The First Rose(s) of Summer

These are the first blooms of what I hope will be a profusion this summer. Click to enlarge. They are so heavy that they weigh the branch down and I had to hold it up to get the photo.

Work was good; I went to Mel's in the morning for three hours and finished up the day at the other shop, where I did about 15 more corsages. Some of you asked about wrist corsages and when they became popular. I am not sure that I remember exactly when they came into popularity, but I began getting requests for them in wedding work back in the 80's. The main purpose is to avoid pinning a corsage on your dress, which could damage fabric. If someone is wearing a strapless dress, there's not much room to pin a corsage. Back in my high school days, if we wore strapless dresses, we pinned the corsages at our waistline. Nowadays, kids dance so close together that a corsage would get smashed on the first go-around.

What many people don't know is that there are now powerful magnets which can be incorporated into corsages, which eliminate the need for a pin and do not damage fabrics. They cost a little more than a regular corsage, but not as much as a wristlet. The only people who cannot use the magnets are those who have heart monitors or pacemakers installed. I often use the magnets for bride's mothers and grandmothers. But some florists think that using them is too time-consuming or adds too much to the cost for them. As a former mother of the groom I would have welcomed a magnet corsage, rather than the lace-backed concoction I received, on a wristlet. Many mothers are now opting for small nosegays or to carry one stem down the aisle, rather than to wear flowers. They may also pin a corsage on a fabric purse - and some opt to have no flowers at all. That is a perfectly good choice too.