Back now to the balcony, where the roses continue to fascinate. I have been particularly struck this last month by the shifting shades of the bush in the original bed at the south west corner of the balcony, where for years I had flourishing red roses. The current orange bush has lasted for some months now, whereas a couple of predecessors gave up, with one having been transferred since it had little pink roses and there was already a little pink bush in place in that bed.

Four weeks ago I showed two blossoms on that bush which were more yellow than red. But two days later the orange glow had taken over. And then, a week later, when a new bud was emerging, one of the earlier flowers had faded away to a still very attractive pink. The bud was in blossom two days later, its promise of orange fulfilled, which was in marked contrast to the pink and white of the earlier blossom.

The next picture shows these two again, a few days later, when the pink flower is fading. Behind it you can see the other flower that bloomed alongside it, still showing shades of orange.

The next picture is not of this bush, but of the one on the north end of the bed with three plants in it. That has not stopped producing flowers but of late they do not appear in profusion, and there has been just one at a time. This one, with no doubt about its colour, appeared just after the two yellow flowers in the other bed had turned orange.

And then, on cue for this post today, the plant at the south end of this bed, after a month of lying fallow, produced a flower which was in beautiful blossom this morning.