Red carpet roses.

In yesterday's excitement I forgot to mention my other purchases.....

...three very healthy red carpet roses. 

We have experimented with a number of different plants along the front of our house. (We have been here now for 20 years so that's a lot of trial and error!! ) 
 The conditions in that bed are extreme....a northerly aspect and  the likelihood of scorching winds in the summer. Add to that, the heat reflected from the driveway.  Enough to cook all  but the toughest of plants. These little roses however, have come up trumps.
I have had some success with propagating them too, but the cuttings just don't seem to get  going on the western side. Maybe it's because I  get very excited that they have produced new roots and I shove them in the ground too early.The big tree probably sucks all the water out of the ground too I imagine.
So I will plant these healthy specimens here......

....so that this bed might eventually look the same as it's eastern neighbour......

...with some cosmos , salvias and alyssum.

We are waiting patiently to see whether this viburnum is going to survive or turn it's toes up. 

It is at the western end of the veranda and would have been subject to extreme heat from the fire. Normally it can cope with whatever gets thrown up at it.

My other purchases from yesterday were these...

I can't wait to start propagating some plants again.

 One of my great sadnesses was losing about 20 little lemon plants in the fire that were in the potting shed/stable.  I had grown them from seed and they were doing so well, but I can easily try that again. They need warmth for the seed to germinate successfully, so next summer will be a good time to give it another go.

 Salvias too seem to strike quite easily and I have  grown to really like them.
 Paul Bangay talks about them in his book about Stonefields. He plants them in groups for a better effect.
Note to self.... dig up and move all those "one here, one there" salvias out the front and put them in groups.

I especially love this one. It is called russian sage.

I think I've exhausted all talk of the front garden bed now! My colour fix will have to be found somewhere else!!