“Je vois la vie en rose”

Je vois la vie en rose means: I see life in pink; I am looking at the world through rose coloured glasses. Why not live with an ability to see beauty in everyday life and have a positive and optimistic outlook – a rosy way to see the world?

One of the first roses to bloom this year is the La Vie en rose. It has been in the garden for three years and is now a large 100 cm tall nicely shaped bush. It was named after the famous love story of La Vie en rose depicted in the song by Edith Piaf made famous with the music by Marguerite Monnot and Louis Guglielmi.

La vie en rose is the quintessential French song that became so popular due to the lyrics which, after WW2, spoke directly into the heart of those who had suffered during the war.

La Vie en Rose is a delightful rose just like the song. It is soft and feminine in appearance with delicate pink blooms that have the look of hand-painted slashes of a deeper pink.

“She chose the rose colored glasses not because she was naïve, but because she knew the power of positive focus.”
Christina Sutra

Bred by Delbard in France in 2017 and introduced to Australia by Wagner’s Rose Nursery
La Vie en Rose’ is part of the Delbard Painters Series and the only soft pastel one in the range.

Most of the Painters Collection are known for their bright, boldly striped colours, but this lovely rose is contrasting, more understated and subtle. The pretty, delicate pink blooms unfold to reveal a deeper pink slashing of colour. It has a gorgeous fragrance, shiny lighter green foliage and grows into a perfect shape to 120 cm and around the same wide.

La Vie en Rose has been a consistent bloomer although, a few years ago I lost most of the flowers to tiny black beetles that were eating the blooms from inside the flower. It seems to be worse in dry weather so, this year with so much rain, I’m hoping to see some perfect blooms once more.

Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La Vie En Rose”
Edith Piaff

Prolific blooms are the main characteristic that I love in this rose, and also that it continuously flowers in abundance, from the first stages of Spring in September through to late May in our region. The flowers are delicate but will last a reasonable time inside in a vase. It is a beautiful rose that exudes an alluring charm and despite being subdued is one of my favourites.

Another rose out early this year is Full Sail. This rose features the glossiest bright green foliage and brilliant white blooms that dazzle in the sunlight. It is a sport of Aotearoa that translates to ‘land of the long, white cloud’.

Samuel Darragh ( 1932-2019) discovered the rose before 1994, and it was introduced into New Zealand by McGredy Roses International, in 1998 as ‘Full Sail’. The official Registration name is MAClanoflon.

Each day as Spring slowly arrives, it is exciting to see the new blooms hiding here and there amongst the foliage, like surprise packages that catch your eye on walking past. As with everything in nature, the garden will bloom all in its own time, and my only requirement is patience.

“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”
May Sarton