Roses, Containers, Poodles and Rabbits

Be warned! I'm going to be boring you with lots and lots of pictures of my roses. Not many of them are blooming thanks to both the Great Rose Migration which became the Great Rose Massacre and the new roses that I just planted which are still settling in and probably won't bloom until next year. Fortunately, the few that are blooming are more than making up for the losses:

Okay, here's another one for the Weirdness Chronicles. The rootstock of this bush blooms every year. In August. I checked last years' entries. August 12. This year, May 26. BIG difference.

Baronne Prevost, which has never done well in this spot because it doesn't get enough light but I don't dare move it after the fiasco this spring, is literally covered with blossoms.
It just amazes me how they go from this:
To this:
And finally, to this:
The Siberian iris is blooming. It's such a contrast to the huge, heavy, bearded iris.
Ooh, this one is really pretty!
I planted a white Bleeding Heart this spring. Surprisingly, it has begun to bloom:
I was sure that I would be able to finish digging the new bed in the front yard. I was planning on an early start yesterday because I had to drop my cat off at the vet for surgery at 8:30 AM. I dug and dug and dug and still didn't finish by the time I had to clean up so I could pick him up at 4:00 PM. I could have dug a little longer. They decided to keep him overnight. When I called this morning, he was running a fever and to stay for the day so back out I went. I dug and dug and dug. I was literally within a few feet of finishing when it began to rain.

I wasn't upset by this. I had containers to plant. I don't normally do containers. I haven't had any luck with them in the past but I have done so well with my new houseplants, the two jades, the snake plant and also a kalanchoe that I rooted after brushing up against it and breaking off a piece. I know what you are thinking, but it really WAS an accident.

First I planted my new pot with catnip seeds. Then I planted the chocolate mint. Let's keep that between us, okay? Last week when we were planting our herb bed, I don't know how it happened, but a couple of pieces of chocolate mint somehow ended up in my basket and came home with me. I couldn't just let them die, so I potted them up. I also brought home some lavender. That was deliberate. We had asked for lavender for the herb bed and been given three types: Provence, Grosso and Lady. There was way too much Lady, so my partner and I each took a piece home. My lavender collection is growing by leaps and bounds! It's also destined for that new bed which is still not finished. YES! I have another homeless plant!

Lastly, I planted two containers for my front steps. I'm desperate for color in the front of my house. The hydrangeas aren't blooming yet and the asters won't bloom until fall. It's just green, green, green so I picked up some petunias and celosia when I was at the grocery store. I crammed as many into the pots as I could but they look sparse. I'm told I can pinch back the petunias to make them bushier. Maybe that will help.

By 6:00 PM, I was finally able to bring my cat home. I discovered that in order to get his IV's in, they had shaved his front legs. I've been teasing him that he looks like a poodle:
Can you tell that he is mortified? That rug is filthy for two reasons. One, I've been too busy gardening to do much housework and two, I've been collecting cat hair for the gardens. Last year I lost a lot of tulip bulbs to a bunny that has taken up residence in my yard. This year I have spread a lot of cat hair in the beds and haven't lost a single bulb! It seems to deter the squirrels also. I haven't lost as many seeds and seedlings as I usually do.

The bunny really likes my gardens though he isn't eating much. I see him every day:
When I shoo him away, he never goes far:
Isn't he fat and sassy? I'm used to little scrawny wild rabbits. He's so big and fat, he looks domesticated. And as you can see, he's pretty tame. Someone must have told him I have a soft spot for animals. Even the ones that eat my plants!