Roses are Red, and Roses are Buds

I'm sure this post title has been used a million times but I had to put the word Rose in the title to accentuate the subject mater. I wanted to bring attention to an actual rose post by me. I correspond with quite a few Rose "lovers" out there and give some pretty good kidding on their passion for the most "loved" and written about plant species(I think) in the blogosphere(is that a word?). Anyways I respect all you rosarians out there and the great passion you have. My garden consists of two species of the Genus Rosea. That is about as far as I'm going with any pretentious knowledge of roses. My preferences for purchasing and planting rose species have to do not only with their reproductive elements (flowers) but their foliage as well. Of the many comments that can be made about the aesthetic of most rose blooms, generally the foliage is a lot to be desired. Therefore if you can kill two birds with one stone I base my landscape design elements on the foliage first of all if I'm using that species. The photograph above is a Rosa x 'Noare'-Flower Carpet Rose 'Red'-Class: Cluster Flowered Shrub. Hybridized by Noak in 1995 (that gambit of information is for Professor Roush @ Garden Musings, Masha @ A Rose is a Rose, and Chris @ The Redneck Rosarian ). I guess you could call them my rose buds, pun intended.  I like the real red color of the blooms and the glossy green foliage as seen below.

The thorns are pretty cool too. If thorns can be cool?

Rosa 'merimirrote' Drift Rose Apricot

My next rose in the garden is Rosa 'Meigilli' according to the plant label. Or 'Meimirrote' which I think is probably correct. Introduced by the Knock Out Roses originators Conrad/Pyle in 2010. Here is a link for more information  Drift Rose Apricot . The species is a cross between ground cover type roses and miniature roses.

I guess you could call this one a little 'darling'.

Well I better bring some closure before my dark side (non rose lover) comes back.