Thanks all :) sorry for my delay in replying- I am now back at work, so time is more limited that it was last month - HarmonyP- no fertilizer, too lazy. :) Sidos- the large pink bush is Mons. Tillier OrganicKitten- the clematis is "The President" I was thinking back to how old these bushes are- they must be 8-10 years old. Pretty much left them to do their own thing, and this is what happened. I have another rose bed with newer, more immature roses (teas and noisettes) that I haven't shared pics of yet- as they just arent as pretty. But I will post those soon so others with newer roses can see what my younger plants look like. I would guess in that bed I have some roses that are 5+ years old, some closer to 3. I do know I have Homere- and I refuse to get rid of it because it is harder to find, however the blooms are never pretty. (They just dont open here). After I have the mulch/compost blown in next week I will be planting my newer rose bands and work on getting those well established this summer. Happy Days :) Marleah

Thank you. Lynn, Reine Victoria has medium green leaves. It defoliates from blackspot but this does not hurt it. It's 6 feet tall in my garden setting with an upright, vase shape to it. Strawberryhill, my Bourbons repeat better than some of the Hybrid Perpetuals. Sharifa Asma is a great rose, (it is quite thorny....) Ingrid, it could be the humidity helps the fragrance to waft. It is very humid here. Lesley, the Bourbons have been hardy for me. I'm in zone 5. They defoliate from blackspot but do well, nonetheless.

What a treat for the eyes on a hot day in August. Thanks for sharing! I have a young Evelyn- she's still in the pot ghetto so she didn't do much this year. Once I find a place to plant her, I hope she takes off.

Thanks everyone! Looking back at the pictures gives me hope for next year. No accidents yet, but close a couple times. Also one ticket for running a stop sign....does that count? :-) I have so much work ahead this spring. The DL bed has been in place since 2005 and badly needs dividing. Just not sure what I will do with all the "extra" plants. Not many of my friends are into gardening. Guess I can always put a free sign and put them on the boulevard. Have done that before. luckygal, the bridal wreath has really done well for me. Only problem is it wants to get bigger than I want it to. So I prune it back several times each year, but later in the summer I have to let it go if I want blooms in the spring! Jacqui, don't prune in fall. You are cutting off the spring blooms when you do that. I always prune it back after it finishes blooming and then again about mid-summer. Annette, glad my pictures brightened your day. I was actually surprised when I looked back through my pictures. I didn't remember the spring having that much color in my yard! cyn, calamity and roseberri, thank you! Martha, more time than I like sometimes. But like a child, once you have them you must continue to lavish love and attention on them. CMK, as said above, sometimes I almost resent the time required. But then when everything is blooming I am again revitalized. (even to plant more....!)but no more new beds. We gave the rototiller to our son! plantmaven, how can you say that? Your gardens are lovely! We have had drought as well, but nothing like you have had recently. Just lugging the hoses around can be quite a challenge! It can be so disheartening, to see gardens you have worked so hard and spent considerable $$ on, then wither and die in drought.