Ours is not quite blooming yet Melissa but General Schablikine is our first.

I had a malformed Abe Darby bloom recently, so I guess that's the first... but since it was a bit contorted I'm looking forward to seeing who produces the first normal-looking bloom of the season. Aunt Margy's Rose and Grandmother's Hat are currently strong contenders.

My first was Safrano, I think in January. Then came also came our double yellow Lady Banks, which started blooming in Feb. Here is a pic of it I took yesterday:

Jackie

Thanks, Sheila, K S, Jackie. Jackie, your roses are so impressive. I noticed last year that roses seen against the sky are little visible, at least, if the weather is sunny. All that twinkly foliage and the blooms just don't show up. A wall or solid green foliage background are more effective. This was true, not only for the Lady Banks roses, but for the very large laburnums we have growing on a rock outcropping away from the house. They're the biggest laburnums I've ever seen, and they bloom willingly, but they just didn't show effectively over my head, in the sunny weather we had last year when they were in flower.

That is so true, Melissa. It's one reason why I just don't care much for white and especially yellow roses; the bright sunlight spakling on leaves gives my eyes plenty of the yellow-white range already,so I want flowers of deeper contrasting colours. Not to mention the wealth of yellows and whites provided by wild flowers. Someday I'd like to get a Lady Banks, but it would definitely be the white one. However, I must admit that Jackie's yellow one is dazzling!

Nice to see you, bart! Did you get rain over the weekend? We did, and are thankfully liberated from watering duties for a while. You had a question or two for me a while back, which I didn't get around to answering, partly because I didn't have answers, as I recall. One was frequency of watering. We're extremely unscientific about this, but I'd guess a good watering once a week, for plants in the ground for less than a year, would do; mulch to protect the ground from drying out would help. (Plants in pots are a different matter.) Did the other question have to do with box moth? Here again I had no answers--I don't remember your exact question--so didn't say anything. I'm sorry you have them now. Box moth is awful, and kills box plants, it doesn't matter how large they are. We still are seeing no signs of infestation this spring, and are overdue: it's the first time in about eight years that there's been no sign of box moth. I don't know why this is, but certainly am thankful. Of course they may show up later. My guess is they probably will. At least by that time I may be somewhat caught up on my many chores and have time to spray.

I have a weakness myself for white roses, and like yellows, but much depends on their surroundings, as I said, and personal taste is everything in gardening. Right now our world is amazingly green. Our enormous population of money plants, plus the lilacs in full bloom, gives us lots of white, magenta, and purple; and the mahonias are taking over from the forsythias in making sure we don't lack yellow. No doubt this summary leaves out zillions of plants. It's a happy time in the garden.

Oh,, Melissa, it all sounds so beautiful! I wish I could see it all. I have Leyland Cypresses at the bottom of my property and because of you I have toyed with the idea of growing ramblers up them. I have "Paul's Himalayan Musk" and "Bobbie James" own root in one gallon pots waiting. I think now is the time. Don't know what I'm waiting for, I don't have anywhere else for them.

Jackie, your Lady Banks is a-ma-zing! I planted 3 on my hill maybe 10 years ago to grow onto my neighbor's chain link fence. My husband put water down to them, but one died anyway. I just cleared out some stuff that was growing in the way of getting down to them and the two remaining are blooming! They really are pretty - the tiny puff balls of yellow all along the stems. I just gave them some fish and kelp emulsion. I should keep that up as i really want them to cover the fence.

My first to bloom is Madame Alfred Carriere - since March - and that's right after I cut all kinds of "wrong direction" growth off. She is amazing! Another one that's starts really early is Jacqueline du Pre. She's a blooming fool right now. I love her burgundy colored stamens. Pics tomorrow!

@BirdsLoveRoses, Leyland cypresses do have a reputation for having greedy roots and choking out competition. We planted our roses when the cypresses were younger, which may have helped, as they had a chance to grow up together. All the same, in your shoes, I'd give it a try. You'd be wise to dig a good hole and chop out the cypress roots there, and perhaps protect the rose from surface root growth by burying them in some kind of cylinder with the bottom cut out. (This last is vague. I read about it somewhere.) If the roses can compete with the cypresses, they'd be GREAT varieties. By the way, I assume the cypresses are unpruned? I couldn't answer for the longevity or general behavior of cypresses pruned into hedges, as is common here.

I see you like enormous roses, which is very right-minded of you. I do, too. Good luck with your projects!

Another rose that bloomed with the yellow Lady Banks rose is the miniature form of 'Old Blush', or that's what it looks like. I forget the name.

Melissa - My Leyland Cypress are 20+ years old forming a barrier (not pruned) at the bottom of my hill so I don't have to look at the houses below. They're a good 30 feet tall. I can plant the roses up hill from them a bit and then send the canes out and up into the trees. Thanks for the advice about the roots. I'll give it a go this year.