New roses today.

Well, I was disappointed with the roses but bought 5 home. Papa Meilland again - I just love it. Then Valencia, Gold Bunny, Kardinal and climbing Peace. I'll plant the first 4m this afternoon.

Excellent choices, Betty, you can't go wrong with those.
I always list Valencia as my best performing rose, it's got the lot. I also love Papa Meilland, such a gorgeous perfume and deep red. Kardinal has lovely blooms, perfect for cutting. Gold Bunny is a classic, always in bloom, mine is even now. Peace is a lovely rose to, I haven't seen it climbing yet.

Everything in the garden will be ROSES

All sound good to me Betty..

Glad you approved of what I bought home, ladies. Val, you'll laugh, the guy selling the roses told the lady next to me that Valencia is orange, and she bought it. She'll be disappointed - or maybe not? Peace is a very big climber, we had it on the front verandah when I was a child. Have to think where I'll put that one.
Next to be planted will be the own rooted roses when they arrive, Oh, and guess what, I've been given a date for the arrival of the roses at the Hardware store I haunt. That's exciting as they always seem to have nice ones.

I picked up Abracadabra and Double Delight today, plus the David Austin's Claire Rose , Lilac Rose, Yellow Charles Austin, Tamora and Charles Rennie McIntosh, and finally a gallica, Belle Isis. Quite happy with my shopping day.

Okay, my name is Betty and I'm a rose-aholic. To keep Best Friend company I ordered 5 others off Treloars. Makybe Diva, New Duet, Cabana(wow! lovely stripey rose.), Brother Cadfael, and a moderate type of climber, Pride of Venus(trusses of large lemon yellow blooms).
I think I might have to start digging the rose bed in the other side of the orchard soon, so I won't have to pot these roses The manure for that garden was old when I opened up the manure heap, so old it was like rich soil, and it's sat in the orchard for a year now so I reckon when the bed is dug and that manure has been dug in, I can plant immediately. Very happy with these particular roses.

All the roses sound good to me Betty.. Gee that will keep you busy I do hope there is some mechanical digger there to break it up first, and you have had enough rain to soften the soil...

I am glad I am a Camera-aholic not as much work but maybe a bit more exercise as its ongoing

I'm the only mechanical digger here, worse luck. I was going to get started today but we had a visitor this afternoon so that was that. I'll tell you tomorrow whether it's going to be hard or easy digging.

Well Betty, you have been having fun, haven't you ! Good luck with all the digging and planting - that manure sounds like Rose caviar, they'll love it.

I was expecting a parcel with roses today and it hasn't come

This is what I ended up doing this morning. WEEDING the vegie garden. (How many roses could I plant there I wonder? ) This part at least was easy weeding, and should be pretty easy digging too. It's beautiful soil. I'm just a tiny bit tempted to plant vegies, but do wish I knew whether this El Nino is going to bring our drought back.
Where the rose beds are going has never been dug though. Could be hard yakka. Sorry to hear your roses didn't come when expected, Val, I'd be a bit disappointed too.
Next job is removing that mountain of weeds.

Shame you have no chooks Betty not only would they weeded that patch for you they would have dug it up and manured it as well..

If chooks had disappeared into that jungle we'd never have seen them again. The amount of manure I put into that bed, and the rotted down pea straw mulch .... I'm sure roses would grow well there. Would not dare suggest it to Ian though.

Yes the veggies have to come before the roses Betty they reward you better.
It's great to have a vase of roses in the house they dont make as good eating

Wow Betty, you did some hard yakka there - well done!
My roses did get delivered after all - very late though.
Brass Band, Diana Princess of Wales, Rose of Narromine and Tropical Sunset.
I potted them today, with a lot of help from David as I have a bad back
It's exciting to see al the new growth starting on the pruned roses

It was easy weeding, Val, just took a while to do, and I wanted it done to let more rain reach the soil. We got a very welcome 6.5mm so it was worth the effort.

I have Brass Band on my wish list, also Diana Princess of Wales, and already have Tropical Sunset(lovely rose), so I approve your choices. I had to look up Rose of Narromine. It's a beauty, nice colour and form and a huge rose by the sound of things. Sorry to hear you have a bad back, is that from the fall off a garden bed? You have my sympathy, there is nothing worse. I have the start of osteoporosis, a wedge fracture of a vertebrae high in my back, plus a couple of slipped vertebrae down the bottom, and both can cause problems. Sometimes I can't lie on my back to sleep, which always seems to be when I want to lie that way. LOL. Fortunately for me I adopted a motto long ago and that was "You've got to be tough". Had to be when working with horses, you can't very well take sickies, and even with our own animals, someone has to do the work. Can't be Ian, so I'm it. Not feeling sorry for myself by the way, that's just life.
Get better soon.