The roses in my garden are blooming and I am thankful. I love roses but, goodness, they are hard to grow in this part of the world. While they are fussy to begin with, they really dislike the heat and humidity. It's been a battle to keep them alive and healthy, much less get them to bloom. However, I am stubborn and this year it has paid off. So, welcome to the roses that are blooming in my garden today.

You'll note that there are no captions. That's because they would read something like "This one always gets infested with bugs!" Or, "This one was a gift from a friend many years ago and would probably be much happier in a cooler climate." (^.~)

Some time back, Janet Anderson, a Canadian artist from Victoria, BC, painted my photo of a yellow ranunculus in my garden. To say I was pleased is an understatement! (Click here to see the original photo and the painting.)

Well, Janet has done it again. This time it's a painting of photo of a weathered rose that I took while visiting the Rose Garden in Hirakata Park. (Most people know this park as a theme park called "Hirapa" but it has a huge rose garden too!) I'm just so honored to have such a talented artist take interest in my photos. I love this one too, Janet! 

Below is the original photo, the painting (taken from her Instagram page) and a shot of the painting in her home. As far as I know, the painting is not for sale.

Janet's Instagram: www.instagram.com/janetspaintedlife/
Janet's Website: www.janetspaintedlife.com/

Here are some more photos of roses from my visit to Nakanoshima Rose Garden in mid-May. Each photo caption includes the name of the rose, the type, where the variety was created, and the year of creation. (Previous photos from this visit were posted on May 25 and May 26.)

This is a continuation of the blog post on May 25th. Each photo caption includes the name of the rose, the type, where the variety was created, and the year of creation.

Every spring and fall, I make a pilgrimage to Nananoshima Rose Garden, a rose garden on a small island in the very center of Osaka. ("Nakanoshima" literally means "center/middle island".) It has over 80 different kinds of roses from around the world and over 4000 plants. Timing is always a challenge. If you go too early, there isn't much to see. However, too late, and the roses are wilting and very disappointing. This year I went later than usual but, thankfully, although many roses were past their peak, there were still enough to keep me very busy. Despite a full schedule, I have no regrets about taking the time to visit the garden. It was a peaceful oasis and one that did me good. (I stopped at Kitahama Retro Tea Room on the way home and bought some ginger shortbread cookies. I have no regrets about that either! (^.~))

I took SO many photographs of roses that I'll be uploading them in sets of 5 starting today. Each photo caption includes the name of the rose, the type, where the variety was created, and the year of creation. (I finally remembered to take note of the details this year! Rather pleased with myself!)

Enjoy! (^.~)/

• Nakanoshima Park and Rose Garden: travel.gaijinpot.com/nakanoshima-park/
• Kitahama Retro Tea Room Video in LINKS