Ok, all the hard work is done. The roses have been pruned, fed and compost added. They have leafed out and been sprayed for blackspot. All I can do now is sit and wait. While there are some blooms here and there, the majority of rose bushes are full of unopened buds. There's lots of green, but not much else.
Some rose buds are taking their sweet time opening, like a slow strip tease:
You can see the many buds waiting to open on this picture, this is Reve d'Or which I have over an arbor:
One problem I have this year is aphids. They are little bugs that will suck the juice out of your rose buds and ruin them. I don't remember every having this many. They are really gross because if you touch them they squish and your hands turn green or orange, depending on the color of the aphids. Many of my rose buds are covered with them:
You can either remove them with your fingers, or if there are a lotlike the picture above, a strong spray from the hose will knock them off. Or if you see one of these guys below, it means that help has arrived.
That's right. Lady bugs, or more importantly Lady Bug larvae eat aphids. I'm also seeing a lot of Lady Bugs, so the aphid problem should be under control soon. And hopefully I'll have many more rose bud pictures to show you all like this one:
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