Roses!

This is 'Souvenir de la Malmaison, Climbing' (1893). I have her growing on a pillar. Her reputation is that of a stingy bloomer, great in the spring but little through the summer and some in the fall. Since I love my bush forms of SdlM, I had to have the climber regardless of her reputation. How amazing that she is the second rose to bloom in my garden and so early. Just wait till she opens all the way.

Lots of buds, too!

Such a lovely profile.

She's still quite young, planted in September, 2009. Climbers can take a few years to really start producing so I wasn't surprised that she only had a few flowers last year. She's tied to coated wire on this 8' tall 4x4 post, and at her feet just to the right is one of my SdlM bushes. I have Clematis Henryi growing on this pillar, too, to fill in with flowers during the rose's lean times.

'Archduke Charles' (1825) was just moved into the ground last month, I think, out of his big pot where he'd been since August, 2008. He never missed a beat, and he's ready to bloom. I haven't de-leafed him yet, hence the not-so-pretty old leaf.

This baby is my first David Austin rose, 'Bow Bells' (1991). I knew she had buds, but I was totally shocked to see her with a flower today. She's only been in the ground since August.

Here she is again, posing with 'Red Ruffles' azalea.

Not to be outdone by her climbing sport in the back garden, here is the bush, 'Souv de la Malmaison' (1843), in the front garden. I have a third SdlM growing right next to her, a baby barely 12" across and not a foot tall, planted last September, with a bud that's opening, her first. It always amazes me when roses that I have multiples of bloom at the same time. It's really a miraculous thing, like they're programmed.

And, of course, first place winner, 'Hermosa' (1840), is showing her stuff, blooming her head off before she's even started leafing out. She's usually a more lilac pink, and I noticed her first open flower wasn't fragrant. Roses do different things at different times of the year.

Interestingly, December's freezes robbed me of the last roses of 2010, but February is gifting me with early roses in 2011. I guess that's not such a bad deal.