As far as I'm concerned, there are few places better than here for once bloomers (or for perennial and shrub gardens in general) We don't get the wild temperature swings that send other places into a tizzy. There are plenty of choices for plants that are cold tolerant enough to handle the climate, and enough rain that water is a non-issue. What relatively few people seem to understand is that a lot of the 'water hogs' that they avoid because it takes regular irrigation to grow them properly, are really our native plants.

I think every area has its plusses and minuses..

I drip with ZONE envy seeing the teas and noisettes. Im sure they are just as envious that I barely lift a hose to water anything where Im at. Sometimes in the august I might do a once a week watering. Im sure the plants can survive here without it though... Since Ive also not done it.

Silverkelt

Yes, California has it's virtues for growing roses. Temps are generally mild. You can have potted roses galore without winter protection. Roses do thrive here and we have little blackspot pressure, that is compared to most places. No real Japanese Beetle threat and you can garden most of the year. Spring is here fast and you get your rose orders in January to plant right away.

BUT, our biggest drawback is that we can have drought issues some years. Especially in So. CA. This year we are getting decent rainfall though. So happy about that!

It also is heartbreaking to see pics of Celeste's gallica's and not be able to grow those properly, as well as so many gorgeous once bloomers and damasks etc., that need winter chill. And my Constance Spry DA rose that I want to have bloom so much, may need more chill than it gets. I'm still holding out hope though, fool that I am.

Juliet

Depends entirely on the OGR. Gallicas and Albas in cold climates are gorgeous. Here, a complete failure. The reverse most probably for Teas and Noisettes.

OGRs--something for every climate, just not everything for every climate.

Here in the PNW I can grow just about anything-including most Noisettes and I suspect that Paparoseman down in Tacoma can grow the ones I cant-but no Teas for me..they just dont do. The spring bloomers really shine here because spring is long and summer temps cool until at least the end of July usually. I get 6 weeks to two months of bloom where places that get hot quick only get a couple of weeks. Still I have more Blackspot and Anthracnose pressue than most..its a trade off.

patricia

@Hoovb: I am so glad that California is ideal for Teas and Noisettes. That is another blessing in gardening here. They grow beautifully in this state.

"OGRs--something for every climate, just not everything for every climate", how true that statement is, Hoovb.

Juliet

As Patricia said this area in Western Washington is great for almost all OGR's. There are particular varieties of different classes that don't do well here but all in all we have it made. I have completely healthy albas and gallicas planted right next to teas and noisettes and they can be grown no spray if I want. Try growing some of the once bloomers in other areas which have a long cold season and the bloom season is very short anyway because the temps rise to fast.

Lance

And here I dream about moving to a different state just to change gardening zones! I think in colder climates the blooms are not so stressed on the plants, they don't crisp in the sun or bleach out. And on really dry days (which is almost every day of the l-o-o-o-ng summer) you have to give them an extra drink of water in the morning or you will find droopy flowers when you get home from work. Even our gerbera daisies start out red or yellow in the morning and are almost white by evening. Not to mention the guilt for not growing drought resistant plants... xeriscaping they call it.
On the plus side, it is nice to grow things without worrying about winter protection and blackspot. If they will make it through the summer is another story.

I am on the Eastern side of Washington state, five miles from Idaho. Our weather is completely different than Seattle, but I think the OGRs I'm ordering will do very well here.

The two biggest challenges are very cold winters and very hot, dry summers, usually starting mid-July. Since albas and gallicas (and some damasks, mosses, centifolias, and portlands) are hardy to zone 4, I think they're a good choice for our area. The summers are so dry, I don't have any problems with blackspot. Our hot weather starts after most of the OGRs are finished blooming, so I think they'll look nicer than my hybrid teas. I have to plant those in afternoon shade, or the blooms last one day...and the hybrid teas are not very winter hardy.

Some roses want heat and some roses want cold. I don't think there is a "best" place.

We can grow nearly every kind of rose in Sacramento, but the fact that we "can" grow them doesn't mean that they achieve their best. I've seen mosses in Ohio that are simply stunning, and a breataking bed of William Shakespear 2000 in France that cannot be replicated in my climate. The cemetery's little Striped Moss finally produced ONE bloom after an especially cold winter a few years ago, and then expired from the effort. So I share everybody else's opinion that there is no one "best" place - depends on the kind of rose. I've got very little interest in zone pushing roses these days - want to grow what does best in my own garden, and go visit the other kinds in other people's gardens!
Anita

One of the reasons I chose SW Virginia was because I can grow just about anything here. It is cold enough for gallicas and warm enough for many, if not all, teas, and water is not an issue. But there is blackspot and JBs. Nothing is perfect. We get lovely, languid summers but the humidity isn't overwhelming, New England fall colors, enough snow to be pretty, and long, stately unfolding springs. I was luck enough to go anywhere I wanted and this seemed to offer the best of most worlds.

It's true every place has its drawbacks. I'm happy here because we get anough chill for the OGRs that need it and enough warmth for others. We get a little cooling air from the coast in the summer. After July though I am very unhappy with the dryness. If we have a heat spell roses tend to shut down. Often I see few blooms between August and October.

I think any place is the best place for the OGRs that thrive there. It might seem like each place doesn't have a large selection, but it's a fact that SOME old garden roses (more than you probably think) grow well everywhere. I'm simply amazed and blessed that Chinese roses came from a climate similar to mine!! Miraculous, I think. Once we get over the envious zone pushing I think we can glory in whatever is happy in our area. And since Chinese roses (and their derivatives) are pretty impervious to blackspot, I would say that MY state is the best because we don't have JBs, but we do have thrips and stinkbugs and nematodes. Oh, well, so much for my opinion.

Now which state is the best for companion plants is a whole nother question, and I'm sad to say it ain't Florida.

Sherry

Sherry, Chinese roses (and their derivatives) are pretty impervious to blackspot in the South. Here in Mid Atlantic they blackspot like almost everything else that is repeat blooming.
My climate is great for gallicas, some Albas, early yellows and some mosses. I am quite content with this and don't even wish for repeat.
Olga

Olga

And my climate is just about identical to the northwest Orient, so it's a perfect place for Rugosas.

Out of curiosity, if you're a fragrance fanatic what Chinas do you grow (or do you simply concentrate on Teas instead)?

(No, northeast Orient........

And the Rugosas grow wild in the sand dunes here without anyone planting them there.)

York, Louis Philippe is pretty much my most fragrant rose - even in the heat of the day and at the end of the day. Cramoisi Superieur, Carnation, Archduke Charles & Fellemberg have some fragrance, too, but not like LP to me. And except for Mrs B R Cant the teas aren't REAL fragrant, but mine are young. So LP is the one I run to for a sniff - ahhh, cherry candy.

Olga, wouldn't it be AWFUL if you HAD to grow Chinese derivatives, i.e., warm weather roses??? Thankfully, you get to grow what works for you and gives you a beautiful garden. That's the beauty of roses. They are so diverse.

Sherry