Roses (and others) everywhere

This post is very picture heavy - I love roses and this is their time, so I'm celebrating it.  Above is 'Mary Rose'.

Gladiolus Byzantinus, echoing the pink of the roses.

Rose 'Geoff Hamilton'.

Rose 'For Your Eyes only'.

Rose 'Eyes for You'.

One of the patio peonies 'Athens'.  Again, there is a bit of a pink theme!

Rose 'Cottage Rose'.

Rose 'Constance Spry'.

Rose 'Charles de Mills'.

A white peony 'Madrid' - just coming into flower.  This one is a patio peony but I have planted it in the border.  It has taken a while to get going.

Another patio peony 'Rome'.

Rose 'Bright as a button'...

Rose Ferdinand Pichard.

Lewisia Plum.

Lewisia Plum close up , showing the lovely striped flowers.

Rose New Dawn and Blush Noisette aren't quite in flower yet, but have lots of buds. More to look forward to.

Rose Winchester Cathedral started to develop rust as well as black spot, so I made the decision and it has gone.  However, a replacement white rose, Susan Williams-Ellis has just arrived, so I am looking forward to seeing what she will be like.

The roses are certainly centre stage at the moment and some have grown very tall this year.  I am really surrounded by them and I love it!

A Riot of Roses!

Collages created from my photos using picmonkey

So far, 2015 has been a wonderful year for roses here in my garden.  I have managed to squeeze twenty-two into my garden, adding to the collection over the years.  There is a pale pink theme going on, but this wasn't a conscious decision - it was mainly about the scent.  I have got one yellow rose and I have added some white and deeper pinky red this year, mainly in pots.  Most of them are in flower now and I am really enjoying the colours and perfumes.
Above top row from left to right: Gertrude Jekyll; Mary Rose: Cottage Rose
Middle row: Jacques Cartier; Ferdinand Pichard; Constance Spry
Bottom row: Chandos Beauty; Bright as a Button; Blush Noisette

Just a few more...
Clockwise top left to right: New Dawn; Diamond; Rosa Gallica Versicolor (Rosa Mundi); Frilly Cuff.
Diamond was my most recent purchase, just last week, and this is its first flower.  It is a miniature rose with a slight scent but is covered in buds.
 I do enjoy the garden when the roses bloom!

A Symphony of Pink!

My garden is flowering madly at the moment and I have a huge number of plants with pink flowers - not necessarily by design. There are also touches of blue, white and purple, but at the moment it is predominantly pink. Still, when the flowers are this gorgeous, I don't mind.

From the top - Rosa Mundi (Gallica Versicolour), Cottage Rose, Penstemon Garnet. I love this penstemon as it came through the coldest winter for 30 years completely unscathed and it is in a pot. I tried to take some cuttings but all but one have wilted and died. Undaunted, I shall try again because I would like lots more of this plant.

Clematis 'Piilu' which is very reliable and floriferous. For the first time this year, it has produced double flowers (below) at the same time as single flowers (above). It also has produced a multitude of buds too. It is a great plant.