I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

Today's shot is of our roses at the side of the house. They grow in a strip of very poor soil next to an outside wall and not in our front or back garden. To my shame I don't look after them at all apart from the occasional prune - no additional water apart from rainfall and no feed either. There are usually only a few blooms and the plant itself tends to suffer from the ravages of powdery mildew but this year it has produced a wonderful display of flowers despite a complete lack of husbandry on my part.
The title of today's blip is actually the same as a country song that popped into my head as I was taking this shot. Time for another plant/music mash-up blip!
"I Never Promised You A Rose Garden" (sometimes titled "Rose Garden") is a song written in 1967 by the American singer-songwriter Joe South. It was originally recorded in the same year by Joe Royal but the most renowned version was recorded in 1970 by Lynn Anderson (which I have tagged below in all its early 70's glory).
However, her producer initially rejected the song's recording because he did not consider it to be a female tune. The song was eventually recorded and released by Columbia Records.
It would go on to become a crossover hit after it reached both the American billboard and country charts and also a major hit worldwide, reaching the number one spot in multiple countries.
'Rose Garden' has since been recorded by various artists across a variety of styles and musical genres - including in 1985 by one of my favourite artists k.d Lang.
It must have been one of the very first country records I heard and I retain a love of female country voices to this day - including Kacey Musgraves, Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams and, of course, the inimitable Dolly Parton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g0f3_Gke84