Olivia is an English Shrub Rose with a delightful light-medium, fruity fragrance that I absolutely adore! I have had her now for over 3 years, and this year, she is really putting on a show; She is an absolute stunner!

I planted Olivia right outside my front door so she is the very first thing I see when I open it! How nice is it to feel happy every time you open your door? Honestly, it is a wonderful feeling! She makes me smile! I hope she makes you smile as well!

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I love red roses! I have three beautiful red rose bushes in my garden and am thinking about adding a few more. Right now I have Oklahoma, Firefighter and Fiorentina. I’ve been avoiding Mister Lincoln because, well, because, so many have said “oh you have to have it.” I’m just rebellious like that, but I’ll admit, I think I will finally give in to the pressure and add it to my collection. Sssssh! Don’t tell anyone! Besides, its fragrance is heavenly and I am definitely a sucker for heavenly fragrance

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Anyway, I thought today I would share a few of my favorite rose pics I took during the month of April. Tomorrow, I will be going on the Mary Lou Heard Garden Tour and will be taking TONS of pics of some lovely gardens that I will share, most likely in May. Knowing me, I will take HUNDREDS of photos so be prepared!!

Anyway, here is a recap of my April roses, in photos! Hope you enjoy

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Wollerton Old Hall has been a fixture in my garden for three years now, and to say that I love this rose would be an understatement. I really, really LOVE this rose

Introduced in 2011 by famed British rose breeder David Austin, Wollerton Old Hall is a beautiful climbing rose that is one of the most fragrant of all the English Roses. It has a strong, warm myrrh fragrance with hints of citrus. To me though, it actually reminds me of licorice . Go figure The plump buds, with attractive flashes of red, open to form beautifully rounded, chalice-shaped blooms of soft apricot, that eventually soften to a lovely cream. It was Named after Wollerton Old Hall in Shropshire, one of the most beautiful, privately owned British gardens.

In my garden, WOH is definitely a beast! It has successfully climbed the trellis I provided for it, as well as the adjoining arbor. It is really, really tall (10 feet maybe?) and kind of messy! It’s my bad though, as I haven’t pruned it yet which MIGHT explain things. For some reason though, I love the messiness of it as it goes with my slightly out of control garden .

So, if you’re in zones 5 – 11 and are looking for a fragrant, climbing rose to spice up a fence, wall or arbor, why not consider planting Wollerton Old Hall. It does well in all soil types, tolerates partial shade and is an all around delightful rose. I’m so glad I added it to my garden

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Blue for You is one of my favorite roses. She has a very unique look about her and her color is AMAZEBALLS!

Blue for You is a Floribunda with medium blooms and a fragrance almost reminiscent of violets. It’s purple-mauve, semi-double flowers slowly fade to a beautiful slate-blue. Can you say STUNNING???

The official description says it’s a small shrub, however, my two have gotten over 6 ft tall and are total beasts! Lots and lots of blooms, almost continuous through the growing season, and I’m in zone 10a. My two bushes face west and tend to get a little crispy if it gets over 100° but all in all, it seems to do very well in this zone.

My Blue for You has already started blooming and I have fallen in love with her all over again

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Oh Frida, how I love you! This stunning rose is named after the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo whose paintings often included flowers for which she stated “I paint flowers so they will not die.”  The Frida Kahlo Rose is an upright shrub that boasts large scalloped blooms in yellow, orange  and red with gold centers that intensify as the flowers age.  Her lovely fragrance is a mild fruity scent.  

I brought Frida into my garden late last season and I am so thankful I did! So far she has only produced a few blooms for me, but wow, what blooms they have been! I am really looking forward to seeing what she will do this year! Believe me, I will post more pics along the way!

If you would like more information on the Frida Kahlo Rose, check out this awesome article written by Master Rosarian Suzanne Horn of The Pacific Rose Society.

Frida Kahlo in My Garden

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I was so very happy to see my Angel Face rose make a special January guest appearance the other day! It was like a preview of Spring and all of her beautiful coming attractions, and for a brief moment in time, all was right with the world! *Sigh*

Then, it happened! What a difference a day makes! 24 little hours later, I discovered my poor, sweet, beautiful Angel Face rose ripped savagely from her stem, half eaten and lying on the cold hard ground. NOOOO! Not my beautiful January rose! Who could do such a dastardly thing?? Hmmmm, I wonder . Could it be a SQUIRREL???? Yes, I do believe it was a squirrel. Apparently they like to eat roses, so therefore, it must have been a squirrel. But wait! So do rats. And chickens. Chickens eat roses too. Well, truth be told, chickens will eat just about anything and everything that won’t eat them first! LOL. Honestly, I can guess all day long, but since I didn’t see the culprit, I guess I will never know which one of the usual suspects it was.

Oh well, at least I took a picture of my pretty rose. Pictures last longer anyways right? Besides, there will be more roses in Spring and Spring really isn’t that far away! I can wait. I think. I hope. I can. Maybe .

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Write it on your heart

that every day is the best day in the year.  

He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day

who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. 

 

Finish every day and be done with it.  

You have done what you could.  

Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.  

Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

  

This new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations

to waste a moment on the yesterdays.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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