Looks pretty. JoanMN

You folks are too kind. Yes, this is the worst flowering I've ever seen since I started gardening, but then, it's just flowers. The plants are generally fine. We haven't had any slides (quite a bit of earth shifting and bulging, though, with all that rain in the winter). Some plants have actually been beautiful, though the roses are a distraction; and I never thought I would find myself saying, "Thank goodness the roses are nearly done blooming and the garden can start to look decent again"! I was down in the big garden yesterday evening. My husband had mowed most of the main paths, and the contrast between the mowed areas and the beds with their shrubs and cultivated herbaceous plants and wild grasses, with Italian cypresses sticking up here and there, was, from certain angles, beautiful. I'm not taking the weather well, it's too sunny and too warm and leaves me sleepy and lethargic, but it has been lovely the last few days, the air washed clean and blue, a breeze blowing, the trees the deep green of early summer. The lavender and common wild daylilies (the only ones I like) are in flower now, strong colors that go well with each other and with the colors of sky and woods. Down in the shade garden rose 'Centifolia' has somehow managed to preserve a good portion of its blooms and is looking most satisfyingly romantic, without losing its dignity in the process. 'Chapeau de Napoleon' also looks pink and lush, if you don't go close enough to see the beetles, and is entwined with the silver and gold of anthemis: a happy sight. I appreciate all the sympathy, but in fact I know that this doesn't even come close to being a disaster, not even a second-rate one; certainly not to be spoken of in the same breath with people who've lost their homes to a tornado. All of us, everyone who has written here, goes through hard times of drought, flood, winter ice storms, spring freezes, humid mosquito-plagued summer, dreadful bug infestations. Even with this bad spring, I consider myself one of the luckiest gardeners around, with a soft job when it comes to getting plants to grow. Many of you have harder conditions to deal with than I do. Today DH and I went out to the far end of the property where there's an old pear tree in the middle of a field. Years ago we planted two roses there because at the time we didn't have any other place for them: 'Alberic Barbier' and 'Gloire de Guilan'. They're out of reach of water and have gotten practically no attention since we planted them, but lo and behold, they're alive and blooming--with no beetles!!--and with a good firm tenacious hold on existence, too. Last fall or winter we went there and cut away brambles and wild clematis and hawthorn from around the roses, and today we trained 'Alberic Barbier' further up the pear and gave the brush another haircut. GdG is still small but appears well established. The countryside is really, really lovely this time of year; and on the way back we stopped by the cherry tree--the best cherry tree in the whole world--and picked a colander full of fruit before returning home. Really, the world is a beautiful place. Bart, your spring sounds exactly like our spring; DH and I share your frustration about those weather reports. Our inch of rain was probably a couple of millimeters. Good luck with your watering: it sounds like a lot of work. Do you have a shady place to sit and pass the summer? That's a must in Italy, plus a long siesta every day, and try to get things done early in the morning and in the evening. Jackie and Jeri, I'm glad for your rain, which sounds like a blessing! Though I can, with some mental exertion, imagine getting tired of rain. About the supplemental watering, we don't water our plants after the first year, and we have a regular summer drought that runs from two to four months, THOUGH we get a generous annual rainfall, about 40". The plants do fine, perhaps helped by the depth of clay under them, though of course the roses don't bloom when they're dry. But everything lives. (I hope that's true this year as well, with a drought that begins in spring and not in summer.) Sammy, I like your comment about the companion plants! It's very much that way in my garden! But then, in spite of all the roses we grow, I've never considered mine a rose garden. Good luck to you as well! Laura, I hope your garden gets better weather too! Ingrid, for heaven's sake, rejoice in the lovely garden you've had this spring: it makes me feel happy just to hear that it bloomed really well. I appreciate your and others' good wishes. We have a wonderful amount of beauty here, and are definitely not objects of pity, the plague of beetles notwithstanding. Jana, Well, that's pretty much our rule. Different people garden in different ways. Greybird, you're one of the gardeners who make me realize what a soft, cushy gardening job I have here. I'm glad you finally got some rain!! We suffer from wind too, not to the extent that you do, though. I imagine windbreaks are not a possibility? I'm looking forward to the maturing of the seedling trees we keep planting. No doubt I'll be an old lady by the time they make their influence felt. Paula, one of the many kind voices I've heard after my complaining. I think the truly beautiful, albeit dry weather we've had since I wrote my first post has had a beneficial effect on my mood. Plus the roses are nearly out of their misery and the garden is entering a new phase. We're doing pretty well, and a good crop of cherries certainly helps one's mood. It's okay for the moment. We may even get some rain in a couple of days! Thanks for listening folks! I wish we may all have a change for the better in our weather! Melissa

Thank you for the nice remarks. @ Inga - I love Kentucky Derby! To this day it is still my favorite red rose. Irregardless of the temperature outside it retains a true cherry red and has the most delicious fruity smell. My Mr. Lincoln and Chrysler Imperial tend to take on a more strawberry red from the Florida heat. @ lesmc - I'm torn on whether that's really Tiffany or not. I'm so used to Tiffany being pink with yellow undertones but so far this new Tiffany I picked up has produced more peaches-and-cream-like blooms. I'm not complaining though I love the petal structure of these blooms!

Yes, the Mayflower and Susan Williams Ellis are both excellent. Beautiful foliage on them and so healthy. Marlorena, I am sure you find a similar variety of dianthus. I like the older ones with the softer colors that are a little taller. Thanks Ingrid. I didn't know that was the translation. So much nicer than "purple pavement" Here are a few more shots I snapped this morning when the sun came out. Most of my roses are still in the bud phase. These are the early birds. Therese Bugnet Sunny Knockout - not a favorite but can be pretty More Rotes Meer Roseraie de l'Hay -Chris