Wow, it's already May. I find my thoughts already straying to my plans for next year. Roses Unlimited will soon be having its big annual sale. We'll all have to keep an eye out for that one.

This month's thumbnail photo is Ambassador, a hybrid tea.

Oh yah! May already, where does the time go?! May is my favorite month.

Visited Zuzu's yesterday so i can add a few shots to this thread. This is my favorite arbor of hers, with the snowball viburnum blooms hanging over it.


I think most of these have their names on them.
















and these sweet little 'blossoms', her next door neighbors twins.

Great shot of the arbor and the pond beyond, Sue.

So lovely. What are the small orange flowers in the top photo?

*thud* I'm all excited that I have a few blooms and then I see these. This is about the extent of what I've got. LOLLL! I put in a few petunias in this bed but the cold a few nights ago wilted them pretty badly.


I also have a few columbines blooming.


Closest thing I have to rose blooms is Rise n Shine (mini)


and Theresa Bugnet


I have lots & lots of buds, though. Here's Charles de Mills (that's what it came tagged as from RU).. HMF states that it's nearly thornless, but this thing is EVILLY thorned.


Got some baby buds on Camayeux.. this thing is growing like a weed. Got it from Melva a couple of years ago. (hidden to the left is a Blue Girl.. I really need to prune the winterkilled canes off!)


And got a picture of a pink aphid on Escapade. Took the picture, squished the aphid. Surprisingly I've got an abundance of ladybugs this year and hardly ANY aphids. *happy dance!!*

Those are Geum, Cindy.

Things are taking off nicely, Toni.

Oh yeah, did we have fun, again?!


Zuzu's Lowes rhodie for under $19, it's a beauty! The name is Percy Wiseman


Besides HD and Lowes, we hit 3 other nurseries and with a slight overcast day, it was perfect for photography. And there were lots of lovely blooms of all kinds.



and Zuzu picked up this little cutie, she is getting quite a collection of Pacific Coast iris.


And the beautiful colors of Koko Loco, what a beautiful form, just elegant! I could take 50 shots of it.




Spanish Sunset


Tequila Supreme


All American Magic


Cecile Brunner


and one of my favorites, Westerland, we saw this in several nurseries.


And then this one came home with me, it was marked as Jacob's Robe but we believe it's a sport of it because all the blooms had a bit of streaks. Compared to all the other pots of JR around it, it was the only one like it. (not a sport, just an awesome looking bloom!)


And this one was tagless, drove me nuts. I photograph a lot of roses and have not seen one like, it didn't look familiar. I just love it's perfect mauvey pink bloom surrounded by all these exquisite buds to make it picture perfect.

Sue - if you look at the picture I posted in the database for Jacobs Robe, you'll see that it had streaks, too. But I LOVE that iris!! How could you guys not buy everything??? *swoon!!*

Ha, you're right Tony, I hadn't opened the entry lately to see that. All the other ones at the nursery were more like these two images I had taken earlier.



So it may not be unique but it's special to me!

Sue - Did you purchase that mystery mauve? *SWOON!*

To me, it looks like Blue Angel. http://www.helpmefind.com/rose...

No I didn't and it was more pink than mauve, the lighting was already late afternoon. And can you believe Zuzu didn't grab it either?!

Wow.

I'm so envious of your selection out there!! Those roses are incredible!

It makes me giddy Trish! Just living where I do now makes me giddy!

I've been giddy for almost 30 years now. The variety of nurseries we have, even now that the economic downturn has forced so many out of business, is incredible, and we have other sources too. When I moved up here from the Bay Area, I had almost no money at all and was buying roses and other plants at the flea market for a quarter or 50 cents. Some of the biggest plants in my garden started out as 50-cent plants that I carried home in my purse.

On Saturday I'm going to the jail plant sale. The local jail has a gardening program for the inmates and they sell the plants at ridiculous prices -- 50 cents for 4-inch containers, $2.50 for 1-gallon containers, etc. The most expensive plant is $25.00 and that's for 15-gallon containers.

She keeps talking about the jail sale, I may just have to go have a look!

wow............. *turning green w/envy*

The only thing the prisons here are allowed to produce for the public (kinda) are tilapia (sold at Whole Foods), farm work, & breaking mustangs for the USBorder Patrol (http://www.governing.com/topic...). Plants at the flea market run about the same price as a nursery, so what's the point there.

We are pretty spoiled here, I have 3 wholesale nurseries we hit on a pretty regular basis as well as the retail ones.

The wholesalers will let you come in??

I have a sellers licensee for my small business, Portrait Gardens.

ah... lucky. :)

There's a couple of wholesale nurseries here, but most of them are clear up in Fort Collins / Greeley area so that's a little outta my way, even if I could shop. The gas wouldn't justify the trip.