"Roses, roses, roses, I thank all the roses that bloom in the spring..."

Snazzy, jazzy words and music by Ray Gilbert and Dori Caymmi, with the best rendition done, IMHO, by the late, great Sarah Vaughan (sorry Andy Williams). But I digress.

I hard pruned my hybrid tea roses and lightly trimmed the shrub & English roses in late January. I also amended the rose beds with bone meal, fish emulsion and rose fertilizer in March. Then about 2 weeks ago, I was amazed to see that almost every rose bush had burst forth in show-stopping bloom! I've just never seen these gals looking as fantastic as they do right now since planting them almost 4 years ago. Twasn't me, but rather great weather and mother nature...

4/27/10 'Audrey Wilcox' Hybrid Tea Rose.

5/2/10 'Margaret Merrill' English Legend Rose (Harkness of England).

5/8/10 'Margaret Merrill' English Legend Rose (Harkness of England).

5/2/10 'By Appointment' English Legend Rose (Harkness of England).

5/2/10 'Ingrid Bergman' Hybrid Tea Rose.

5/2/10 'Miss Dior' English Legend Rose (Harkness of England).

5/8/10 'Miss Dior' English Legend Rose (Harkness of England).

4/25/10 'Falstaff' David Austin English Rose.

5/8/10 'Jude the Obscure' David Austin English Rose. One of my favorites, for both flower form and exceptional fragrance. Not a real fan of Jude the Obscure from Thomas Hardy's namesake novel (although the character came before the rose), as the whole thing was a real downer, if you know what I mean.

5/16/10 'Chicago Peace' Hybrid Tea Rose. Lovely pink and copper tones...

5/8/10 'Dove' David Austin English Rose.

5/8/10 'Dove' to the left, 'Margaret Merrill' to the right.

5/8/10 'Heirloom' Hybrid Tea Rose.

5/8/10 Rose bed in front of the kitchen herb garden.

5/20/10 Apothecary's Rose (Rosa gallica officinalis). A much-heralded, historic old garden rose, perhaps originating from ancient Persia, and likely introduced to Europe by knights of the Crusades. Hails back to the 12th century or earlier. During the War of the Roses in medieval England, it became a symbol of the House of Lancaster vs. the white rose (Rosa alba) of the House of York. Very fragrant, and once-blooming in late spring.

5/22/10 'Scentimental' Floribunda Rose ('Playboy' x 'Peppermint Twist,' hybridizer Tom Carruth 1997). A tribute to my grandmother.

6/13/10 'Gentle Giant' Hybrid Tea Rose.

6/13/10 'Moonstone' Hybrid Tea Rose.

5/8/10 Hana in 'Yoda' mode.

I will add more rose pix to this post as they bloom over the season. No mildew, no aphids (thank you lady bugs!), and terrific blooms this year...what more could I ask for?