A photo-walk through the garden looking at the New Year's roses at Rosehaven Cottage

There are many things I love about living in a mild-winter climate. I think one of my favorites is the chance of having New Year's roses blooming while the trees and plants in other parts of the garden have gone to sleep until spring. The overnight frosts nip at my bougainvillea and calla lilies making them wither and turn brown. But the roses seem impervious even to below-freezing temps.

The roses got a late summer haircut this year and spent the autumn sending out new green growth that resulted in a particularly spectacular late December bloom. When the skies are grey and overcast, the roses are just the splash of color needed to brighten my day. I hope these photos brighten your winter day too.

If you keep scrolling down you'll see the special surprise that I encountered at the end of my photo-walk through the rose garden.

While I was out photographing the roses, a cheeky male Anna's hummingbird decided that my presence was not going to deter him from taking his "regularly scheduled" afternoon bath in the chilly water of the fountain. He was very leisurely and also got a few drinks. If you look closely you can see his little tongue sticking out. I didn't have to use my zoom lens to photograph this little guy. He was only about 4 feet away when I shot this photo. Like I said... cheeky.