Hi, SFL, I don't know how similar Zone 9a and Zone 10b are. I imagine you get NO chill time, and I'm wondering how is your soil? 300 miles is a long way, putting us pretty much in different worlds even in the same state. But I'll give it a shot. The main similarity is heat & humidity!! There's a good small book called 'The Southern Queen: Growing Beautiful Roses in the Tropics' by Latimer C. Farr about growing roses in South Florida. I got mine in a local rose society drawing, and I can't find any for sale online. As to the nematodes, if you're going for HTs and other moderns, they definitely should be on Fortuniana. I grow Tiffany on Fort and two Chrysler Imperials probably on Dr Huey so they're in big pots. Both are on Farr's HT list. I have a very early HT (pre-1895) called Madame Abel Chatenay (own root) which I love, she's healthy but loses her leaves in Jan & Feb. Farr has a pretty long list of moderns that do well down there. Probably your local rose society would be the best source for a list. I don't grow David Austins. Belinda's Dream is a good modern one. She gets very big here. Hmmm, don't they all? Old Garden Roses, especially Chinas, have some resistance to nematodes so they can be grown on their own roots. (I have 100+ roses, mostly own root.) And it has been found that nematodes don't like organic matter and heavy mulch including concrete slabs & foundations, so organics is the route I take for nematode deterrence with OGRs like Teas, Noisettes and polyanthas that aren't 100% China. I incorporate a lot of composted horse manure and pine fines (close to 50%) into the bed before planting and topdress every spring with composted horse manure on top of the old mulch and add new mulch. (I didn't know that clay could be obtained and added to the soil when I did my beds, but if I were starting over, I would try to get some for water and nutrient retention. I don't know what type of clay is preferred.) This year I've started watering daily with a micro system for 30 minutes in the early morning. When I watered every other day, my bushes stayed almost leafless all summer even with thick mulch. So! Which roses? Louis Philippe is the best, a beautiful red/pink flower with cherry candy scent. Easy care, virtually no BS. Another China that I love is Le Vesuve along with Jean Bach Sisley & Old Blush. Teas are great. They love the heat and come in a variety of colors and bloom forms. Some favorites are Maman Cochet, General Schablikine, Mrs B R Cant, Anna Olivier, Duchesse de Brabant, Madame Antoine Mari, and many more. The Bermuda Roses work well. I like Carnation. Noisettes and Tea-Noisettes are generally climbers that like heat and tolerate our humidity. They get fairly huge here. Cile Brunner Spray, LeMarne & Perle d'Or do very well in Florida. I have had less success with Hybrid Musks probably because of my soil pH and they tend not to like heat & afternoon sun. For climbers Don Juan does well enough here but does get BS. Mine is on Fortuniana. I have own root Sally Holmes & Pink Perpetue, both are recommended by Latimer Farr along with New Dawn, Sombreuil & Clair Matin. The short Bourbons in the Souv de la Malmaison clan do well albeit with some BS but have beautiful flowers and extended blooming, and Farr says Maggie does well, too. I found that Maggie got more BS than I could handle so she's gone, but you have to establish a tolerance level for that. Hope this is helpful. I hear the soil in South Florida can be really shallow on top of limestone. What's your situation? Hi, lagomorphmom! Sherry

A comment in HMF by John Hook from France regarding SdMLV: 'This rose troubles me. It has been growing everywhere around here reputedly for the last 100 years, over this period people have continually taken cuttings and started their own plants. My problem is that there are so many variants, Leaf shape and length, prickles, once blooming or remontant and flower shade. None of the clones are completely different though, they have usually only 1 variant' I have the rose on order from Trevor White in the UK. From the pics I see this looks to me like a hybrid gigantea in the shape of Fortune's Double Yellow rather like a 'normal' Tea rose. Not reblooming is of course very different than not blooming at all! I can only attribute the refusal to bloom to lack of sufficiently cold temps during the winter. Sometimes some roses take some years to bloom btw, this may have to do with the 'age' (nodal age) of the cutting from which the rose was created. Sorry for the digression.

I am in NE FL I have PJP2 in a big pot on Fort. It can get 7ft in the pot. I bet it could get larger in the ground. I cut back every spring but it will grow right back. I would take mine out of the pot but the roots are way way down into the ground at this point. It can get some black spot during the rainest part of the year but recovers quickly. I dont spray anything, so your mileage may vary. It grows best in full sun. It is one of my best bloomers and very fragrant. Put it in a place where you can enjoy it in the evening. It kinda glows in the twilight hours. Don Juan is a good bloomer and will get taller than PJP2 here. It isnt real wide and you could put it on a trellis and wrap it or espalier to keep the shape you want. Munstead Wood would probably get the same size as PJP2 if it was on Fort. It is a very good healthy rose here and the fragrance wafts! It is a darker red but is its darkest in winter. It can go a little magenta in summer heat whereas Don Juan holds its red color in the heat. I hooe this helps :)

Comments: I've read up on Velveleaf and decided it's best to pull the plant so it won't spread. On a positive note, here's info I found interesting: "The seeds of Velvetleaf are reportedly edible. In an outdoor emergency, the soft leaves can be used as a substitute for toilet paper."