Two year prize specimen ha!
I think you are spot on, Toni!
Maybe this person is on to a good business idea? I could use some extra cash, hmmm. but the trouble is, so many of the body bags are mislabeled. I bought a few this year right as the stores got them in. They actually came without the wax this year. Most of them had long roots wrapped in the bag, so that was good. Only one was chopped badly, and it was from Tyler Rose Nursery. The rest were Sexton, I think .
The flowering trees are in turbo mode today! I have forsythia blooming where I didn't even know I had them planted. Guess the last 2 springs were bad weather wise, so I have not seen good bloom for a while.
I'm trying to make note of where I could use a few more daffodils to balance out the color. The weedy purple henbit is actually pretty in with the yellow daffodils!

Cindi - YAY!! You just helped me figure out what this one weed in my yard is! It's henbit! Very pretty with the purple flowers, doesn't seem to require anything, but it's a weed & I didn't want it where it's growing. Nothing's blooming yet here.. soon soon soon though. The crabapples are putting out their first set of leaves, the lilacs are really starting to swell, my big forsythia isn't blooming yet but my itty bitty one that's only like 8" tall has been blooming for a week. If my big one doesn't bloom this year, I'm yanking it out. Tired of it not blooming.. and this will be the 4th year!! No excuses!! And I can give this henbit stuff to my chickens, so that's a plus there! Yay!

*sigh* Our first wildfire of the year. Yay.
http://www.thedenverchannel.co...

I won't do an April parade because it would have to include hundreds and hundreds of roses, but here are a few blooms that caught my eye today:

Three of my favorite Pedro Dot roses were all blooming on the same day. Catalonia, Condesa de Sastago, and Girona:



Here are some others that were within the reach of my camera today.

California Dreamin', Cinderella's Song, and Florizel:



Goldelse, Jolly, and Kisme:



Madame Lombard, Meredith Bohls, and Miss Ada:



Norwich Castle, Silver Cloud, and Wildeve:



Zephirine Drouhin and two roses I'll add just to fill the two spaces. The one in the middle is a mystery rose. I bought it without a tag and never learned its name. The one on the right is a shamefully blurry photo of Kleopatra.

Thank you, Zuzu. Not a bud in site for me, so your photos are food for the soul.

Smiles,
Lyn

Did you see the March parade, Lyn? It has photos of all of the roses that bloom here in March as long as I finish my pruning in December. We had an extraordinarily dry winter, so I had no trouble going outside most days and finishing before Christmas.

The thread "March Rose Blooms in 2014" in Roses forum

Zuzu ... yes, I did see it and loved it, but this one was especially good for me today.

We had a dry winter, too. I was out watering roses when there was a foot of snow on the ground in December ...

Smiles,
Lyn

We just had a few days of rain, but now I'm on a daily watering schedule again, mainly because I'm planting lots of new bushes, vines, perennials, and annuals to deter the grassy weeds.

I am just trying to catch up. The weeds have jumped out of the ground with all of the rain we have had. Of course, I don't have everything mulched.

I can't even think about planting anything new. Catching up when you garden on several levels is a bigger challenge than I anticipated. Of course, I don't have any nearby nurseries to tempt me ...

Smiles,
Lyn

hundreds of blooms and I got excited because I saw my first vinca bloom yesterday. sheesh. 70s yesterday, 70s today, 70s tomorrow & Saturday... Snow on Sunday.

From Channel 7 News:
Sunday's highest temperature will actually be at midnight. Those temperatures will steadily fall throughout the day into Sunday night. Midday Sunday will likely be in the 30s on the plains and Front Range, and 20s in the mountains.

Wandered around with the camera between weeding, it was such a lovely day today! The older part of the garden (planted in 2011, 3 years here already!) is so lush and full. I am gradually planting the other side and I know it will fill in fast too. Sky got flared out and colors are a bit off in this shot, I don't have my usual editing software, I am on hubby's computer since mine crashed a few days ago.



First bloom on Louise Clements


I finally planted my South Africa last week, it was in a 5 gal. pot and was 5 ft. tall. A few tips wilted but not bad, this is the first bloom.


A few iris are starting to bloom.



An unknown historic


Several clematis have also started to bloom
Josephine, Crystal Fountain and Rhapsody



And the pests are out, slugs are loving the iris too, a nice bloom on Loreley and a chewed one.


And my worst pest, the gopher, has really taken a liking to iris this year, I have one bed with several hits. Here is a hole where one apparently sat next to the rhizome and chewed it down. Found another one with the stem sunk half way down into the tunnel underneath.

Zuzu, I would love to see hundreds and hundreds in a parade. Go for it!
Your California Dreamin' is luscious.
Sue, South Africa is one I had to dig out when we replaced the sewer line. I don't think it appreciated the move, and it may not make it. It was one of my favorites, but mine was no where near the healthy beauty yours is. I think we bought them at the same time. The roses I brought back from California in March are pouting big time. They want to grow up in California, not Kansas.

Cindi ...

In my experience, roses grow their roots first, so I have no doubt your roses are seem like they are pouting. They may not take off as quickly as they would if they were planted in southern California, but if I remember correctly, you brought home some solid roses.

Once they have their feet under them, I think they will surprise you.

Smiles,
Lyn

Thanks, Lyn. The few I have pulled out of the tub had indeed formed new feeder roots.
We've had hot winds and temps in the 80s the last few days, and on Sunday it's supposed to go down to 32 and snow. All the new growth may get nipped. I'm taking everything that is not planted and putting it in the garage for a few days.

Cindi - Same here.. 80+ today, 70s tomorrow, rain tomorrow night, snow Sunday. I'll be putting my 2 potted bodybags into the garage, but I don't have anything else to plant.. mainly because I can't access the ground! Too much mulch!! LOL!!!

I went to a presentation on Miniature roses on Thursday. The speaker had photos and highlighted Diamond Eyes. I haven't found a supplier that will ship it to Canada though. anyone grow this one? Perhaps it is our temperatures, but the photos and description on Thursday are much darker than the photos in our plant data base.

I've got a Diamond Eyes growing anew; I'll share blooms when it does.

I took only a few pictures today before the battery had to be recharged.

Baron Girod de l'Ain, Breath of Life, and Callisto:



Golden Zest, Laura Bush, and Margarete Fuchs:



Mother of Pearl, Novelty, and Outrageous:



Rhapsody in Blue, Thanksgiving (not the same one as the one in my March parade; there are two), and a lovely iris with no name:

Beautiful blooms Zuzu! Love the iris too, so rich.

Hope your South Africa recovers OK @CindiKS, it is such a wonderful rose, as most Kordes roses seem to be.

Thanks, Sue.
We're expecting horrible storms today and temps as low as 28 in the next day or so. As I always do before big storms, I'm taking pics just in case the plant isn't there tomorrow. Such a fatalist, I know... but hail is common for us.
It actually looks like it's snowing right now, even though temps are in the 70s. The pear blossoms are blowing everywhere!

Cindi - Our "5-10" winter storm they were predicting has been a bust. Again. But I'm not complaining at all as it's been drizzling/misting ALL DAY. Over 12 hours of mist/drizzle. There's some ice/sleet mixed in, but it's not cold at all and it's been great as far as moisture. I'm loving this & I know that the lilacs here are going to be spectacular this year!

Zu - Ok, it's official. I hate you. lolL!!! jk jk jk.. I absolutely LOVE that Margarete Fuchs and I've never seen a Laura Bush that rusty looking! Gorgeous!

EDIT: ok, the snow is now actually starting to accumulate. Dunno if we're gonna get much out of it though...