My first summer in this garden I purchased and planted a dozen roses, some climbers against the fence and the rest bush roses which I planted in a bed at the front of the house. Most did very well. A couple died after the first 2 or 3 years.

This one was not doing well, seemed much smaller than the rest, so last summer I dug it up and placed it in a container next to the front door. It perked up and produced a couple of good flowers in late summer. Then in November I noticed another bud had formed. That bud has now begun to open, in the middle of February!

It’s a symbol of the earliness of the season. There are daffodils everywhere, some of mine began opening 4 weeks ago. Here are a few more pictures I took around the garden yesterday.

And one I took on January 6th.