Jens Munk (pictured) and Honey Sweet are racing to be the first bloom of the season. JensMunk is an Explorer rose named after a Norwegian explorer, appropriate for my garden since my grandparents were from Norway.

Honey Sweet is a Buck rose. I believe the guard petals were blackened by freezing nightly temperatures last week.

My Honey Sweet pictures are blurred, I'll try again later today. My Hp camera has a delay that takes some getting used to. I also need more practice with the zoom.

Baby blanket has a bud.

How sweet!

Last year was the first year for the blanket roses. I got baby blanket, roseberry blanket and magic blanket on sale. They didn't have electric blanket, but I will find one eventually. Baby blanket gets a bit taller, but has the sweetest little buds and blooms in a perfect baby pink.

Still no blooms today. I'll get some pictures. I still haven't gotten a good one of honey sweet. The back screen of my digital camera doesn't show the preview anymore, so I can't tell if the pictures come out. I am still getting used to the delay on that camera. Have to stay still for up to 5 seconds. I have another more complicated camera/camcorder from the bf, I'll have to figure that one out.

We get later blooms here, but I think we appreciate them more once they arrive.

We are getting "California weather" today, hot and sunny. I am waiting for the shade to get out in the garden. I roasted a chicken and made mayonnaise so that I don't have to cook for a while. Need time outside.

yay!!! I'm waiting for the parade to start in the Poconos, too! I want to see all your purdies!!

Strike up the band, here is my first bloom! Jens Munk. Love the resilient viking spirit! I was worried about Jens this fall because he was the first to drop his leaves. Guess that is his nature. The leaves are "rugosa like" in appearance. Noticed a second bloom today, will get a pic this afternoon.

Another first yesterday - the first hummingbird! It was a green one, but he zipped away before I got a picture. He'll be back.

yay! I won't see hummers for at least another month.. but that's a purdy!

Here is Honey Sweet, almost open. It already has a "sweet fragrance." Jens Munk has a traditional rose fragrance.

I have Jens Munk in the back of the rose bed because he is supposed to get rather large. My lilies have multiplied and gotten quite tall this year. I have to move some around because they are crowding Jens Munk and Grenada. Jens is doing fine, even in some shade.

I am so much happier growing hardy, own root roses. Jens is rated hardy 2b to 8. I try to pick roses that are hardy to at least zone 5 or roses for which people in zone 5 or below have had good reviews. I am listed as 6a in most maps.

Quotes from hmf: "In September 1998, the Montreal Botanical Garden (Le Jardin Botanique de Montreal) carried out a survey of its roses' resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust. This is one of the outstanding varieties which showed a 0% to 5% infection rate. The data were taken on well-established roses.

The Swedish Rose Society recommends Jens Munk for northern Sweden."

http://www.helpmefind.com/gard...

My other explorer, William Baffin, has lots of leaves and tiny buds. Both were cane hardy this winter.

If you are looking for a Canadian climber, you might like Quadra. It is a beautiful soft red in pictures. My wall of climbers is coral-yellow-pink and quite crowded, even with young plants. I tell myself, I have to move to a house with a large yard before my Austins grow up!

http://www.helpmefind.com/gard...