The trees are taking over this part of the garden

Le Vesuve has perked up since our brief rain

If you look carefully after you increase the size of the photo you can see the garden through the front door!

It's always fun to get a picture where you find something is showing that you didn't quite expect.. it sort of plays tricks on you, I've got one or two like that and I've had to study them to see just how did a fence or some shrub or other get into the shot I just took.. in your case your front door seems to have got into there about 3 times...

..that's good going..

lovely as always... especially with your China..

...I haven't taken any since early Oct.. changing things around as usual at this time of year because the soil is warm and now's the time... I've got 9 roses arriving next month, so I needed to get rid of some tired old shrubs I didn't need any more... now I've got spaces for nearly all of them... so looking forward to some nice new ones...

My dog got rid of a couple earlier... dug up in the middle of the night and thrown across the garden.. I have to block areas off and I don't like doing that to him...

Nearly 80F again here tomorrow... I can hardly recall that in October in my lifetime.. yet I've already had 2 frosts... I love that Ficus tree by the way, it looks fresher than the last photo you put up of it...

You're right, Ingrid... I take pics, but rarely post them as they're often for my "documentation" as opposed to "beauty" shots. Jeri, I love Katie in her costume. Yours always look to be the happiest dogs! Jumping out at me are Elizabeth's China and Bishop Darlington. The latters' buds remind me of my recent addition Gold Blush, but with a much prettier flower (thus far). Ingrid, yours are gorgeous as usual. Le Vesuve bush form, Leon LePain and the deck shots! This is a new view I don't recall seeing before. : ) What a beautiful cabinet shot, also. I think I have that Chinese pottery book, but I have so many pottery books. The b/w lidded vessel is exquisite.

I'll post a few pics here in a bit. : )

Here's one I posted in the Rose Gallery but no one goes there anymore. It was under the thread Small Roses and Their Big Sisters. Most of these other pics were taken for my own consumption so have pity on them. I keep many of my pot pets in five gallon buckets also until I can get them in the ground or in a better-looking pot! So there's that! Viking Queen and Cornelia

The Fairy

La France

I have many more, but is that enough for you yet? :-) LOL!

vaporvac… your roses are very nice, I'd be proud of those.. I just wanted to ask you a question... the photo of 'New Dawn' is that recent? does it repeat for you? or is that a main flush photo?... only I've been in discussion with some people on HMF about this rose, and a number of people are saying their rose doesn't repeat these days...

I just wondered what your experience was... thanks...

Some Fall photos here, Ingrid.

My New Dawn never rests! Those were from late August, but she's still in bloom and sending out huge blooming laterals that spill over the back of those balustrades. If not for New Dawn, I'd sometimes wouldn't have any roses. : ) However, I am a religious dead-header, and since she grows horzontally it's easy to step into the beds to do so. I have Awakening as well and she is like her in every respect thus far in her first full year.

My cultivars are original to my 100+ yr. old house and were planted soon after she was sold... the two originals are beasts, but have been successfully transplanted more than once. I've also propagated by accident others and they are also just as bloomiferous! I think many people are actually growing Dr. Van Fleet which (as I'm sure YOU know) is the once-blooming parent from which ND sported! I remember how thrilled I was when I Id'ed her thinking she was the rarest thing in the world. I love this rose.

Sheila, all your beauties have such a grace about them. MMe. cochet reminds me of La France. Do you just love that form?

I do love both MMe Cochet and La France. I do think those very double roses are my favorites. Maman Cochet is exquisite in every bloom, and La France is so lush.

vaporvac… thanks for the information.. I think all future clones of 'New Dawn' should be taken from your rose... it seems it's pot luck whether one gets the real thing these days..

Wow, love everyone's autumn rose pictures... so many great pictures.

Ingrid, your deck looks like the perfect spot for Strawberry Jamba Juice and corn chips! Nice spot for outdoor meals... great view.

The porcelain photo is beautiful; the wood of the glass case coordinates with the door.

Evelyn

Fragrant Memory

S.deMcKinley... now that's a rose we don't hear of too often! What rarities you guys grow! Uh oh! Just now realizing it's YOU, Krista.... and anything you can grow I can grow too! I can just generally admire all these hot house beauties, but your could inspire some real enabling! ; 0

OT... but I saw an old movie the other day and they mentioned roses by name. One was Mme. Hardy and the other was President Hoover, I think. I couldn't believe it! Wish I could remember the film... I think it was starring Gene Tierney, but It might have been another.

Marlorena, I have offered cuttings of my ND, but only one taker and that was reluctanly. ; ( I know she's thorny, but so are many others and at least I can hold her canes between the thorns. I recently fell into a rugosa Basye's Purple and that was NO FUN.

I wasn't able to look at my laptop all day and am sitting here at 10 p.m., listening to very loud claps of thunder, and it is raining!!! I'm beside myself with joy and relief. There is apparently no more rain for some time after this storm, but this is not just a drizzle; it's the real thing.

I was sooo happy to see everyone's roses, how wonderful to have a peek at everyone's gardens.

Marlorena, what fun to get new roses for your wonderful garden. My gosh, it's warmer at your home than mine, and in fact right now it's 60 degrees since the rain has cooled things down a bit, but I think today we got up to 79. The weather is not predictable anywhere these days, and of course there is another catastrophic hurricane that has come up through Florida and further north. The devastation is incredible.

Jeri, that picture of Bishop Darlington is amazing, the most beautiful I've seen of that rose, and Eugene de Beauharnais is also stunning. The absolute star of course is your sweet Katie; how I would love to hug her. I do so hope that you also got some rain from this storm.

Sheila, your roses are so lovely, every one of them, but my favorite is Comtesse Emmeline de Guigne, a purple stunner that looks wonderful next to the blue companion plant. Your Rosette Delizy is stunning; I don't believe mine has ever had that deep a color. I'm glad we have William R. Smith in common too. I'm really fond of that rose. I see we also have La France in common, one of my favorite roses, although yours does not look precisely like mine. Here is mine for comparison:

Krista, I'm glad you like my deck. It is a rather peaceful place to sit, especially when there is a beautiful golden and apricot sunset. Your roses are all gorgeous, but I love, love, love Evelyn. It seems to be very happy in your garden.

I hope I have the real La France, Ingrid. I'm thrilled you got rain. I think mine is immature. Not much rain here.

RD in September. I think Jeri had Comtesse Emmeline de Guigne at one time.

I'm happy to say, Sheila, that your follow-up picture of La France does indeed show that it's the correct one, no more doubts about that. It looks absolutely gorgeous, especially for a young rose. Rosette Delizy above looks more like mine, but I would love to see those deeper reddish tints that yours has in the earlier picture. I cannot believe how mature your garden looks.

vaporvac, I somehow missed your La France the first time around, perhaps because the blooms are not fully open and the color is somewhat lighter. Your Archduke Charles is so pretty, showing more pink tones than are seen in hot and dry climates. I would love to see full shots of your garden and the background of trees; it all looks so lush and wonderful.

Oh what gorgeous pictures, everyone! I am only posting one for now. It’s from a few days ago, and I’m about to take poor sick Sebastian to the vet.

Here is Leveson Gower and some friends.

How ‘bout this fabulous rain, Ingrid?!?! Lisa

Gorgeous, Lisa. I hope Sebastian is OK. I hate hearing about sick animals.... they're such troopers and it's such a helpless feeling. Let us know how it goes. We're all rooting for him.

Ingrid, lush is one way to put it.... out of control is another! ; 0 We get so much rain, it's like a jungle and once those trees get going they're hard to cut down and self-seed everywhere. I only like to let the Cornus Mas and other dogwoods spread as they are edible. It will be a while before any full shots as my stone is a mess and really brings down the entire picture.;(( However, the roses are detracting from that! ; )

That is Cl. La France and the light was a bit blown out. I'm getting the bush from HCR this spring.

vaporvac, I thought that your La France might be the climbing form because of the direction the canes were growing. I think you'll like the bush form, it's very well-behaved and stays compact. Hopefully you'll show us some great shots of your garden next spring. I suppose it might be a mixed blessing, but I just love the gorgeous green backdrop in your pictures. When I lived in Canada I took that kind of scenery for granted, but now it has all the allure of the unusual and greatly longed for.

Lisa, your Leveson-Gower is wonderful. However, I'm very concerned about Sebastian. I gather he's not a youngster, but I do hope it's nothing too serious. He's such a sweetie and my fingers are tightly crossed for him.

The rain was incredible and I am so grateful. However, there is a high wind alert for Monday which the weather channel warned about, saying it would quickly dry out the moisture, which of course means fire danger. Why does every silver lining have a cloud these days???

Ingrid, some lovely photos here. I'm so glad to hear you are having some rain. It started raining here a few days ago, and having not known how to start for most of a couple of years, it does now not know how to stop. Unfortunately it is mostly just coastal, so the poor farmers have had little benefit.

Sheila, I melt every time I see RD against your pink wall - so lovely.

vaporvac (curious about how you chose your name?!), I love the look of your stone balustrade with New Dawn draping over it. I am a huge fan of ND, the blooms have such a beautiful sheen. I had it in a previous garden, and mine repeated well.

Here are a few poor quality photos from this season - I need to invest in a proper camera.....

Mme Lambard and cistus salvifolia

Titian, a sprawling monster, looking nothing like the light red it really is

Etoile de Lyon

3D pink ostoespermum, flowers nonstop, and has reached 5' by 5' in a year

Trish

Lovely. I can almost smell the roses.

Titan - do you recall the name of that first osteospermum? I keep seeing pictures of it or something very similar and would love to know the variety. Been keeping an eye out at the nursery but see mostly white or sort of metallic colors. We'll probably have more of the 3d varieties available next year but I really like the color and simplicity of the single bluish lavendar.

Mary, sorry I don't know the name. I agree, I prefer it to all the others I have, with the possible exception of one that either starts of a muted orange and changes to a mauve, or the other way round! The 3D ones are harder to place.

I am glad that you finally got a real RAIN, Ingrid!!!

Trish, your Etoile de Lyon is to die for. How I wish I had it. I also really like your cistus 'Silver Pink'. Does it do well in the heat and bloom for a reasonable length of time?

Thank you bart. We had a bit over an inch which is monumental. I hope you're keeping well.

Wonderful news, Ingrid, on your rain!

Ingrid, Etoile de Lyon needs a dry, hot climate like yours I think. Sadly, the blooms often go to mush here. The "Silver Pink' cistus blooms for months, and is graceful and soft looking. This is the one I have been banging on about to you! We have had very little rain till now, for well over a year, and it needs very little water to survive once established. It's been pretty hot too. The flowers are pinker than in the photo. It looks much better in reality than in my photo. I am hoping to propagate more, as it drapes over walls very nicely, and I have a lot of them!

I agree that osteospermum is lovely. I have a bunch that self sow around the place, but non as lovely as that one.

All the soil is still nice and damp from our recent rain. It’s such an unusual sight. I ought to be out pulling weeds. Everything has been sorely neglected lately. I fear the dreaded chilli thrips may have found my garden late this summer. I thought it was heat and sun damage, but when I read the recent “Chilli Thrips Post”, those pictures looks disturbingly familiar. When I read and saw Tiffandrew’s post and pictures I was pretty much convinced. She’s just a few miles away from me. I’ve been cutting and tightly bagging all affected growth. Hopefully now that the temperatures are coming down they will disappear. It’s always something!

Speaking of “always something”, thanks for your concern about Sabby. Ingrid, you’re right. He’s no spring chicken anymore. I think he’s at least 12. I could look it up, but I’m afraid he could be a year older, and I don’t want to know it:). On Thursday he began going into the litter box a bit more often than usual, just enough to make me wonder. On Friday morning he doing the same, with an increase in visits. He was still eating and drinking and would purr when I pet him. I knew the vets office was open on Saturday and Sunday, so I decided to keep and eye on him. Friday afternoon I went to the nursery and grocery store and upon my return found a small puddle of blood tinged urine just outside the litter box. By this time, he was also going in and out of all the litter boxes in the house, one after the other, at an alarming rate. We didn’t feel that he had a blockage, as his bladder was soft and small when palpated. Eventually, I set him up in the garage with access to my bathroom with the door between my bathroom and bedroom closed. Strangely, my house has a door from the garage to the master bathroom. I removed the bathroom rug, and provided him with food and water. I did loads and loads of laundry, so the dryer would help keep things extra warm in there. (It was the boys lucky day:) I had to confine him to an area without carpet, because by Friday night he was trying to go potty in the craziest places. (Pillows, blankets, carpet, bags, and decorative baskets). My poor baby figured if it hurt in the litter box, maybe it would work better somewhere else, ANYWHERE else. Neither one of us slept much that night, but every single thing in this house has been freshly laundered. I called the office the moment they opened and they said to bring him in as soon as I was able. Of course, he hid under my bed the minute he saw his carrier, while Millie climbed in, and was ready to go somewhere. They did a quick ultrasound and confirmed that his bladder was empty, so he didn’t have a blockage. He was also well hydrated. I asked if the vet could please give him an injectable antibiotic instead of the tablets, because Sabby is truly a pill to administer pills to. Pun intended. He’s had the same problem (urinary tract infection) once before, and giving him the tablets was a real nightmare. My son,(who gives pills to animals all the time for work) thought I was exaggerating, until I started asking him to help me. He now agrees Sebastian is the most stubborn cat about taking medication he’s ever come across. So Sebastian got the injection and an antispasmodic capsule that can be sprinkled in his wet food twice a day until his symptoms abate. I’m happy to report that after just 24 hours Sebastian is much improved! I’m so relieved. He even went outside with everyone this morning for the usual garden stroll. Sorry about the long drawn out explanation, but that’s been my first priority for past few days. Thank goodness for good vets that are open 7 days a week!

On to the roses, what few I have in bloom. Felicia seems to always have at least a few clusters of delicately colored blooms to show. I even detect her delightful fragrance today, since it’s not very dry out. I guess tomorrow there won’t be any detectable fragrance with the dry winds coming:( I finally ordered that sticky anchor system for Felicia, so I can train her over the arches. It’s about (past) time!

Miss Alice with some companions. Those pink scabiosa’s are already popping up little seedlings, even in the nearby lawn. I’m going to dig a few up and move them.

Flamingo Gardens Tea

St. Elisabeth of Hungary

Young Crepuscule

A tiny piece of Mel’s Heritage

Titian -- You can salvage your Etoile de Lyon blooms by peeling off the outer circle of petals. The bloom will, usually, then open normally. I learned that, when my climate was normally cool and foggy.

Etoile de Lyon is perfect in dry areas like I have. Ingrid, you probably need this one. I finally have Souv d Pierre Notting, so I can see for myself what the "ruff" is all about. Thank you, Lisa, for the FGT photo. So glad to hear your kitty Sabby is doing better.

Etoile de Lyon.

Thanks,Jeri, I do do that, but sometimes almost the whole bloom is mush.