A lot of fuss over one flower.

[leene_chan]

Moondance, before the bath., a photo by Leenechan on Flickr.

Floribunda roses are supposed to have many flowers. This one would have at least four at once if I didn't have to cut them off in an attempt to stop the thrip infestation. I only planted Moondance in May...

Photos cannot capture how beautiful this flower looked to me today. I kept running out to see it when I was supposed to be making dinner. I'm sure that most rose gardeners probably see much nicer flowers every year, but for someone who's been battling an insect infestation for months...success really is sweeter to someone who seldom succeeds.

Quietness has only been in the ground for four weeks, and it has four flower buds. It's almost as big as Moondance. Prairie Sunrise is starting to put out new growth, too. Roses in our yard have no problem with vigor. It's just those damn bugs!

I don't think either of the new plants has them...