May and September are the chief months for roses here; in the summer months Japanese beetles eat them up.
This is a China/ Gallica cross that I got from a trade. The shrub is arching and fountain-like, mostly thornless, with one big flush of bloom in spring. The flowers are wine-red/ purple and fragrant.
'Pink Pillar' is a rose that I'm not sure I would have picked if I hadn't seen it in person. The red buds open to these delightful sunset pink fragrant flowers. I saw this rose blooming in combination with the climbing miniature 'Work of Art'. Normally I hate pink and orange together and dislike miniatures, but the combination was a wonderful one.
'Mutabilis' is truly well-named. I'm always amazed to see these tangerine buds
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1YdI8_LmJ7V7gB2ByLB8SmeLqONathRJ6hzB0EaAZIXoJNquCmz0m995Pj2aCu6XKS8qSJzy-wUuPoyim4v-gXr-wjMHdhwk9XZvdMsrougukeNTNL5FNK-_Xo7LaDX-tiaa4PFG2m4/s640/IMGP7516p.jpg)
open to these pale cool pink flowers
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQqxMefjbk0skK2dvkuXtI4Z7GwGi8V_5iCF6YxvIv4TtNeX63QEKzHMzMhJP0W-NC8e1CXF7jN3DgOkM0WXUN6klHygY2GaJ92pUWdoReZ-RLNqAkS89J0pta3WYFf8eUC1l43PjlF0/s640/IMGP7514p.jpg)
that then darken to raspberry pink.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11Tv_6FSehVi547_A1Jjd-r8Rz2XUeOE8Qydv8rgMYTzMG0AGc3AjNAk3OyGfnd1MvgihKVEc_95o0qKqfhWsf7TwNCW2lKnJrTRx7LzWq0igpyC7TSBITkOfs95uwo3jjxX1yB4nZYc/s640/IMGP7515p2.jpg)
'Belinda's Dream'
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAwQ21p7JbV2uz5D5OagrNstATAOwum4ogWCaYDtDboxSyzzK3ZoOcSytGYvATXzm_448u29txAlFxWbNBRSFS6VyNay3VwsSstIJ_GcRrAsizgzHND83OQgZeosS_qOgMUJ8ScGLink/s640/IMGP7745p.jpg)
'Sombrueil'
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXBfC9AWnWzLnDeueUdVR2eNgQFxq0UR-s1BZWanQm4lSyBBcOR4S_Q_5hdsLEP4fWR8WzRY6XIyOUT17KSGepa9IZoN6YDiMbfzVBh02cwl9x1BhUKCsvrfIXI52NVfaHJechHjG-z0/s640/IMGP7774p2.jpg)
'Veilchenblau' looks its most lavender/ purple to me in the midday sun, which has surprised me. In the morning sun it has more of a wine-red color. Its fragrance, which is not at all rose-like, is sweet and wafting. I think some people can detect it and others cannot.
These 'Veilchenblau' are growing as free-standing mounds at the border of the vegetable garden, where they may eventually become monsters. lol At least it hardly has any thorns. I'm layering it so that I can also grow it on the fence between the pasture and the old front yard.