ROSES
I feel a two-fer coming on. WordPress starts making creaking noises after about six photos. And this time of year, we’re swooping into the rosesrosesrosesROSES season. For those of us that way inclined. This Is Only The Beginning.
One of my doubtless undeserved, not to mention surprising, successes this year is that Souvenir de la Malmasion is mostly coming out in spite of the extremely Souvenir-annoying weather we’ve been having, which is to say lots of dry, which she loves, punctuated by vicious prolonged downpours which she HATES and she usually hates them worse when she’s been having a nice time and has got all relaxed and comfy. 
This is why you put up with her though: She’s amazing. And her scent is even more amazing. Her scent is A M A Z I N G. I had a branch break off* so I thriftily clipped off all the flowerheads, open, unopen, and in between, and piled them into a vase indoors and five days later she’s still making the kitchen smell gorgeous. You forget–I forget–how strong the perfume of some of the old roses is. I don’t think any of the modern ones can touch her, or Fantin, or Mme Isaac. I grow Gertrude Jekyll, who is famous for being The Only Modern Rose Worth Making Potpourri Out of, and she is very good. But she’s not a patch on Souvenir. Or Fantin, Or Mme Isaac. **
And speaking of bizarre and unmerited successes, this is Louis IV, a notorious cranky, flimsy prima donna, prone to extravagant disease and sudden death. I put her in a pot first year at the cottage and . . . five years later while she’s not exactly hulking she’s an extremely good doer and no trouble at all, given the odd handful of flower food. I swear that contrary to the experts, the best thing to do with a weedy little wuss is put her in a pot. I’ve got more and more weedy little wusses in pots: my third Dr Jamain, for example, is in a pot, and this is the first time EVER, including the additional two or three that died on me at the old house, that she’s even half looked like thriving. I’ll have photos of her later. . . .
Mme Alfred Carriere, doing her by-now-patented launching thirty foot into the air trick. That’s the UK first/US second storey (plus attic) of my semi-detached neighbour that she’s using as a springboard.
Mme Gregoire Staechlin, who is almost too pretty to live. She shares Mme Alfred’s wall. It gets kind of intense on that wall sometimes . . .
* * *
* &^%$£”!!!!!!!!!
** WORDPRESS. GAAAAAAAAAH. Okay. The first three photos are Souvenir. The fourth, red one is Louis IV. The next slightly peachy white one is Mme Alfred. The last, pink one is Mme Gregoire. IT DOESN’T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THIS in admin–the text FITS WITH THE PHOTOS in admin–but I don’t dare jerk it around or WordPress will sulk and start DELETING photos. I have been here before.
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