Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Roses "Cocktail" and "Altissimo"

First blooms of 2012 on a number of roses in the garden in the past few days. The big red climber on the back fence called "Altissimo" bloomed on April 26. The single-petaled rose called "Cocktail" (pictured) started blooming on April 27. "Flutterby" by the front door is now in full bloom. "Cocktail" bloomed on April 19 in 2011.

Plants I'm growing: First Blooms--Iris, Potentilla, "Altissimo" Climbing Rose, Bush Morning Glory

A lot going on in the garden today. I didn't have time to take many pictures, but I note here that this year's first blooms opened on a number of plants--including the first German iris of the year, the yellow potentillla under the olive tree, the "Altissimo" climbing rose, and the white bush morning glory (Convolvulus mauritanicus).

Yesterday a single blossom on the small pale pink Cistus under the Chitalpa tree opened, but I see no other flowers at the moment.