'Duchesse d'Auerstadt':

"Ragged Robin" ('Gloire des Rosomanes'):

'White Pearl In Red Dragon's Mouth' ('Chi Long Han Zhu'):

Believe it or not, we are about to be in the same situation as you all (sort of). 70 % of our precipitation comes from our winter snow fall. We average 20-30" of snow each year. We've had less than 5" this year so far. As much as I'm loving the warmer temps so far, wells will run dry with so little water to fill them up.

I can't "Like" that Carrie Helene. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

And yes, like you, our area is almost completely dependent upon groundwater . . . and we're running short.

That's a scary situation in an agricultural County.

Yikes that's some serious enabling here. Something about that photo of Ragged Robin, just had me catch my breath. Just when I said I wouldn't have red roses in my garden.

It is way too warm here, also. I am running around in shorts and a t-shirt when it should be down parka weather. The roses are leafing out more than a month early. The late snow that we always get will just destroy them.

"Ragged Robin" is one of those rich shades of red that doesn't class with ANYTHING but screaming orange.
May I mention that the bush can grow to be large and shapely, and the foliage is lovely?
And did I say it is rarely out of bloom?
What a blessing that it was used as rootstock, so that old, old plants crop up all over the place.

Old rootstock of "Ragged Robin" crops up particularly in my garden. I can "like" only so much of it. Although in the right place, that color and form -- ! My heart goes out to the not quite proper.

Jeri your roses are so beautiful, I can't pick I favorite because I like them all!

Well, there are RR's and RR's. This one is pretty double (they aren't all) and it seems to have been quite an early one. If it's virused, we've never seen any sign, and it may well have been planted in the 1880's -- given when the house there (now gone) was built.
It's a beautiful plant, and it always makes me smile.
Before the gopher got it, it was a good 7-ft. tall, but it's back to 5-ft., and going strong.

Everything is starting early here too, it's simply ridiculous, but at the same time I'm enjoying seeing the young roses putting on new growth in the heat. According to NOA, I just read today that there's a good possibility that there will be quite a bit of rain in March and April. I'll believe it when I see it, but it did make me feel better to at least have some hope again. I'm glad you got so much rain, Jeri, since it's been really hot in your area; we had almost none. However, as long as everything is growing I'm happy, and if we do have late rains we should be seeing lots of growth and blooms after that.

I just love seeing blooms when my roses haven't even started to leaf out, except the ones kept in the garage over the winter. I've been trying to put the larger ones outside and then I have to bring them all back in for a freeze. Musical roses. I have gotten three roses in the ground with Jeri's holy pot method (intentionally spelled wrong).

Think it's bad that roses are blooming early?

Look at THIS:

And this (with "Grandmother's Hat" foliage):

Is that wisteria Jeri? If so, ouch. I was going to hit the 'like' button, but honestly I can't say I like the idea of that.

Most things are about 3 weeks to a month ahead for me too, but nothing quite so ridiculous as that. I think my wild cherry-gages might not set fruit though this year - they bloomed so early that there were not many bees about.

That Duchesse d'Auerstadt bloom is ravishing - it ended up being my pick to replace Alchymist, so I hope in a couple of years, I'll have glorious opulence like that.
And the Banks rose, as usual makes me wish I lived somewhere a little warmer. .. and had more room!

Yes. That's Wisteria. Way, WAY ahead of time.
I hope your Duchesse d'Auerstadt is budded. It looks like, as an own-root plant, it's going to always be a bush, here.

My next door neighbor's ceanothus tree has had some flowers on it since I bought my house last March 10. It's now LOADED with bud, blooms and BEES! That scent is amazing! The Banksiaes and Fortunianas are flowering here, too, as are all the evergreen pear trees. My Xanthina and Hugonis hybrid seedlings are also flowering. Some for the first time. And, as usual, Miss Lowe is flowering her heart out.

We're also several weeks ahead of schedule--like you, fduk, which may be relevant for Europe--though now that we're nearing the end of February it seems less unnatural, since this is when the first signs of spring usually appear for us. Almonds, the first fruit trees to flower here, are in full bloom, and most of the woodland flowers whose usual month is March. The Lady Banks roses have buds. The Teas and Chinas have been setting buds and trying to open them, sometimes successfully, all winter. Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' opened several weeks ahead of its usual time, and the crocuses are in full bloom and the earlier ones are fading. Many plants are sticking to their usual schedule: forsythia, peonies, the once-blooming old roses aren't precocious, and thank goodness, otherwise spring might be over by the time April came.

The best part of February has been the rain coming after a worrisomely dry winter. We've had two good rains, well spaced out, with a third forecast for this weekend: Nature is making handsome amends for her earlier stinginess. I hope you folks in southern California get rain too!

OH, JERI!!!! Beauty clear down to the leaves and stems!! Those old roses steal my heart!!! Thank you for the photos!

Jeri - my Dd'A is indeed budded - I read up on noisettes and the tea-noisettes carefully on here before trying so many this year, and opted to get them budded as almost everyone says they are slow to established, and hopefully the extra vigour from being budded will give them the vigor to do well here. I did read about yours refusing to climb, so if all it makes is a handsome shrub, where it is I can plant a nice clematis nearby and it'll provide the extra height.

My ceanothus are blooming, but this was their first winter so they are still small and look nothing like that!

My daphnes are long over for the season, but the viburnums are beginning as consolation. My japanese quince are all opening buds now too - I look forward all year to the double white flowers of Yukigoten.

My teas have all been setting, and sometimes opening buds all winter too - they seemed to take January off and are now busily grow, grow, growing. If I have time before work, I take my coffee out and look at them, because it's usually dark when I come home, and I need that fifteen minutes of restorative quiet time. I don't want to wish my life away, but I so long for the longer days when I can garden in the evenings. Every morning, more fresh new red growth is showing, and the peonies seem to grow even as I watch.

I saw today, my tiny own root Miss Lowe's ish specimen has just popped a new basal. I must get it in the ground, I'm very keen to see how it grows.