Pierre de Ronsard

I was certain that most of my roses were done for after the cold snap we had in February, when many plants in the garden had already started going into bud after a freakishly warm winter. I'm glad these Pierre de Ronsard climbing roses bounced back because they are some of my favourites. When they get going, they are so prolific they can be real show stoppers.

While I was doing some early morning pruning a few days ago, some people in a car stopped to take photos of the front garden. I was wearing my ancient Japanese yukata and wellies (as you do!) and didn't have time to run inside and hide, so I cowered under the wisteria hoping they wouldn't notice. How embarrassing.

Here's another view from last year.