>>>>Sad thing is, I wanted 4, but I couldn't find 6 that I wanted, so I just got 3.

No duplicates for you, huh ?

It's good to hear that you are so happy with your purchases.

Smiles,
Lyn

Lyn - I use multiple weather sites. That one in specific is Accuweather.com

Cindi - *green with envy!!!!*

I've wanted Raspberry Kiss ever since it first appeared on the Regan Nursery website among the new roses for the year. I just never found anything else I wanted, and I have an odd quirk that keeps me from buying just one thing. Even when I walk down to the local convenience store because I've run out of milk, I have to buy at least one other thing or I can't leave the store.

Raspberry Kiss is an unknown quantity, however, so I won't recommend it to you. I grow all of the others you're contemplating and I would definitely get Colette if I were you. It's one of the very best roses in my garden. I also love the performance qualities of The Wedgwood Rose. Luscious and Mother of Pearl are gorgeous, but they're fairly temperamental even in zone 9.

As a Downton Abbey fan, I'm sure I'll buy Anna's Promise if I see it for sale locally.

I too was thinking Colette!

I am ready for St Paddy's Day. I bought my corn beef and then instead of cabbage they had really nice big fresh Brussels sprouts so I decided on them instead of cabbage. I love Brussels sprouts and not that found of cabbage, I was thinking it was the 13th or 14th but after I got home I looked on the calendar and it is on the 17th. So I guess I had plenty of time.

Lily my new little dog having fun with her favorite toy.

For years now I have done my spring rose pruning mid March. But I don't remember when the winter was as nasty as this one so really those roses are not ready to wake up from winter and start growing. But I am impatient for spring. So I went out today and started spring rose pruning. I got the entire Southside Rose Garden Done plus the Shrub Rose Section in the front yard and also Rose Island. A very good start to punning.

So much winter damage and I think there are some few of the HTs that might be totally dead from this excessive winter. We will see. I was thinking if I should be upset if there are some dead roses but then I decided not to be upset if so and instead look upon it as an opportunity to get some new roses to take their place.

Last fall I added all sorts of bulbs everywhere around the garden and I do see things breaking ground all around. In the Southside rose garden between those roses I put in 600 mixed colors crocus, some tulips, about 150 new daffs (there were already daffs and tulips there) and I think I filled in pretty good. The bulbs should look really great this spring.

Rita - Definitely looking forward to seeing pictures of your dafs & tulips.. last year was spectacular!!! *jealous!!*

Did some minor cleanup this morning. Filled up a 50gal garbage bag of willow leaves/mum tops/iris leaves/dead annuals/tops of agastaches... even dead agastaches smell so good!!

I would like to start on spring cleanup here but I really can't because of the snow on the ground. Will have to wait for it to melt. Meanwhile there are possible snow events for all of next week so I don't know how it will go.

I had lots of bulbs blooming last spring but last fall put in even more bulbs. More than I had ever planted before. So I should have blooms everywhere come spring and I can't wait.

There are lots of bulbs already breaking ground so there is hope for spring yet.

"Spring" is arriving about a month early here. I generally don't start pruning until the end of March.

The forsythia is blooming in town, but mine have not even started to bloom. My garden is only 200' higher in elevation, but it does make a difference because my property is on a slope and cold air flows down hill.

I am going to start my pruning next week. We are going to have night temps in the high 20s to low 30s this week. Next week night temps will be in the low 40s, so I should be OK. Since we have about a 30 degree swing between day temps and night temps at this time of year, it's hard on the roses, if I prune too early.

Today, I just did housework even tho' the sun was out. My upper back was giving me fits from moving all of the rocks and clearing the storm drain on Saturday. I am so glad I got that job done because we got 2" of rain starting Saturday night through Sunday. I have a hunch this was the last serious rain storm for the year. Generally we have rain and snow all through March.

Waiting a week gives the soil time to dry out a bit, too. There is plenty of work to keep me very busy outside. I don't mind putting off pruning for a few more days.

Smiles,
Lyn

I am early but just so ready for spring. Tomorrow supposed to be nicer and warmer than today so probably can get more done.

Another beautiful day in southern California! Everything's budding & blooming on the patio...

It's light later and that's a very good thing! Stay dry & warm, my friends!

JulieB said:

Who *is* this gorgeous rose? I wanna steal it!!!

Thank you, Toni! It's a lovely little miniature w a lovely lavender shade & a big rose smell. I thought it a Jennifer but I'm not sure. But she is a beauty!

Julie - Could be Winter Magic, which Betty here developed!!! Or Arlene...

So here is the Southside Rose garden today after I pruned it way back like I do each spring yesterday. It amazes me that this view that looks like nothing much turns into the stunning spring show put on each year.



There are crocus leaves showing thru the mulch but no flowers yet. I put 600 mixed colors large flowering crocus into that Rose Garden. Plus more daffs and tulips.


These are my first crocus to bloom each spring. An early flowering species type.


And finally, here is Lily the dog looking around outside today.

Yay for beautiful days!!! I posted this elsewhere, but this is what I have going on right now..



I have very very few bulbs, only some hyacinths. But my neighbor's daffs are starting to peek up. Mine aren't. I do have quite a few agastaches starting to sprout though!

Oh Toni, what a difference between my weather and yours. Still the cold and nasty weather is supposed to return tomorrow. Which is why I took advantage of the extra nice weather today.

Rita - It was 76degs yesterday.

Skiekitty said:Rita - It was 76degs yesterday.

What a difference a day makes!