A Good Year for Roses!!!!

 

California roses are the best!! They are like weeds, in a way.  They never get a really dormancy of winter, so you have to give them an artificial vacation from time to time, letting them straggle a bit--then cut them back, fertilize, water like heck, and they just bloom like crazy.  This has been a lovely summer of roses after a very un-prepossessing spring.  I have yellow, white, and pink (LOTS of pink) roses in front.  I love the pastel colors the best.  In the back there's a crimson climber put in by my husband years ago, and it responds the same way to neglect/cut/fertilize/water.  It puts out bouquets of lovely red velvet flowers.

 

I love roses; can't understand people who do not like them.  Our roses, possibly because of my gypsy gardening methods, are never the same twice.  One bloom will be a huge crape-paper cabbage rose, and its neighbor will look like a wild rose only bigger and more ruffly.  Don't know why.  Each one is beautiful. I left all these on the bush because they do last longer that way, and it's such a pleasure to see them when we drive into the driveway!  YAZZYBEL