Just gorgeous!!!! Thanks for sharing! Wow!

I agree! Your garden is as lush and gorgeous as ever. Beautiful flowers and plants. So serene!

Beautiful roses, Ingrid. MFK is pink and caramel perfection. Lovely late summer garden scenes...

All are beautiful but Gruss and the Bishop are calling to me....very, very loudly!

I was under the (wrong?) impression that Gruss an Aachen didn't like it hot and dry, so you're definitely doing something right. I don't see any signs of the devastation you wrote about in your previous post. To me it looks like you've created an inviting oasis in the middle of the desert.

Wild Edric and your entire garden looks wonderful, Ingrid. Your MFK looks very graceful.

bellegallica, my Gruss an Aachen is in an area that receives only morning sun and it does get regular water, in addition to being surrounded by other roses, which creates a more benign microclimate for it. I wouldn't expect its delicate petals to hold out well in hotter and harsher locations.

The area that still looks halfway decent is shrinking in size, and I won't horrify you by showing you the other areas that are all but destroyed. Let me just say that among the roses that have been gobbled up are Abraham Darby, Sweet Frances, Mme. Joseph Schwartz, Maggie, Jesse Hildreth, Mlle. de Sombreuil, Baronne Henriette de Snoy#2 and Coquette des Blanches. Mlle. Franziska Krueger is in fact the only rose in Tea Rose Row that is prospering and all the rest are in varying stages of distress. However, I continue to live in hope that various predators will swoop upon my land and right the balance of nature.

Soo pretty Ingrid! You’ve done an amazing job sustaining life in those circumstances. I always enjoy your Wild Edric photos since I doubt I’ll ever see him in person. :-)

Delightful indeed , Ingrid! If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed you are not only a wonderful gardener, but now also a great bunny chef. By the way, got any recipes to share?

Very nice looking garden ingrid!

Your garden looks so enchanting Ingrid! Your Bishop's Castle is always such a delight to behold. I particularly enjoy looking at the harmony of colors you have created in the last two pictures. So charming! --Lin

Beautiful garden! The whole space is enchanting.

Gruss an Aachen is especially lovely. I am glad you have a few nice fall blooms even though so much damage was done this summer by munching critters. Friends of mine in Ojai are linked up with the Ojai Raptor Center and they have been releasing rehabilitated hawks and kites from the edge of the property they live on that overlooks a valley. I was just thinking I wish they could release them where you live. Plenty of food for them there!

Hi Ingrid! Its so nice to see you post from a happier place! I love everyone of those shots. Your gardening is beautiful, I think it reflects who I think you are. Thats a good thing. What is the small tree with purple flowers in the back in the last picture? And the blue spire like flowers are the salvias? Lots of love to you Ingrid.

Thank you so much, my dear friends, for all of your kind and lovely comments. Katyajini, the tree with the purple flowers is a crape myrtle, which is never in flower this late; it's been an unusual year. Yes, the blue flowers are Salvia 'Henry Duelberg'. Stephanie, we could really use the raptors here. I don't see many hawks here any more, unfortunately. Your friends are doing wonderful work with the raptors; I have the highest respect for anyone who is helping our beleaguered wildlife. Their endearing website with wonderful photos of the birds and animals they're helping prompted me to send them a hefty donation. I'm so glad you directed my attention to this worthy organization.

It’s wonderful to see you posting some lovely pictures of the survivors! I’m glad you have something to enjoy. I agree that these lower temperatures are much nicer. Like Perma, I especially enjoy seeing your ‘Wild Edric’. Because of your generosity, I am happily growing the one you gave me. It’s doing very well, although I’m not home to take pictures. Having two precious roses from your garden makes those all the more dear to me. I should have taken a picture of Annie Laurie McDowell before I went out of town. She’s just loaded with blooms, and growing well in afternoon shade.

I’m thrilled to hear that you’ve donated to Ojai Raptor Center! We really need to keep them around! I’m surprised you don’t see hawks around your place. I’m in a regular neighborhood, and see them frequently in the eucalyptus trees in the adjacent neighborhood park. I also see owls at night. They don’t seem to be putting a dent in the tree rat population, though:(. I wonder why they aren’t in your area?

I’m so happy to see you posting, and that you do indeed still have beautiful roses. ♥️ Lisa

Ingrid, here is a video of the raptor release. https://youtu.be/AdZ7ipfuHVY

Stephanie, I got misty-eyed watching this wonderful bird being released. I like to think that he lingered nearby as a thank-you for those who had cared for him and helped him to get well and to fly free again. The Ojai Raptor Center has been added to my monthly donation list, and I feel privileged to help them in whatever small way I can.

Lisa, I'm glad you're still seeing hawks and owls. I read that many of them are being poisoned by people's efforts to kill mice and rats and that poison goes right up the food chain and kills the very predators who could be keeping these rodents in check. I'm so happy that Wild Edric and ALM is prospering in your yard, as I had every confidence that they would. It's so frustrating that the Austin company gave up on Wild Edric in the US; it at least has the distinction of not being interchangeable with every other Austin rose, and that uniqueness should have been rewarded.

Wonderful pinks!

Ingrid! That’s exactly what I thought. Just came back and sat on the tree to say a real thank you and good bye.

So many creatures, even those we dismiss as not having much merit, such as mice, have so much more heart and intelligence than we give them credit for. They very well know when we love them and try to help them. Some of you have already heard of the little mouse we had for years, rescued when she was the tiniest baby, who did not want to leave my husband's hand during the last week of her life.

I was beyond thrilled when I heard an owl calling tonight. I hope it's aware of the incredible offerings available at our casa.

OMG that is the cutest mouse! Yes I feel all animals have more emotions and understanding than we give them credit for. Oh I hope you have owls moving in. I hear them here only occasionally. The hooting of an owl at night is the most hauntingly beautiful and peaceful sound to me.

Yes, it is all that, and it somehow reassures me that all is still well in the natural world when I hear them calling. I only wish we could give them back the wild homes they so deeply deserve.