Eye Candy - Before the Storm

I was looking forward to writing a post on eye candy for Katarina's Blooming Friday until the weatherman announced that there was going to be a heavy storm with hail and wind today, presumably destroying what little eye candy there was in my garden... All I could do was snap a few quick pictures and gather as many roses as I could (not many at all as the spring flush still hasn't quite arrived in my garden yet) for the house.

Elie Beauvilain (Noisette, Beauvilain, 1887)

As I was walking around the garden to gather my rose bouquets I stopped to look at the spireas: my front yard is so peaceful and serene before the roses explode into fireworks of vibrant color.

Most of my roses are just beginning to bloom, with one or two flowers on the bush.

Cynthia Brooke (Hybrid Tea, McGredy, 1943)

At this time, it is mostly early-blooming shrubs and perennials that carry the show.

Schön Ingeborg (Hybrid Perpetual, Kiese, 1921)

Even so, with some of the bigger roses, a flower here and there can add up to quite a lot. My wonderful rambler/noisette, Elie Beauvilain, has covered a long fence in my side yard...

...and I gathered a whole bowlful of peachy lilac blush blooms. I never tire of looking at these swirls of subtle colors, my favorite pastime whenever I have a quiet moment.

I also grow some Hybrid Teas, mostly for cutting.

Just Joey (Hybrid Tea, Cants of Colchester, 1972)

One of the first to bloom is the famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Double Delight, praised for its powerful fragrance and reviled for its gaudy color. My bush came with the house when we bought it, and I never felt the urge to get rid of it. Here it is full of buds ready for cutting.

Double Delight (Hybrid Tea, Swim, 1977)

I cut almost all of these, expecting most flowers to be ruined by the storm. This bouquet is right next to me as I am writing this post, perfuming the whole room.

Say what you will about the color, I find the high centers that look like little whirlpools fascinating to look at. And the fragrance is outstanding.

Finally - speaking about gaudy - a picture of vibrant and very uncoordinated color. We planted the white spirea and the purple azalea, while the California poppy (eschscholzia californica) came uninvited. California poppies grow like weeds here, re-seed freely and often appear in a garden unasked. I spent two years ripping it out, and it stubbornly kept coming back in the same spot. I finally gave up on it and just let it be. Color-coordinated or not, it is a pretty flower that brightens up my garden. I don't know if it qualifies as eye candy though:)