A Stroll After the Rain

 We have enjoyed some much needed rain here at cottage and vine.  Funny how the garden changes in just a few days.  Mr. CV and I went out to take an inventory of things and were happy to find so many nice surprises.  The Annabelle hydrangeas are just about to pop.  They look like broccoli just before they bloom.  As soon as the weather is dry enough, I need to work on that bench.  Any color suggestions? 

The Oak-leaf hydrangeas have certainly gotten their groove on since it rained.  They are the perfect combination of chartreuse, green, and white.  As the season goes on, they will begin to show soft shades of mauve and red.

 While we were oohing and aahing, we had a visitor.

If there was ever a year for roses, this would be it.  At least for us, the roses have been show stopping.  Gardening takes a lot of time and patience and some years are better than others.

  This New Dawn rose, is one of my favorites.  It is the one that we used here and that we purchased here.

I will leave you with this last image that made us both stop dead in our tracks.  The sun was in the perfect position and the timing was perfect as we discovered our magnolia tree blooming....I'm wishing I could bottle that fragrance.  Mr. CV said that nothing in this world smells better than magnolia.  I need to get with the fragrance companies asap don't I?