Well that didn't take long

When we went to Annies Annuals last weekend to buy "a few plants", I couldn't resist a Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis' China Rose plant.

I try to stick with mostly native plants, but this lovely rose plant produces throughout the year blossoms that shift in color from orange to yellow to a magenta red. It is very drought tolerant and attracts bees and butterflies for its pollen.

When we purchased the plant there were several buds on it.

I transplanted the plant to a larger pot in the garden that same afternoon

The next day two of the buds opened.

Look who arrived shortly after one of the buds opened, a hover fly (also known as a flower fly).

The blossoms have a delicate, subtle and lemony fragrance.