Finally, it's May, my favorite month of the year. Lower utility bills because there's no need to turn on the lights until 9:00 pm and no need to turn on the furnace at all. Great weather, lots of color in everyone's garden, and lots of people to see now that no one's hibernating.

May is usually the month my garden comes alive, but we had so much wonderful rain this year that some of my rose bushes bloomed like crazy in April and already need deadheading.

May is Better Sleep Month, so the thumbnail rose this month is 'Sweet Dream,' an enchanting Fryer floribunda.

My King's Ransom gave me a beautiful bloom today:



I'm glad to see that this one is standing up a little better, as last year the blooms on this little darling seemed to always be looking down from their thin stem. Hopefully she's a little less weak-necked this year.

I got a new mini rose today. Going to give this another try. I tried mini roses twice before with no luck, but they were also very small. I got a bigger one this time. A yellow one. It has some blooms on the way, so I'll have to get pictures.

That's a stunning bloom, Cotton, such an intense yellow!

May is my favorite month too!

Molineux


Buff Beauty


Sombreuil


Honey Perfume in various stages




Bouquet Parfait is just starting to open, soon it will be covered with mini bouquets


And this Cafe is divided into 4 quarters

@Calif_Sue You've got some beautiful roses there. Some of the caramel colors you've got are especially stunning to me.

May, my favorite month!

Picked a couple of Honey Perfume and a Teasing Georgia and nested them on this pretty osteospermum before bringing them inside.

Orange, peach and purple, what's not to love?

May the 4th be with you.

Great choice!

Hit up a couple nurseries today up north and somehow managed to avoid buying a David Austin rose but yet I couldn't resist buying Pop Art at another one. Something is wrong with me.

This past summer was the best my garden has ever looked. The roses finally looked like they did in my imagination when I first planted them. I am now in the process of cutting them all back to one or two feet high. I have removed Cafe, Benjamin Britten, and Radio Times. Red Eden will also be going. I will replace all the mulch and give the garden a general tidy up. I know it's not the right time to be doing this (late autumn here) but I won't have time later in the year. I have a new battery-operated chainsaw so it's not going to be a pretty process, but it will be quick. This photo was taken at midsummer.

It is lovely, Lola! You must have gotten control of the possums.

What a friendly bouquet Sue. 😃

I can't believe No 1 beat me to it! Happy cinco de mayo everyone.💃🕴

Good for you, @vaporvac I'm glad someone alerted us to the day!

Hi Lola, my summer was also the very best ever.I am keeping my Benjamin Britten though.. they bloomed so well . We did get an early snow storm and it will continue all week. Some hard frost included. The dahlia bed will be lifted shortly...
Of course, Im ready for spring although six mos away.... However my plate is overflowing with postponed chores, that by the time I realize real spring will return again.
Arturo

Some more blooms this evening:

Caramella

Grace

Lady Emma Hamilton

Bouquet Parfait



Sally Holmes


Perle d' Or


And Cafe is doing its poofy thing!




And every bloom of Helen Hayes is so photogenic I can't resist!

Arturo - I'm glad you are happy with Benjamin Britten. It faded and burned too much for me and the colour just wasn't right against its neighbours. I decided to tackle Comte de Champagne today and cut it all the way back, but it drew so much blood from me that I ended up in revenge mode and took it out completely. It was an impenetrable mess of the most vicious thorns I have ever come across. It was also hiding a 5ft tall hawthorn that had seeded there. I now have a prime position open for something less bitey.