Blooming roses - a fine present

In the last two days several rose bushes have blossomed. Lots of yellow and white blossoms in the yard that were not there. Sometimes when I am standing still or watering I can smell roses in the air.

Sigh.

Too lovely.

I spotted a hummingbird this morning and a tiger swallowtail butterfly this afternoon. A bird sang to me from the peak of the roof today also. (OK, probably not singing to me and possibly telling me to leave so it can enjoy the yard by itself; I don't know.)


When I bought two Circus roses earlier they were blooming. Those blooms are long spent but today I saw this bud offering hope for tomorrow (when I am having guests for brunch).


This Iceberg bloom was trying to hide beneath the leaves.


The vegetables are all planted. I do not have photos of the squash and eggplant because by the time I finished planting this evening it was getting dark. Here is the pot with the Early Girl tomatoes and two kinds of chiles.


Husky Cherry tomatoes and three kinds of chiles.


One of three America climbing roses in the yard.


Double Knock Out roses.


The China Doll bush was covered with blooms when I bought it. Most are pretty much gone but this stem has some fresh buds.


The first blossom on the Golden Masterpiece bush that I planted last week. This was a bud last night, an opening blossom this morning, and in full bloom by the end of the day.


The Piñata has been my prolific bloomer the past two years. It has just begun this season in the past two days and is covered with buds.

In addition to the vegetables I planted a "trench" with the new Heirloom rose (that's # 29) and other flowers compatible with its lavender blooms. There is a wallflower, some lavender osteospermum, a Mexican heather, a couple of foxgloves, and lots of variegated petunias.

A second cluster of full-size marigolds (so I will have them for the Day of the Dead this fall) went in along with yellow dwarf marigolds. More sweet alyssum and some Cambridge blue lobelia got planted.

I am so fond of foxgloves that I put three in the north border, replacing some plants that did not make it and filling in gaps. They bring back fond memories of our cabin in the mountains when I was growing up. Mother planted foxgloves and they were among the extremely short list of plants the deer left alone. Although they are very stupid animals when browsing (they browse, not graze), they know better than to ingest the heart stimulant that is part of the chemistry of the Digitalis purpurea. Yes, the drug digitalis is made from the foxglove.

While buying more compost in which to plant the new plantings today I found some more yellow calibrachoa ("million bells"). I had planted some in the yellow group at the foot of the Lady Banks rose and they seem to thrive so I have been looking for more. I put three of them with a pony pack of the darker dwarf French marigolds around the base of the Golden Showers rose which still had a few violas but was looking lonely.

Brunch today was with my friend Kathy. It is so nice to see her without constant pain. Thank you all so much for prayers on her behalf.

All in all, a lovely natal festivity, though I can feel each one of the years right at the moment. (I am SO tired of schlepping bags of compost from the pallet at Home Depot into the cart, from the cart into the trunk of my car, from my car around the house to the back yard. I would bet I have lugged at least sixty of them this season (and as many again over the past three years).

That's the story of my day and I'm sticking to it.

--the BB