WHERE ROSES BLOOM, SO DOES HOPE

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope” is a famous quote by Lady Bird Johnson. She promoted the spread of wildflowers in the US, including all along the highways. Now, here is Pakistan, Islamabad the Capital city is known for its flora and fauna; there are various gardens and wildflowers around in the city. This write up is from Cdre (R) Nasim Ghafoor SI(M) who shared his floral photography of his abode at Islamabad.

Roses are the Queen of flowers and a mainstay of any garden. Be it red roses, pink roses, or white roses, each one is breathtaking. Rose is the sweetest thing ALLAH has ever made. It is a basic symbol of love, reserved exclusively for peace, romance, and passion since time immemorial.

Oh! sweet fragrant roses thou are beautiful, charming, bewitching, and enchanting. The majestic way of appearance is amongst the beauties of nature which is thrilling. Sometimes we just stop and bend down to smell the rose flowers when we come across them. It is no doubt due to their attractive beauty and matchless fragrance that is refreshing for the mind and soul.

Fast-paced lifestyles can take a toll. Turn your gardens into healing spaces as it promotes positive emotions and feelings of life satisfaction. Do you think growing roses is just too much work or maybe above your gardening skill levels? The fact is that Rose care is easier than you think, anyone can grow them successfully. Plant your roses in a sunny location with good drainage, and fertilize them regularly for impressive flowers. Water them evenly to keep the soil moist. Prune them regularly in early spring. The result can be seen in the pictures below.

Pakistan is fortunate to have a large variety of Roses to pick for your garden. They come in various colours, sizes, and shapes reminding us of the dazzling beauty of creation. No other plant can match a rose plant, you can have them pruned to your desired height, plant them outside your bedroom window, use them as a hedge along your boundary wall, or stream the rose climbers on Pergolas and Archways. It is all up to your imagination and the rose plant is there for you to bring beauty to your surroundings.

The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the ROSE.

(Written By Cdre (R) Nasim Ghafoor SI(M)

"The rose is the flower and handmaiden of love—the lily, her fair associate, is the emblem of beauty and purity." —Dorothea Dix.

Shakespeare saying “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” has important meaning which applies to the everyday life of all humans.

The beauty of rose; as " its petals shine in beauty, its thorns show its pain.” “Love is like a rose; its beauty is divine, its fragrance is sweet, and its promise is forever.” A rose is not just a flower, it's a symbol of love, a promise of forever. The thorns of a rose remind us that love can be painful, but the beauty is worth it.

Roses are known as a more romantic flower for a variety of reasons. Their beauty, symbolism, cultural significance, exclusivity, and association with special occasions all contribute to their appeal as a flower of love and affection.

The queen of flowers, rose is very beautiful and attractive. It grows in different colours like red, white, yellow, pink and other varieties. In the world of art, poetry and literature, rose has been glorified as a symbol of love, compassion and eternal beauty.

And Spring arose on the garden fair,

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb

on Earth's dark breast

rose from the dreams

of it's wintry rest.

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

“Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.”

Claude Monet

"To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed -- That can make life a garden."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

“Tell your story.

Shout it. Write it.

Whisper it if you have to.

But tell it.

Some won't understand it.

Some will outright reject it.

But many will

thank you for it.

And then the most

magical thing will happen.

One by one, voices will start