Anyone else have a hyperactive brain sprouting ideas faster than peppermint overtaking a garden bed, or just me?
Seeds Of Inspiration
Welp, three years ago, the girls and I woke up early one morning. The sun hadn’t peeked over the garden wall, which cast a subtle blanket of shade on everything it touched. Our pjs hung loose on our bodies, as we set out to explore our garden. Our big garden activity for the day was to collected marigolds from baskets that we dried the day before. We began to separate the seeds from the dried leaves into two buckets and then placed the seeds into small envelopes to gift friends. Once we finished, I reached for the bucket of petals to toss in our compost, Audrey grabbed a handful and sprinkled it on Poppy’s head. One handful after another the girls began throwing the petals into the air. Watching their faces light up with the purest of joy sparked a subtle thought across my mind, “why not turn this moment into a book.” It was an idea that refused to be buried beneath the soil of my mind.
A Sprouting Idea: The Birth of The Rose Sisters Garden Series
Determined to cultivate this idea, I rolled up my sleeves and got to werk werk. Gardening is an extremely broad topic and I tossed around countless ideas, until it dawned on me, why not start with my passion, roses! My love for roses started with my grandmother. After she passed, I added an abundance of roses to my front yard. My front yard already graced us with 20 roses when we moved in, but I couldn’t resist adding more, eventually reaching nearly 70. Was it an obsession? Yes. Yes it was and this affection continued to naming my daughters, with both of them carrying the middle name Rose. Audrey Rose & Penelope Rose, the living legacies of my blooming passion.
Blossoming into Matriarchy: A New Chapter in the Rose Family Garden
At the start of 2021, their dad and I cordially chose to part ways, and rather than going back to my maiden name, I took on my daughters’ name and became the Matriarch of our family. Without missing a beat, science did its very best and I was gifted another Rose to my bundle. March 2022 Genevieve Rose blossomed into my life. Roses were a mere passion and quickly consumed my life.
Seeds of Inspiration: The Roots and Blooms of The Rose Sisters Garden Series
I wrote The Rose Sisters Garden series for my girls. I wrote it to show them that no matter how small an idea they may have, even if it’s just for you, do the thing. I did it. I wrote this series for me, for my girls, and to encourage young readers to go outside and explore what’s living and growing outside. Life is about experiences, and the garden has brought my girls and I memories that I will forever keep.
Growing Roses
In our garden, we grow what we love. “Growing Roses”, the first book in the series, celebrates the joy these flowers bring with their stunning colors and varieties of scents. We believe growing what brings you joy, and we grow and spread that joy by sharing our harvests.
Growing Strawberries
The second book in the series is, “Growing Strawberries,” which is is a book to encourage you to grow what you love to eat. They like growing strawberries, because they are in the rose family. We encourage readers to start their garden journey with what they already know and enjoy eating.
The Pollinator ABCs
As we all try our hardest every day spinning on this rock floating in space, it’s important to recognize that everything living deserves love and attention. There’s an incredible opportunity to start teaching this concept to your growing kids in your garden. Plant flowers and watch the pollinators flood your garden. The Pollinator ABCs is the third book in the series that helps children identify common flowers and pollinators living and growing in their garden.
Growing Marigolds
The fourth book in the series is still in the works, and it will conclude the flower theme. “Growing Marigolds” shares a combination of harvest traditions, cultural significance, and the Rose sisters’ own traditions. This book is a tribute to our early morning celebration when we tossed marigolds into the air, living our best lives.
Growing Gardens, Growing Minds, & Growing Stories
I write this series because it’s something that brings me immense joy. It allows me to share my love of gardening with my girls and the rest of the world. In the garden, I discovered the art of pausing, observing an ecosystem hard at work. This became the foundation for teaching my children through inquiry-based learning. Questions led to exploration and I encouraged them to find answers on their own. I’m also in love with Montessori education, so I taught my girls to explore through hands-on learning, which is everything for their development.
I have no intensions to stop writing, and will continue adding books into this series until I run out of things to talk about. Spoiler alert, garden topics are endless.
Until then, I’ll continue throwing my dream seeds into the air until one of them lands in the perfect conditions and sprouts. Follow me as I encourage others to start growing gardens, growing minds of families, growing stories in my children's series as well as the stories of growing kids exploring their gardens.
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