Saturday, June 11, 2011

DOG ROSE - VERED HA KELEV - HECKENROSE

The Dog Rose - Rosa Canina, Vered HaKelev ורד הכלב,  has five Petals, varying at different shrubs, and even at the same bush, from light to dark pink. It grows here in Israel at the Golan, the Hermon, in the Galilee, and on the Samarian and Judean mountains, but is also native to Europe and northwest Africa. Its Norwegian name is "steinnype", translating to "stone hip", which is a very fitting name, because the plant loves to cling to rocks and cliffs and thrives in stony areas. 
The name "dog rose" is present in several languages, I could not find out clearly why - one explanation is that the plant's roots may have been used to treat the bite of a mad dog. This sweet rose is uttermost beautiful, its flowers are delicate, graceful and faintly fragrant, sunshine makes them to look luminous. At the Hermon spring is still not over and we were thrilled to find plenty of the dog rose bushes this weekend at the slopes of the mountain, lining the street on the side of the hill the last kilometer or so up to its foot. 
The plant was cultivated a long time ago and often used for hedges on the boundaries of gardens. I very well remember the Heckenrose from my childhood in Germany, I loved its prettiness, oh, and I have also angry and funny memories of bad boys in school who would ambush the girls from behind and throw the torn open hips, the Hagebutten, inside their shirts down the back, and the layer of hairs near the seeds of the hip would cause a terrible itch! But the hips are actually very lovely, bright red in autumn, the shape of an eye. They are edible and rich in Vitamin C. Tea and marmalade is made from them, and they are a helpful remedy for bladder and kidney diseases as well.
Some lines honoring the dog rose, the briar rose, are included in the wonderful poem "The Lady of the Lake" by Sir Walter Scott:
"All twinkling with the dewdrop sheen,
The briar rose fell in streamers green,
Kind creeping shrubs of thousand dyes
Waved in the west wind's summer sighs."

"Bedeckt mit Glitzerperlen frischen Taus,
Streckt's Heckenroeslein gruene Wimpel aus."
Very loosely (not by me) but beautifully translated into German.
 I had this lovely small piece of rose fabric for a long time hiding on a shelf, till I pulled it out last week, and made a pretty bag from it - I used it to model the rose bush - or I used the rosebush to model the bag - either way I love it!
Photos by my husband Uri Eshkar and by me.

12 comments:

Clare said...

I have a dog rose growing on my fence. we have ugly metal fences around our houses with big spikes - supposedly to keep the criminals out, anyway the rose hides some of the stikes. i love the delicate flowers and it goes on and on flowering.

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

I was eying that bag the moment I saw it--it's beautiful! Everything from the base, to the top-stitching, to the gathered top and golden beads on the drawstring cord--such an eye-catcher.

I too, love the rose bush, and maybe it has the same meaning as the dogwood tree. I'll have to go look it up...

zsazsazsu said...

I remember too ... schoolboys teasing us with the Hagenbuten ! Lovely bag you've made with this fabric !

Dies und Das vom Neckarstrand said...

Liebe Yael,
wie immer wunderschöne Fotos.
Und die hübsche Tasche passt dazu. Sie macht Laune.
Ich liebe übrigens die Heckenrosen über alles.
sie ist nicht so stolz - dafür aber umso lieblicher.
Liebe Pfingstgrüße sendet Dir
Irmi

2 B's World said...

Die Blüten lieben die Tasche wohl sehr - schau nur wie sie sich an sie schmiegen.
Was für eine tolle Idee, diese Schönheiten zusammen zu fotografieren.
Deine Fotoshootings sind immer etwas ganz besonderes.

Liebe Grüße von Birgit

Objekte-aus-Ton said...

Wunderbare Rosen und wunderschöne Tasche!
Liebe Grüße von Gaby! ✿

Pesky Cat Designs said...

Your lovely tote looks as beautiful as those lovely flowers!

glazedOver Pottery said...

Yet again, we are enriched from reading your blog. Lovely how the Dog Rose punctuates the dry landscape with its loveliness. Lovely bag, Yael, elegant and perfect.

And shame on those bad boys...they need to find a better way to flirt with the girls!

Eva said...

Eine hübsche Tasche! Rosenmuster sind so luxuriös, was für eine reizende Idee, die Tasche vor den Rosen aufzunehmen. Schade, dass der Duft nicht rüberkommen kann.

Annuk said...

Such a wonderful post, Yael! I always love coming by and reading your beautiful posts and feasting my eyes with wonderful photos!

The Rosa Canina is a delightful flower, and your bag is SO beautiful! They go so well together! One thing I also love is the amazing play of light and shadow in all your and Uri's photos -- I know that light only from Rhodes (East Med I guess :))
I know about the Hagebutten from my Mom (no idea about the Italian name, nor English!), and the Hagebuttentee...

Bernstein said...

Oh Yael,
da hat uns beide wohl die gleiche Muse geküßt *lach*
Deine Tasche ist wunderschön und wird von Uris Bildern ganz wunderbar in Szene gesetzt.
GlG Inbar

... said...

Oh, Yael, the photos are lovely!
I like your bag and the rose fabric, it's just wonderful.
And the dog rose/steinnype too is very pretty :) It grows many places around where I live, and I also have some in my garden. I did not know it grows in Israel too. The rose bush in the photos is truly magnificent!
Love the info, very interesting post.
Hugs :)