I communed with your roses and they told me (confidentially and I'm not suppose to repeat a darn word, but you are my friend first), that they are tired of you laying out the guilt, just because you are doing the job that you get paid for, feeding, watering, mulching etc. Payment is blooms and you get plenty (their words, not mine) and the one thing these queens of the garden do not like are complaining lackeys. So they told me that you should enjoy what you have and suck it up. And, besides they are angry because you have shovel pruned a few (well actually a lot, their words, not mine) of their sisters, brothers and cousins.

Fang

Luanne - I want to be a bug in your garden (a good one not the bad kind) ... they are all stunning.

Aprille

Can they help it that they are so beautiful they want to show off and parade around? Unlike the town prostitutes,who are bedraggled and shopworn, these beautiful and well-behaved girls, while the free spirits, they are, are beautiful free spirits, fed well and living the wonderful life, doing their own thing on their own spiritual time. What's a girl to do when she is so beautiful she wants to strut her stuff?

Ah, Luanne, they are so lovely. I do recall many of them from their infancy and what a proud mamma you have been, tending and caring for them so well, feeding them a diet rich in grape compost. Well, they can no longer contain themselves. They are showing off and up for Mum.

Wow, your roses ARE blooming early for this area! I must be sure that my roses don't find out - I am having a family party outside in late May. Most of my roses are still covered with buds (except the really early banksies & hybrid giganitcas, which are in full bloom). But....I have deliberately not told mine that we are having a party - I will spring it on them at the last moment, hoping to limit their possibilities for sabotage...

Jackie

A 1/4 of my crocus bloomed this weekend through the snow ... ah roses ... nope not a sign of life yet.

Luanne, your roses are being rebellious. After they are done blooming I say off with their heads. So they can bloom again of course.

Take lots of pictures that make it clear they are of your roses and post them around the garden so that the party goers can see what they missed.

Lance

I can't believe even MAC turned on you, Luanne.

Fang if those roses would pay attention they would remember how many of their relatives I went out of my way to send to safe orphanages. And I may go add that nothing makes a beautiful rose look more at risk than a shabby good for nothing bed pardner. I am touched by your loyalty and greatly saddened by their lack of it.
Jackie you are far more clever than me. Your plan strikes me as quite sound.
My roses are more the high class call girl type than the common slut which means that if they knew about money strutting their stuff would be put to good use and nobody would be settling for some peacock pimp to handle their affairs. I shudder to think where this line of questiioning could lead to if these girls were daughters of mine. You are so kind, you are rather like their great aunt Patricia. I think I shall relay all of their questions to you in the future.
Aprille get your good bug self down here for my rose whiffing on the 9th of May frp, 9-11 in the morning and bring the angels and my favorite dog.
la

Hmmm...I feel they may have been indulging in some spring break fever partying of their own.
-terry

ya'll are giving new shades of meaning to the term 'rose porn.' "As the Garden Turns...?"

Luanne, your garden is the most stunning I've seen in my trip this time. Never have I seen a MAC with such a profusion of perfect huge blooms and the rest of the roses...oh my! We headed up to Russian River Roses yesterday where Jan had lots of blooms but I was spoiled entirely by your garden. Nothing comes close. Your love and care is well-placed indeed and I'm forever grateful that the roses saw fit to show themselves at their prettiest while I was here. Thanks for a great visit!

Showelprune them all and start growing vegetables instead Luanne. Best solution to your problem the way I see it!

Luanne,
I'm trying hard to feel sorry for you, but somehow it's just not happening. What a bevy of beauties! My roses are starting early, too. By the way, the original definition of "schmuck" in German is ornament, adornment (I won't go into the route it took to get from its original to its current meaning); which means that you're getting two meanings for one word!
"Gather your rosebuds while you may..."
Melissa

Oh dear some of you posted while I wrote...
But Riku are the crocus rebellious and are they on time???
Lance not a bad idea. the power of Madison Ave. in the rose garden.
Yes Redbird, I felt the same. MAC....
Hmm Terry, roses partying on their own by the light of the moon...
Gean, now that I've got a title. Maybe I should give it all up and write soap opras...
Sue you were the best bloom in the garden, the roses could learn smiling from you. And if it made you happy then I'll stop complaining. You're such good company.
Cupshaped, I already grew the vegetables and they have the same problems but don't smell so wonderful or look quite so pretty. I have some in the beds, they're hard to see.
2 for the price of one. It took me awhile to decide to cut the roses, they're only there such a short time so despite my stealing this opportunity to rag I'm just happy to see the end of the winter and it's rude to jump to the toop of your compost pile and pull a Tarzan...
la

Awww, come on, Melissa . . . We're all adults here, and some of us are quite interested in/open to continuing education. PLEASE give detailed info on the route 'schmuck' took from the original to the current meaning. Inquiring minds, you know, have an unquenchable need to know.

They are the only real philistines in the garden that is a pleasant palette of shades of whote, whotter, noir, noirer brun and bruner. So they are a bit offense and creating disharmony within the mensch organizational hierarchy of the garden. As to timing ... the ones planted by the machisomo are starting to peep out, the ones planted by la femme who grew up where spring was in February are blooming - I tell no lies ... the prairie crocus are not blooming yet.

What happened? I am usually the last one to understand something, but it looks to me like you have an absolutely beautiful garden with roses that some of them have finished blooming. I love the beds. The color on the leaves is great, and you have buds coming on.

I love to see your roses.

Sammy

Luanne, did you, perchance, prune less this year, inspired by Gregg? I've been noticing that roses that were pruned very lightly or not at all are in full bloom. In the cemetery, and at home, I don't prune any of roses "hard," but those that got a moderate trim are still thinking about spring, whereas those that barely got shortened, if at all, are busily blooming.

I've always thought that roses can either put their efforts into growing canes and leaves, or flowering, in the spring. We have examples of the same cultivar pruned two or three different ways in the cemetery, and there is no doubt that the more the roses were pruned, the less bloom they have right now. Common sense, right?

But perhaps it had nothing to do with the pruning, and everything to do with the fact that they learned about the party and are just misbehaving.

Things look gorgeous in your garden, and I hope the cemetery doesn't pale in comparison. Luanne and Sue, and other NoCal folks, hope to see you in Sacramento this weekend!
Anita

Those are some wonderful photos Luanne. Thanks for sharing. I bet you get a flush right through 'til May, no kidding.

Love,

Jerome

Luanne, my dear--you know they are "Queens of the Garden." Queens don't like having conditions dictated to them. Therefore, they are teaching you a lesson. As queens, they will bloom when they darn well decide to.

You should have approached them on bended knee and pleaded for mercy and understanding. Then they might have condescended to grant your request--if it "pleased" them to play gracious lady, that is.

You gotta learn the humble routine if you want to get anywhere in a rose garden, Luanne.

Kate

Luanne they just don't worry their beautiful selves with what date or time it is. It is always their time.

I had to come back this morning and see how beautiful this disobedient choir of lovelies is doing this morning. They are still beautiful. See. They know what is best. They bloom in their own time for your #1 fans, the gardenwebbies.

It's become a movement! Wait until I put up this mornings shoot.
Pam their time is pretty much now for all the ogrs. It is too late to cut off the bloom and expect a new one to show. I fear my guests will miss some of the best bloom.
Kate, Humble is not my storey, so far it's pretty much a draw.
Thank you dear Jerome, blessings are always appreciated.
Anita I've never been a hard pruner and the closest I get is MAC cut back to 4 feet, 3 times a year and look at her!
Mutabilis was not pruned and is as you say and the ones pruned in November have restored any lost growth. They just landed running this year.6 foot roses halved to 3 are right back at 6 again.
Yes Sammy, thank you, they were supposed to be primo for my garden party on May 9th and as soon as I told them, Bingo, they're ready, now....
Riku, I believe you.
Yes Melissa I can handle the challenge, explain Schmuck. I love etymologies.My dictionary just says a foolish or contemptible person.
la