Our Therese Bugnet started the same day as yours, with Jens Munk one day later. Now all the rugosas are blooming, and the third wave is starting with Blush Noisette and Cuthbert Grant. Our first rose was Father Hugo who started blooming early this month.

Everything is early this year.

Oh! None of my roses have bloomed yet, but it's currently a race between Cardinal De Richelieu, Louise Odier and Redoute in my garden. They're all covered in swelling buds, but my money's on Louise! I'm fairly sure I'll have open roses within a week. I love this time of year!

To make this exciting, I'll take your bet and put my money on Redoute. (just a hunch).

It sounds like your garden is a little ahead of ours. I don't expect to see gallica blooms this week. (I kind of hope I don't.)

And what ended up winning? The hedge of multiflora behind the garden! First blooms opened up there today! But maybe we shouldn't count the wild roses. In which case, it's still neck and neck between the Redoute and Louise! I can see color on both of them. I think tomorrow we might be able to declare a winner!

My Mock Orange opened today, too! It seems awfully early for all of this stuff!

Well, it was close, but it turns out that Louise beat Redoute by a hair! Today was the first real bloom! And it smells SO good. She was a new plant last year and didn't bloom for me - I had no idea how heavenly that scent is.