Roses are coming into full bloom this month. The two star performers, White Lightnin' and Voodoo, both sprouted into bloom ahead of my established roses, which is no mean feat. Both varieties come from the talented American breeder Jack Christensen. You can find pictures of his collected works here.
Other roses to start blooming early are Kardinal and Queen Elizabeth. No blooms yet on my David Austins, but watch this space. Radio Times and Abraham Darby are brimming with buds, and the Mayor of Casterbridge isn't far behind.
By contrast, two of my other new varieties, Paradise and The Temptations, never made it past bare root stage. They're now in pots and on life support - but they're showing no sign of life. The Temptations has Paradise as one of its parents, leading me to suspect a lack of vigour in our climate. I've bought a potted replacement for Paradise, and even it is a bit weak and spindly. More on that variety later, it may yet prove itself.
This season marks my first experiment with old roses. Thanks to Honeysuckle Cottage Nursery I have two Tea roses, Monsieur Tillier and Mrs B R Cant. I've added a climbing Noisette rose to scale my high back fence, Madame Alfred Carriere. Monsieur Tillier has a head start - here's its first bloom:
More photos to come later this month.