A flower a day for January....

This rose bush was among the first things I planted after I bought the house. Well, sorta, anyway:

Actually, I planted some other rose. It was pretty, but not sufficiently hardy, so it failed after a couple Michigan winters. This bush rose (sorry, couldn't resist) in its place, apparently grown from the rootstock. In most ways it's preferable; I'm not about to complain.

This plant's surprisingly strong. It's been mowed down several times over the years, and doesn't get proper attention even in the best times, but every summer it blesses us (and our neighbors; it faces the side street) with hundreds of blossoms.

A good thing. And very pretty.