[Pallas]

... I am doing little happy dances! I don't treat other than the occasional dilute washing-up liquid for aphids, so normally I put up with a bit of most things on the leaves, but right now, they are immaculate! Definitely ready for their close-ups. I hope as proud 'parent', I might be forgiven for posting some photos, I am just so chuffed. Long may it last!

(NB. The roses are Madame Alfred Carričre, Pierre de Ronsard/Eden, Lady Emma Hamilton and Abraham Darby.)

[Daisy]

The foliage looks great Pallas. Lady Emma Hamilton in particular, has such wonderful new foliage. Don't you love this time of year, when everything is looking so fresh and unsullied?
Daisy

[Alisdair]

Beautiful immaculate foliage, Pallas - and if a rose flower is its "face", reminding us all that there's much more to a rose than just a pretty face! 

[Pallas]

I agree, Daisy, I adore Lady Emma's foliage -- I love that whole green/grey/purple thing which is also so lovely on red cabbages and artichokes (I got, ahem, a bit carried away one Christmas and took too many photos of the red cabbage!). This time of year is indeed glorious. And on Sunday night we had a thunderstorm and in the morning everything looked newly born (those are the raindrops on the Pierre de Ronsard leaves).

I will post some photos -- also, Alisdair, of Madame Alfred's blooms: she has decided that she likes being a pretty face as well, and three buds opened overnight and she is threatening to burst over the next week or so!