This will have to be a better year than the one that's ending now, right? I'm next in line for the vaccine, and although the necessary self-isolation of the past year has not made any major changes in my everyday life (I don't have a car, so I'm accustomed to staying at home and having everything delivered), I really miss having five or six people over for drinks, snacks, and conversation. I expect to have those gatherings again after all of my friends have been vaccinated. I also hope to have many things in the house and garden repaired and refurbished this year, and I've recently found some workers who are highly conscientious about masking and social distancing. In fact, things are looking up in every area of life.

In short, I'm very happy with all of the changes I expect this year to bring, so the thumbnail rose for this month is Happy. Here's my closeup of the blooms and Sue's photo of the entire plant in my garden.

Poor 2021! t is going to have a hard time living up to our high expectations.

Lots of workers need to be vaccinated before me. My rather isolated life on the farm keeps me safer than average. I am still looking forward to my turn, however.

Wishing you a year filled with
new beginnings,
new hopes,
dreams and
all that makes you "HAPPY"

Happy looks lovely, Zuzu! Bigger plant than I expected though.

Porkpal, I think I agree with you. I'm so relieved 2020 is over but I'm trying not to pin all my hopes on 2021. Too much to expect everything to just get better so fast.

I am hoping for a beautiful rose season though! Here is a toast to a great rose season with some Champagne Wishes!

It's the climbing variety of Happy, Seil, so it commonly grows to 10-15 feet.

I'm with you Porkpal.
I'll believe it when I see it.
I will get vaccinated when I'm allowed to...my Doc says the way New York is going it might be June.

We usually hear the roaring crowd in Times Square from our bedroom. It was very quiet last night.

Despite all this, I wish all you and yours the very best for 2021!
David

Hello everybody.....I am a newbie to this site and wanted to wish everybody a very good 2021. I had this first bud bloom yesterday on my new bush on of all days, December 31. Hopefully, it is a sign of better things to come going forward. Mine is called Life of the Party. How apropos, we all can use a party...!! Happy New Year!

Congratulations, Stan. And welcome to the Rose list!

This is Troilus with one of the smaller blooms of Cafe. I think I have figured out why I love DAs and similar roses. It's because when they are past their best they don't shrivel up and turn brown like some others but they turn downwards and look like crumpled ballgowns. I just love the way they are so elegant in their decline.

Happy New Years everyone (:

Hope everyone is doing well and had fun in the holidays!

My nieces helped me collect some of my parents roses and some camillias to make a new year's bouquet, really loved how they all looked together (:



Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2021!!

Thanks, Zuzu! I didn't know there were climbing polyanthas!

Hi, Stan, welcome! Your rose is gorgeous!

Lola, I know exactly what you mean! I won an ARS photo competion with my rose tutu once. The rose is Dublin Bay/



Daniel, lucky you to be picking beautiful bouquets in January, lol!

Seil, this photo is so genius and awesome! I can't stop watching it.

Thank you for the welcomes. I hope I can provide something to the community.

Thank you Aerith.

@seilMI

It definitely is a huge blessing that they bloom here in January!
It's one of the perks making up for the burning and heat exhaustion of summer haha

Also, that entry is really beautiful (: the lighting on the rose makes it so nice!

@socalroseguy

Oh hey! it seems that we're not too far apart from eachother (:
Welcome! Looking forward to seeing you here!

Hello there Daniel. To be more exact, I reside in Monterey Park.

@socalroseguy

Hey!
I think that's like a 30 minute drive from me!
Hope we could help each other out then (:

Munstead Wood
Charlotte
A Shropshire Lad
Ambridge
Windermere
Jubilee Celebration
Jude the Obscure
Charleeeyyen (PCdM)
Belle Story
Pat Austin

There are heaps of small dark flies in my garden at the moment. I first noticed them last week when they were swarming among a group of old and decaying violets and since then they have put fly spots on all of my roses.

Dciau1 said:@socalroseguy

Hey!
I think that's like a 30 minute drive from me!
Hope we could help each other out then (:

LOL...so with all things being "normal" and with our typical traffic, this means you probably live a couple of blocks from me....LOL.... Here is another pic of my Life of the Party with a more mature flower.

Cream Abundance bouquet