A Unique Rose Gift
If there were ever any such thing as a unique rose, it would have to be the gold, silver, and platinum roses which are dipped and/or trimmed in these precious metals. Picked when the rose is at the height of its beauty, it goes on to be preserved so that artisans can hand-craft them into unique rose works of art.
La Bonne Maison (a home overlooking Lyon and the Saône River in France) is where you will find a unique and private rose garden owned by Odile Masquelier; roses run up the side of the house, loop through trees like garlands, and spill along and around walls and arbors. There are more than 800 types of roses in what is considered to be the most remarkable private rose collection in France.
While many ordinary travellers through France are unaware of this rose garden treasure, many rose experts consider it a mecca. It is a two and a half acre piece of land that has been designed around a number of terraces on terrain that slopes and offers a long-off view of the skyline of Lyon. A secret garden has also been woven into the property. Amongst all the roses, cherry trees, tulips, and a thousand narcissus' grow and blossom in early spring. The secret garden boasts eight different types of snowdrops and hellebores, along with crocusses, more narcissus, and stylosa iris from Algeria.
The garden usually closes at the end of June, but Masquelier has decided in some instances to reopen it in September and October so as to show off her rose hips or as she puts it “the colorful fruit of the flowers.” In addition, she wants people to see the mixed borders found in the garden which are made up of tea roses, Japanese maples, colchicums, and from Cyprus and the Greek Peloponnesus, a collection of cyclamen.
The real superstars of this incredible garden, are without a doubt, the roses. Something new explodes in April, May, and early June. And, since Masquelier doesn't care much for symmetry, democracy is king which means her roses live in mixed company in some instances (on the arbors, for example). According to Masquelier, roses are divas who “have personalities. Don't think a rose will do what you want it to do,” she says. “She will do exactly what she wants. If you force her, she will die, look sick, or be full of aphids.” She says they have to be guided, but that a garden isn't a hospital – when necessary, move a flower somewhere else if it's not doing well where it is.
While we all can't have unique rose gardens like Odile Masquelier, we can instead invest in real roses that have been preserved forever in silver, gold, and platinum. With these unique rose gifts, saying “I love you,” has never been easier.
Sophia Grace loves unique rose gifts. You can purchase a rose gift at Plated Gold Roses.