The Bewitching Scent Of The Beach Rose
She casts her spell over me again and again.
She fascinates me. She smells beguiling.
On the German North Sea island of Sylt, the blossoms of the beach rose open thousands of times each year. Sometimes it shines in graceful white, but mostly in a delicate to strong pink.
This summer, I’ve been staying on the island with my husband and son for some time. We have rented an old Frisian house surrounded by fragrant roses.
In our little house, I like to make myself a warm rosehip tea. The orange-red glowing fruit of the beach rose is beautifully fruity and has a high vitamin C content.
Besides tea, there is also delicious syrup, jam, and fragrant soap made from the fruit of the island. I would like to have a perfume that I could wear throughout the year and that could remind me of the wonderful hours spent in the middle of the dunes scented with wild roses.
A trademark of the so-called ‘German Hamptons’ is this particular rose. I’ve known them since my childhood days. The beguiling scent of the wild rose brings back old memories of exploring the island by bike with my grandfather or walking barefoot through the sand.
The hedges of wild rose, up to two meters high, are ubiquitous on the island. It blooms on dune slopes and dune overlooks, and lines beautiful gardens with colorful wildflowers. The ‘rosa rugosa’, as Latin would have it, has ‘wrinkled’ (rugosa) leaves.
The beach rose withstands any weather. The Sylt rose grows and thrives on sandy island soil in spring and summer. It survives storm surges in the fall and winter. It prefers partial shade to full sun.
From the local gardener, I learn that the Sylt rose fits into any natural garden and is therefore popular with gardeners all over the world. The gardener explains to me that the rose originally comes from Japan and was planted in 1920 on the island on the sand dunes. Their hostile thorny branches make them impenetrable and protect the dunes, which are buffeted every year by high waves.
On the way through the famous village of Kampen at the impressive Red Cliff — one of the most fascinating bluffs on the North Sea Coast — I pass this floral splendor on the top of the silver-green dunes.
The natural beauty of the roses makes my heart beat faster. A bumblebee settles on a flower. Then I hear the music of the sea: waves crashing beneath the cliff and the seagulls squawking.
From afar, I see surfers riding waves, children holding hands, and jumping into the waves. Families and elderly couples enjoying some downtime in their ‘beach baskets’.
As I inhale the salty air, I let my thoughts wander and novel ideas to flow. For a moment, I become distracted by beach life and my thoughts. Then I turn my attention back to the beauty of the beach roses.
I gently touch their petals and carefully sniff the flowers.
The light fragrance rises to my nose. Suddenly there is no yesterday and no tomorrow. There is only me at this very moment.
About the Author — Kristina God
Yes, it’s her real name! Kristina God is two times Top Writer in parenting & feminism and one of the Top 2,000 Writers on Medium. Her life’s motto is: ‘In love with inspiring stories’. Get to know her.
