how to transition them from packaging to vase for the fullest bloom.

And indeed these are the fullest blooms I have ever had the honor of witnessing unfold. I chose the Pink O’Hara roses due to Grace Rose Farms’ beautiful description.

Tea rose scent and ballet pink petals. Bred in France by Georges Delbard, Pink O’Hara is the sister to White O’Hara. She is a light cherry blossom pink and her color is deepest in the center where her petals form a classic four hearts. Pink O’Hara is a large, substantial garden rose that will perfume the air for many days. Absolutely lovely and utterly feminine!

Grace Rose Farm

I was enthralled by the tea rose scent, ballet pink petals, and full blooms. And indeed they are the fullest of blooms, and the scent of tea rose has enveloped our home. These are the most fragrant roses I have ever been gifted. I wish I could bottle it and send it to you in my writing, but alas this is an experience that can only be captured in person.

Expect to see more variations of these gorgeous garden roses, as well as the full story behind Grace Rose Farm, in future articles. Could there be an autumn themed table setting in the near future? Why yes, of course!

---

Disclosure: Some articles on this website include gifted items, as well as affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission if you shop through them, but it does not cost extra for you.