As predicted, the roses are blooming early this year. I think these are "Queen Elizabeth" tea roses. Of the vines I planted on the block wall last year, only the snail vine and Lady Bank's rose survived, but the snail vine now covers several of the trellises. And the nasturtiums, which reseeded themselves from last year, are carpeting the ground beneath the roses and spilling over the side of the raised bed.
A friend very helpfully brought me a few bags of pine straw she raked up on her property in Flagstaff, and I used it to mulch the roses after I cut them back in January. Not only will this help to cut down on weed germination, conserve water, and cool the root zone, it should help acidify the soil a little as it breaks down.
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