Thanks for that, yes it is getting exiting now. I have a mass of tulips now and the dutch iris are coming on. As far as roses go I put in a new bed this year...Sir Walter Raleigh is planted near Dame Elixabeth Murdoch(Im hoping he will throw down a cloak of leaves for her. La Reine Victoria is next to her daughter Madame Pierre Oger,both looking healthy. Next we have Brother Cadfael then Evelyn(I plan on giving her banana skins I heard she loves them)Jude the Obscure will have the honour of the first flower in the new bed this year.
Then we have lantern and my now fully recovered Brandy got a dose of roundup 2 years ago and had been in a hospital pot . Heritage and Shariffa Asma are new this year and also flourishing. And do you know what the thing that makes me happiest is that I now have a second Papa Meilland because with sneaky pruning I will never be without a bloom.And it is a $6 rescue from K mart.Spring is certainly grand!

Thank you for the wonderful wander in your spring gardens, they must be looking really beautiful at the moment with more to come by the sounds of it.
Photoes of the glory would be great.

Marion

Gosh so many Snodge thats great yes Spring is a grand time especially in the garden.

There is a race on with my roses seeing Crepuscule won the race, then yesterday Lavender Dream opened her first bloom, today I noticed Suduction, Mary Rose, Brass Band, Pink Bassino, Westerland, Lovely Lady and Oylmpic Gold all have colour in the buds, maybe tomorrow they will open or very soon.

I am hoping my Julia's rose will give me a few blooms probably a waste of money for here but I used to grow it in Melbourne when it first came out and loved it, only time will tell as it is a touchy one to grow. Your Garden sounds wonderful and probably smells that way too. Cheers...MM

I was frustrated yesterday, went to get the camera to photograph Muriel Linton, so I could share, but was forced to remember we've lent it to our daughter...we bought an underwater housing for it, so as she was off down to Jervis Bay again, she's taken it with her hoping for clear snorkelling water.

My garden's nowhere like the heavenly patch of Yvonnes in SA, especially with all the disruption moving things around, (nice website BTW Yvonne), but I'm easily satisfied and can see things finally coming together.

I can't wait to hear how you like Sir Walter Raleigh. I was considering acquiring him for my Cigarettes, Whisky & wild wild women bed, which is still languishing as an idea in my head as I procrastinate about acquiring the necessary booze and cigarettes to go with Tipsy Imperial Concubine. I haven't mail ordered roses this year (had intended on being strong given the garden disruption).

One of my quirks is a liking for having rosey families in the garden. I don't buy stuff solely for this reason of course, but it does give me satisfaction having parents and children, and siblings around the place. It's interesting, and I guess not too surprising that I often discover close relationships between roses I've chosen. Blood will out?

Charles Mallerin joins Chrysler Imperial, and the kids, Papa Meilland, Mr Lincoln and Oklahoma. Oh how I LOVE these children. Mr Lincoln and Oklahoma live in the front yard, in probably the best position in the whole garden, and have stacks of lovely healthy red growth coming up. Should get a couple of dozen flowers off each flush in a few weeks time. It's getting light outside, so I'll be off to give them breakfast in bed of a generous serving of Organic Life and new mulch, washed down by a drink of fish tank cleaning water. Papa Meilland lives in a less comfortable position behind Chrysler Imperial down the back, he's SO tall, and unfortunately hard to reach to sniff the beautiful blackish flowers. Even when pruned he goes streaking for the sky again. He's in plenty of sun..wouldn't be so bad but just behind him is Alberic Barbier, an affectionate rose like albertine next to him. Always ready to give you a hug as you pass by. One of these days I'll have to identify another more accessible spot for papa. He's got one lovely black bloom at the moment too, which you can see from the house. I'll lose Mr L and Oklahoma (if that's what they are, they are absolutely indistinguishable from eachother to my eyes and nose) when we demolish the house, I've got a replacement Oklahoma down the back but haven't decided a spot for a replacement spot for Mr L yet. Can't do without them that's for sure.

I've got a number of others with close family ties too - quite by accident
Lovely Lady is a child of Silver Jubilee.
Royal Highness is a Child of Peace and Virgo, both of whom live down by the "swags". (I use the term swags rather loosely, I'm totally incompetent at training climbers I've...

I have enjoyed reading about your garden roses they sound wonderful as you talk of them, I so love spring I have lots of daffs. out & my crabapples are buding up but I have a bit longer to enjoy my roses as we are far behind all of you I think as the roses here are still just shooting, but reading about yours was so enjoyable thankyou
Jan.

Sounds like you must be in a cooler area Jan. I just love daffodils so much, I'm absolutely thrilled that I've found some varieties that seem to like it here. I'm really encouraged and I think I'll try to add complementary clumps around the rest of the beds. I'll be moving several varieties of daffs and jonquils over summer, then see what spaces I've got left. I find I need to stick to the early flowering varieties, once we get to Sept /October the warmth of the sun really takes it's toll and the blooms fade much more quickly, too quickly really..especially when you know that over winter each flower will last a couple of weeks, and the overall display even longer. I find them such a good companion to the roses, so bright when the roses are sleepy.

Lucky for me one of my neighbours has just planted two crab apples in his front yard and they have got a smattering of flowers, not a bad show for small babiies. He seems to pull everything out of his garden and start again every couple of years, but here's hoping he sticks with this and we all get to enjoy the blossoms each year. It would certainly be lovely having one so local, as then you cannot fail to be there when the blossoms are in full glory. It's nice going around the gardens in the highlands or Blue Mountains, but you have to be lucky with the weather. First time I went with my Mum, we just happened to go everywhere at just the perfect moment. I'll never forget the spectacle of seeing a huge floribunda crab apple absolutely smothered in bloom, and the white flowering cherry at the nursery in Bowral in peak bloom with seats around the trunk where you could just sit and sigh at the glory of it. And of course, I will forever be grateful that I got to see Merry Garth at Mt Wilson at what surely must have been it's best. Built by a collector it was not only a spectacle of colour, but filled with fascinating rare bulbs and such. It's gone off more recently and was a sad disappointment when last I was there, more of a focus on plant sales and general garden maintenance clearly suffering.

In my garden the quince is in flower, and the nectarine and peach are just starting. The quince is the prettiest of the three, very lovely complemented by nice leaves. When the plum finishes Francis E Lester, which is climbing the plum will pick up where his host left off.

Every time I go out, I notice something new, and feel slightly guilty that I haven't thought to note them to the world in my musings....like Double Delight, working hard and being in a really warm spot, further advanced than everyone other than Just Joey, or Little white pet, coming up with plenty of buds and new growth after a heavier than usual trim this year....ah there's no end....
...I think one of the hardest things about spring is deciding whether to just stay home and enjoy my own garden, or get out into the countryside to see the spectacle in others...I always enjoy the jaunt out to Burnt Yards near Orange to see...

Snodge you are a poet, you make it so easy to visualise everything. I think your garden would be a wonderful place for daydreams.My nectarine peach and apricot are just starting to blossom my crab apple is still to come. I will keep you posted as to the progress of Sir Walter .I always thought of it as my distinguished bed but I realised I have a lot of men there...Brother Cadfael Charles Rennie Mackintosh Jude the Obscure Papa Meilland, I also hope St Patrick gets along with BC! I do confess I have sometimes wondered about Tipsy Imperial Concubine...... Might be interesting to go down the wild women path! Keep musing it is a delight to read.

Thanks, Snodge, for sharing your garden with us. Aren't we lucky to have this forum where we can share our joys and sorrows regarding our garden. Often our families get tired of hearing us rave on about our passion, but other forum junkies understand and appreciate.

Your descriptions of your roses make me envious. As I have mostly HTs and Floras,I am only just rejoicing in the new leaves that are sprouting after pruning - I love their shades of green, bronze and maroon, and their SHINE! I started pruning two weeks earlier this year and am pleased with the results. I had always waited till August due to the warnings about pruning later in frost prone areas.

Also pleased to hear your Bishop's Lodge Rose was worth lugging home from Hay.

I enjoy reading about what roses other people love - I have planted Betsy's Rose this winter ie Best Friend. She raved and raved, so can't wait to see it flower. Must really make an effort next year and get Fran's Rose - Parole.

Reading your posts is better than spending money on magazines - I can visualise them all, What a dreamy smile it puts on my face.
It has been absolutely freezing cold in Perth (I've had the flu too) - bring on some warmth!
Deryn

I like meandering through your roses too it so relaxing as I sit here and read it all sounds so wonderful. Certainly a bit of Poet in you Snodge.

Like you I get utter delight in finding a new rose has opened, this morning "Seduction" opened it beautiful petals, and as I turned around to see where this perfume was coming from and I see one branch of "Pink Bassino" with three buds opened somehow I missed them yesterday as they are carpet roses and as I turn towards "Chooky Heaven " to let my girls out for the day there is Iceberg on their fence with three buds almost opened and double delight with one , my girls ate half of that plant, both roses are climbers you see but I thought I had planted them both far enough away from that fence but I didn't.

And as I walk towards the front of my block to fill up the bird bath there on my left are my three "Lavender Dreams" starting to bloom like crazy and as I walk on to the front of the house I see "Lovely Lady" not quite opened same with "Olympic Gold" but what has happened to "Just Joey" this spring it is usually the first one to flower, sadly it does not even have any buds on it, over near the front gate I peek at "Alexander" a traffic stopper they said so I wait in anticipation for that first bloom and as I head towards the other side of the house I walk under the Arch where at the bottom the two "Crepuscules" are flowering past more roses where the buds have still to open, through the second Arch which is full of "Westerland" buds no time to look at the ones across the back of the house or visit "Seductions" mates in that new hexagon bed we made last Autumn as I have to get back to the real life of getting breakfast and the chores. O well there is always later. ..MM.

Thanks everyone, I have to say I'm rather relieved that people are enjoying my ramblings :o)

Chooks are an element of the garden I've long coveted, but haven't acquired. Good to know they share your love of roses! Sympatico! We....I guess I should really say "I" was thrilled to find the original well built chook shed down the back when we first looked at this property, and the neighbours had chooks too. "Heaven" I thought, neighbours with chooks surely won't mind us getting some, and all that fertiliser for the garden to boot...but I set my heart on Barnevelders and then found them difficult to get. I'm such an ignorant city kid, I didn't realise you need to shop for chooks at the right season of the year...anyway I've since changed my ambitions to bantam Australorps.. Not so long ago the neighbours got a bit too seriously old (or perhaps they died) and sold up. Bye bye chooks. Now I figure it might be best to wait for the dogs to die (elderly terriers), then I can let the chooks fossick around the garden sometimes without being chased. Yep, chooks and blue tongue lizards are future fauna in my backyard.

That bank of Lavender Dreams sounds delightful. I bought my specimen from Bunnings on an impulse a few seasons ago, as it's quite a simple flower, and my elder daughter greatly prefers single roses. I've never regretted it for a moment, though I do agree with the recent post asking why it is called "lavender" dream..not lavender at all here. It's a rose where nothing is as it's promoted really. They say it's not fragrant, but mine sure is! It's one in my garden that makes you look around for the source of fragrance when you're doing a bit of weeding..well it used to anyway...now I know who it is and just get up for thorough nose full, before getting back to work.

.....well that's finished it! Demolition on indefinite hold now! Thismorning, I dragged myself out at 5:45 to put out the bins, water the pots and shovel a few barrows of mulch before getting ready for work, and it suddenly clicked. That peeping of wrens that's been so persistent the last several days....it's a nest! Sure enough a beautifully crafted nest in amongst the flowering jasmine up against the house, right next to the rather inactive driveway!

Words cannot express the transports of joy I am currently experiencing! One of my major objectives in this garden has always been to get the wrens breeding on site. Now I'm thinking "no way am I interfering with a wren apartment block before I get a replacement established for them".

Down behind the shrubs in the native garden annual grasses have free reign for nesting material, but the wrens aren't silly! A few weeks ago I pulled a whole stack of annual grasses out of the driveway garden and piled them up on the concrete...never getting around to carting them off somewhere. I don't want to lose the organic matter by putting in the garden bin, but don't want to put the seeds on the gardens either (though...