The roses have arrived in full. Every morning I go out to inspect the new blooms. I find it hard to cut them - I counsel myself into saving them for something really special and then can't make up my mind what that is. I find reasons to hang out with them - weeding, watering. I visualize different arrangements, but then weigh their imperfections with the cost of butchering my baby shrubs and do nothing. The next day I go out and they've shattered into a million petals. Roses don't have a lot of patience for my anxieties.

Right before leaving town for the long weekend I threw together this little bouquet to honour the first flush of blooms. I hated to part with it. All the flowers are from my garden.

Bouquet of roses ('Distant Drums,' 'Koko Loko,' 'Julia,' 'Sally Holmes,'), foxglove, phlox, sweet pea vines, epimedium, astrantia, oregano, cosmos - all from my garden