Nat, I don't mean to throw a monkey wrench into your list but I took out Ducher because I could not keep black spot off of it. Thrips loved it and so did the Japanese beetles. It was an underperformer for me, here in Atlanta. Others love it, so thatÂs just my experience. Gruss An Aachen is a great rose but he needs to be sprayed here if you want him to look good--if not, you're going to see a lot more cane. BUT, he does respond well to occasional spraying and he does bloom even when I let him get spotty. BelindaÂs Dream is also nice but does better with some spray. BTW, her blooms are much larger and more impressive in the cooler weather of the spring and fall. Of the ones youÂve listed, Marie Daly is the most disease resistant and has the most continual bloom. The fragrance also carries on the breezeÂwhich I really like. SdLM is another great rose. Mine does get some BS but with a little shot of anti-fungal spray every now and then, she does well. The blooms are beautiful and smell great. Neither SdLM or MD are very large, thoughÂboth maybe 3.5 to 4 feet tall and wide. What about Duchesse de Brabant? SheÂs on JeanÂs list that you mentioned and she made the Earthkind list in Texas. She has beautiful pink blooms that smell like raspberries to me. Mine is taller than wide but I've heard others report that their DdB are larger. I just went out and would call mine "lightly thorny". Although she does have some thorns, it seems like way less than others like her neighbor, Buff Beauty. Hope this information helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Duchesse de Brabant

Looks like mechanical damage from here, I'd forget it. Sounds like a lot of water, even for gritty mix. A lot of fertilizer too (I'd suggest too much, that's why it's so fat & plump as you said). Personally, if it were mine, I'd use a smaller pot. Unless the roots are huge, it's not good to have so much empty mix (assuming that's what's under the rocks). Some succulent growers use little to no fertilizer, feeling it's both unnecessary & makes for overly lush growth. Tho' I grow indoors only, my Aloes are in West window & I only fertilize them once or twice a year, in Summer only. Anyway, back to the damage, it looks like maybe it was bent against the edge of the pot, or a nearby one, looks mechanical (& not spreading) to me. I'd only be concerned if it somehow spreads.

That is not like any bacterial leaf spot that i've seen. What treatments you could use would depend on what is causing the problem, A) Bacterial, B) Fungal, C) Viral, D) Pests. Unfortunately, or fortunately, i do not know the proper treatment for spider mites. But there is a broad spectrum treatment that covers bacterial and fungal infections, copper-sulfate mix. Copper works well against bacteria whereas the sulphur component works well for fungal. Look for the words "copper-sulfate" on the bottle to make sure you are getting the right product, and concentrated formulas are your best bang for the buck. I would spray the plants outside, and let it dry for a tiny bit before bring them back inside. Use gloves and be sure to wash off anything that may drip onto your skin, remove your clothing and throw it into the wash because the ingredients are skin irritants. While i would look to get it treated asap, i would wait for more and hopefully better opinions before running out to the gardening store. There is a chance that it may be Viral (?). I would also try to isolate the infected plants. Good luck either way. Steve This post was edited by sjetski on Mon, Jan 6, 14 at 12:33

I am thrilled to report that my red-leafed rex is doing fabulously well now! After several months of relatively slow growth, I moved it a lot closer to the window, and here's how it looks now. Maybe a month ago, I moved it back from the prime windowsill spot so other plants can have a turn in the brighter spot, but I think it would like to be closer again, it keeps turning the leaves to face the light, so I spun it a little for the sake of a better photo :D. I thought they were lower-light plants, but this one and the silver one really seem to like being right up in the south-facing windows. I am kind of shocked at how broadly it spreads out - those are my feet at the edge of the picture, it's a big plant!! Unfortunately, I nearly killed the silver one over the same time - I had a really hard time getting the watering right, so was alternating between drought and overwatering, but it is coming back now, so in a few more months, if I'm careful, it ought to have filled out nicely. I have not had any return of the black leaf spot problems, or leaf edges dying, since early last year.