Lovely, Ingrid. I agree the beauty of MFK is only exceeded by it's garden worthiness. This plant always looks great.

Now I see more photos and I love them. Your new rose foliage is gorgeous. I wonder if Mme Antoine Mari is more like a china with it's airy sprays of blooms. At least it acts like that here. All in all, pretty gorgeous. Thank you.

Really gorgeous!

Very pretty.....

I am sure you will get your squirrels back.... after Hurricane William we did not have squirrels for about 5 years.... then they started coming back.... 1 and 2 then I guess they thought they were rabbits because now we have tons of them.... funny how Hurricane Dorian came ever so close and we had high winds but not a hurricane and the squirrels still stayed.... Even after William I never saw a dead squirrel they just were not here.... We don't seem to have rabbits..... but I guess they eat roses and I don't need them.... Squirrels I could do with out... they jump off the palm trees onto rose bushes breaking canes.... GRRRR.... but if you miss them .... they will be back.

Sharon

Sharon, it's not that I miss them; they are part of the problem in my garden, although it's the rabbits and roof rats that have caused most of the destruction. I gather you have tree squirrels, while ours are the ground squirrel type.

Sheila, it wouldn't surprise me if Mme. Antoine Mari and Mlle. Franziska Krueger, for that matter, were actually more in the China category than true teas. I've seen Le Vesuve classified as a tea in several places so I think it's a rather blurred distinction for some of these varieties.

Ingrid, your garden is beautiful. I understand its it's not what it can be, but you should see mine:). Actually no one should, there is almost nothing on the roses, no flowers and no leaves. Very tempted to spray, bit I cant, so I'm adopting the same zen attitude. Atleast most Rose's dont up and die on you, i have lots of other plants that just die, so i appreciate the Rose's more. They look ugly now, but its it's going to cool down soon, and they will bloom again. Your space is just perfect, and your garden will always be beautiful.

MFK is really lovely! Maybe plant duplicates of varieties that do well for you. It so fun to try new ones though! I always love pictures of your garden. It’s so peaceful.

These are beautiful photos, Ingrid. I especially like the first photo with MFK and the porcelain, what a wonderful bouquet.

Thank you all so much. Perma, what a lovely photo of MFK. Your added humidity makes for an even lovelier rose, I think, although at the moment it's sprinkling here and the humidity is 94%. At 62 degrees that's a wonderful combination!

A fresh little bouquet of Mme. Antoine Mari, Mlle. Franziska Krueger and Bishop's castle, picked last night......

..... and here it is today.

Luscious!

Wow! How absolutely scrumptious!

Ingrid, if that's a "pitifully small number' of roses blooming, then, I actually can't think of an appropriate word for my garden. Abysmal, maybe? You have far more roses blooming than I do. And, every one of yours is especially beautiful. I LOVE teas.

Flowers, I'm so sorry about your roses. Living where I do I'm spoiled, and don't often consider that those of you in less benign climates aren't used to having roses look good at least nine months out of the year. Guess we'll all just have to look forward to spring!

That's very kind and thoughtful of you, Ingrid. We all have something, whether it be critters, big and small or insects, diseases or the weather which is getting stranger and more unpredictable every year. It wouldn't be a challenge if conditions were perfect. But, I wouldn't mind a taste of perfect.