A budding passion for roses fired up yearnings in me to know all I could about them. As my familiarity grew with roses in our garden, I continuously marveled at their diversity and tried to capture daily rose magic with my camera. Photography is a great creative outlet, but I also felt a need to write about roses––there’s just so much going on with them.

The learning curve was comfortable with the plants. Acquiring roses, planting them properly and in the right place, helping them grow, finding ideal companions seemed intuitive for me, and fun. Trial and error (there were lots of mistakes) and Mother Nature are master teachers.

Photography and writing were another story. Bad pictures and overwrought, ungrammatical prose can be discouraging, but time, dedication, and an uncontrollable urge to share the joy of roses finally won out on both fronts.

I’ve written and photographed two books, The Poetry of Roses (an anthology) and R is for Rose: Reflections of a Passionate Rose Lover. I’m also a newspaper columnist, with a monthly rose column. You can find my columns archived here on my website.

This newsletter is one more way to send out words and pictures about roses.

I live in Lafayette, CA, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our home and garden are on a flat, sunny, corner lot, which is approximately half an acre. Leroy, my husband, and I grow about 300 roses, whose ranks are always changing. Numerous flowering shrubs, herbs, and perennials join and enhance the mix.

You can read more about my background here.

Enjoy!

Carolyn

Check out my website www.rosesfromatoz.com