Gorgeous! I see that you have many of those big hosta in containers. Do you repot them frequently or just keep them in the same container for life? I'm starting to keep mine in pots for various reasons and I'm still unsure about how to maintain them long term.

Yea-much easier to deal with in winter too... less fatalities and less worry, I wish I would have made the Cactus bed a little bigger!(-;

Thank you Jean & Carol. Kathy - thank you. Soleil d'Or is classified as a Hybrid Tea/Hybrid Foetida. It's a wonderfuly fragrant rose and is covered in buds right now - I've only had mine a year and these are the first blooms. It's notorious for being a black spot magnet and totally defoliated for me this past fall, I thoguht that it was not going to make it - but it bounced back fine. I hope it makes it here in the garden as I don't spray ... Aprille

I freaked today when I went out and saw these big pink flowers on Sparishoop. I had many small own root roses for over the last 10 years and still trying to identify some so I can plant them. Last year Sparishoop got big enough to identify and I was so excited. It is one of my favorite roses and was so glad to find out I had another one and had just the right spot for it. I am so use to the peachy pink blooms with yellow stamens. Well this morning a bloom opened and it was all dark pink.. I was sure I had planted the wrong rose and felt horrible all day trying to figure out where I planted Sparrishoop... then I went on Garden Web and saw all the post of people dealing with their roses being different colors then they are normally because of the weather changes. Here in Marin CA we have had little water and it has been summer weather for 2 months. The days are nice and warm and it is chilly overnight.. Lady Banks bloomed in March.. Don Juan is full of bloom and I just pruned it again because it was putting out thin branches that were to heavy to hold up all the blooms.. Zephrine Droughin is covered with big pink blooms.. Now we have to worry about how we are going to keep these things watered through the summer.. I love those water beads and refresh them every year to keep down the need for watering.. Now I'm not sure who is going to pull them out first, the deer or the water company.