The Man Who Gave Away 10,000 Roses

 

The Rose Garden

 

I met him at a Wisteria (what else!) Garden Party! I quickly discovered that behind his modest and unassuming exterior lay a very generous soul. I learned about his propensity for giving away his homegrown roses.

My girlfriend, Marcella, took me on a little adventure up to his treasure trove. Up a little dirt road, not too far off the beaten path, is the wondrous garden. Roses. Protected from the rain by a light plastic greenhouse, roses flourish. They cover the ground, blooming in all shades of pinks and reds, deep maroon and delicate white. He greeted us with metal buckets and clipping shears in hand. "Get to work!" he told us. I left with buckets full of roses and a few pricker holes in my fingertips.

 

Casey (Artist) standing with her new Assistant, Sara Kassel

 

Some of the roses bloomed so large they could have been mistaken for peonies! He gives away thousands of roses every year. And what better than roses to express fond feelings. Beautiful and expressive, roses have always been a signature flower for amorous occasions. Anniversaries, Valentine's Days, any regular day is made special with these voluptuous flowers. I'm convinced that those roses helped to sell my house, which was on the market at the time. 

Inspired by The Rose Gardener's philanthropy and the bounty of the garden, I collected buckets of roses with intentions of capturing their loveliness forever in a monoprint.I plan to entitle the new series: The Man Who Gave Away Ten Thousand Roses.

The Rose Gardener

and his trusty dog, Flea Bag