This image is of the PEACE rose, my late mother’s favourite. I think she loved and grew it as much for its name as for its beauty. It is the only non-hardy rose I grow. No matter where I live, the first thing I plant in my new gardens is a Peace rose bush.

Almost every autumn I forget to cover the bush, yet it valiantly grows back every spring and produces a few perfect blooms over the summer. I make sure to photograph every one, as I feel that it is a connection to my mother who died in 1970, when I was just 18 years old. Considering that I live in northern Ontario, Canada, where our frost line is at least four feet down and our winter temperatures can get down to -40 at times (that’s -40C/-40F), I am sure that there must be some divine intervention helping my roses return to me every spring, despite my relaxed gardening techniques.

This image began as a digital photograph, taken with my daughter’s Canon Rebel. I love to explore digital manipulation of photographs. The form of this rose is so wonderful, displaying a perfect unfolding of the bloom. I used digital effects to enhance the edges of the petals and create watercolour like textures.

This digital image is available as a paper or canvas print at my Zazzle gallery.

Cheers ruth;D