Despite the erratic spring weather (50˚ rain one day, 90˚ humid heat three days later), the roses are showing off their splendor. From the frothy, peachy blossoms of “Collette,” to the round rosiness of “Queen Elizabeth," to the bright magenta of “Zepherine Drouhin,” to the prolific pale pink of “New Dawn,” all my roses are competing for attention. I’m crazy about roses (and their names), but my shady garden doesn’t permit me to divide up the space into classic “parterres” full of tea roses as Empress Josephine did at her estate, Malmaison. Dream on! Instead I’ve had great success with a dozen climbing roses planted along sunny patches of wall or fence. Those patches change as trees get taller, and some of the roses put up with a lot of shade, but it’s hard to transplant roses once they’re established. One exception is “Don Juan,” which continues to provide velvety, deep red roses with a fragrance hinting of cloves. This was the first rose I planted thirty-six years ago, but it was engulfed by shade within a decade. When I moved it to its new sunny spot, it took off again. It’s beginning to show it’s age, producing fewer blooms each year, but in the tradition of its namesake, it has no plans to quit seducing! And I have no plans to quit enjoying all my roses.