Oh so pretty. Love the babies...where do you get your roses ? I have bought all of mine in the past from ARE. Then last year when Ashdown went out of business I got 8 from them. One died while I was gone on my bike trip...DH didn't see it and forgot to water it. All are doing great but there is something that has started to bore into some of the unopened blossoms. I sprayed with soap and water today. I don't use any sprays. Do you ? What do you use ? It is all so lovely in your climate. c

Kay- I can't believe how lovely your garden looks...and that you have roses and iris blooming! I'm still waiting for my daffodils to bloom :)

Roses look great and I love that bloom on Tropicana. Very nice. Love the iris bed too :-)) Hope your Japanese beetles never come LOL!

Again, so pretty!
I have been schleping those bags of mulch also.The last couple of days have been very humid, muggy and hot....89.

Thankfully none of the fires are near here, but that could always change. We have not had above .10 of an inch of rain in over 3 months.

The iris are gorgeous. Mine are just about done. I have ordered some from a place in CA. One of their tips was to plant an iris and daylily near each other, as the daylily is the next to bloom.

I think I will do that.

Trailrunner, I get my roses from heirloom, Vintage, Antique Roses Unlimited, and I have some Austins on order from Chamblees. You can't beat Vintage for the quality of their bands. ARE has 2 gallon plants, so they are off and running. Heirloom's bands have to be planted and allowed to grow some before you put them in the garden, but the roses in the first and last photos were all tiny bands from Heirloom (three years ago). The blooms are 5 to 6 inches on them...I've never had blooms like that til now.

Most roses in the second and third photos are from Vintage except one is from ARE...they have been planted much less than one year. Chamblees are supposed to be one gallon. I like own-root roses.

The iris are from Schreiners.

I spray with fungicides, but not insecticides...I use alfalfa, Rosetone, and composted manure...and lots of water. On the Antique rose forum, I have read that water is the best fertilizer for roses, and I believe. it.

Lavender-lass Don't give up, Spring is coming.

Thanks Rita, me too, but it's a forlorn hope.

Plantmaven...your rain sounds like ours for a couple of years...none. I hope that turns around quickly for you.
But, I would think a long time before I planted iris and daylilies next to each other. That may indeed work in California, the land where everything seems to grow, but the water needs for those two plants are different here. My iris would rot if they got as much water as the daylilies need.

Thank you all for such sweet comments...I am obsessed with my garden.
kay

That last pic is so perfect it can't be real!!!!ha! I just bought 3 roses from Ontario, that I have to get planted, they are such babies, I hope they can survive me! I am noticing that roses seem to be doing good this year, sprouting up, and The new climbers I planted are doing good too, I was wondering if they would be able to grow with the wax coating they had on them....

so pretty! your iris bed is just to die for!

Thanks for the beautiful pictures. We're so far behind you here, I can't wait! I love the last rose, that is probably my favorite color...a peachy orange.

Thanks aimekitty...I love the iris,
clamity_j and bev2000 When I take roses to work nothing gets the oohs and ahhs and comments like that Tequila Sunrise. It blooms pretty well too with a fair number of buds.

I am determined to take better care of them all summer, so we'll see how they do.
kay