Top left - Rosa 'Emily Carr' - right - Rosa 'Benjamin Britten' below both l Rosa 'Gabriel Oak' 13 July 2026

As a little boy my father always spoke to me in English. In bed in the late afternoon we would sing together My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean and Onwards Christian Soldiers. He also read me stories.

When my grandmother read stories to me they were always in her impeccable Castilian. Once finished she would say, “Colorín colarado este cuento se ha acabado.” It is pretty well difficult and what it meant was,“this story is over.”

Since I began scanning the plants in my garden in 2001 I have accumulated thousands. I can safely say that that story is not over and since colorado in Spanish is a synonym for read my grandmother’s refrain is appropriate for this scan of three red roses.

Colorín colorado este cuento NO se ha acabado.