Gather ye roses while ye may

I know that pictures without people are supposed to be kind of boring, but I wanted to share a few shots of the riotous roses in our front yard. I never was a big rose fan before moving to California (in terms of the actual bush/shrub)--the ones I saw growing up were always kind of spindly and never looked that healthy. Roses thrive here, and always bloom most beautifully in the spring. Over the last few years we've planted more and more roses in our front yard, and when Mando re-did the lawn he also put in a front rose bed by the sidewalk. It's so wonderful to walk outside your front door and be greeted by such beautiful color and fragrance. They're actually pretty easy-care out here, too, which is a big plus for us. There's also a shot of the irises planted a few years ago that have really taken off (a friend was dividing theirs and gave us some).