Stages of Rose Blooms

Some roses look pretty much the same throughout the life of the flower, while others evolve in a manner that makes them look like very different at each stage of their cycle.
This is the climbing rose named 'Royal Sunset'. It is a lovely climber with big blooms throughout the year.
As you can see by the pictures of the flowers all on the plant at the same time, they change dramatically as the bloom matures, ranging from a deep orange to a soft pink, all within a week.
This makes for a lovely show with so much variation from one plant going on at the same time. I think this is a lovely and interesting rose.

The SJC Backyard

Although some of the beds in this garden are less than a year old, they are filling in fast and getting that full, lush look that I love. This was at one time all lawn which I have been gradually removing. There is still some grass that is basically paths through the garden and although I am considering replacing it with DG, the dogs do love to roll in it while we sit in our chairs in the evening, sooooo... who knows.

If I Could Banish One Bug

If I could banish one bug from my garden it would be the sawfly larvae. Sawflies themselves do not bother me, they eat mostly other bugs, but they lay their eggs on rose foliage and when they hatch they turn into little green worms that do more damage than imaginable. They live on the underside of the leaves and eat and eat and eat until the leaves are at least lacy and at the worse complete skeletons. A strong blast from the hose will dislodge them, as will hand picking, but you have to be diligent. Spraying with BT doesn't work because they aren't true caterpillars, besides, I have so many roses that spraying would be a big job. I have found that once roses are established and very healthy and strong, they will be bothered less, as are bushes that are out in the open as opposed to along a fence or wall. I have seen hummingbirds cleaning the backsides of roses in the garden, lapping up the little varmints I suspect. I am willing to live with some damage to my plants in exchange for an organic garden, but these ones really bug me!

Summer Succulents

The succulents that we planted last year are filling in nicely. Although it is still not terribly hot here, I can't remember the last time we had rain. These few thrive quite happily in a rather dry corner of a raised bed, looking plump and happy.

Stargazers? I Think Not!

These are the lilies I bought from a vendor at a garden show that were supposed to be Stargazers, which are lovely shades of red, pinks and white with spots. These are not even close! Luckily they are in a bed with lots of burgundy so they aren't too bad, but I was so looking forward to my Stargazers! Now to see what blooms where the Casa Blancas are planted!

Note: I believe this is 'Baja' lily.