Great photos, Kathy. These are modern hybrid teas. They look old and/or recently neglected. Some people would probably yank several of them, but I think you will learn a lot trying to save them. If they come back, great and if not, you will have acquired knowledge and skills to try again. Fertilize them. Since they are compromisd, they willl be more prone to diseases and, since you are in Georgia, I would follow Judith's advise and spray them with Funginex. The disease they are most likely to get is Black Spot. Water them well once a week, maybe every 5 days if you have another really dry summer. Water only in the morning and do not wet the leaves. Roses do not like to go to bed with their feet wet. Water slowly, so the water sinks in. Stick your finger all the way into the ground--it should be wet all the way to the tip of your finger. You could also give them some Bone Meal (available at Home Depot or any garden supply--follow instructions on the bag). Trowel it in like you do with the fertilizer. Except to take out dead wood, I would not prune them. Take out that holly that is growing next to one of them. Dig its roots out; don't just cut it down. You may get aphids--itsy-bitsy soft green bugs that cover the new growth and buds. You can hose them off or spray an insecticide like Safer Soap. Try to avoid heavy chemicals. In mid summer you may get japanese beetles, irridescent green flying bugs. Come back on the forum for help and sympathy if you get them. Go to www.helpmefind.com/roses and look up your roses to learn more about them--how large they should get, the colors, etc.

I second and third Louis Philippe... It by far is the best and most carefree bloomer ever! I have four of them, and they are all covered right now! But my Show stopper is...a Fortuiana bush I saved from the old Giles nursery that the bulldozers had plowed down when they sold their business... It is 6 feet wide, and spreads at least 12 feet up and over my pergula...In March it is to die for!!!!! So if anyone needs cutting for grafting...please let me know...you are welcome and I have plenty to spare.... You can see it in bloom on my blog "the roosting Hen" It's the main picture....It only blooms once a year...but well worth it...and never gets black spot.....and naturally doesn't get affected by nematodes...hehehehehe.... My other own root OGR are doing really well too...I'll have to find there names...A few other hybrids are Ok...but just not show stoppers...and only thriving ones are grated on Fort...I really need to learn how to do that!!!!! janine

Can't possibly thank everyone enough for the responses. In regards to location, we live near Tallahassee, putting us in zone 8b. Unlike south FL, we do have a bit of a fall season and see a few frosty mornings each year, but spring still kicks in blessedly early for us. As a bit of an update my dilemma is that while I don't like the "legginess" of knockout roses, nor do I love the more frilly/full look of many of the English roses that do well here, especially since our yard has numerous camellia trees with similarly full flowers. Knowing full well that the hybrids will cause us (honestly my husband) more work I'm still drawn to them knowing they'll take much more work and will make for turnover in plantings as time goes by. So with the above shared, we have made two picks thus far and have the garden now about half full. One was definitely more of an impulse buy (but with at least a bit of cell phone info review before buying!) while the other was a bit more deliberate. The impulse buy was three "Miracle on the Hudson" rose bushes from our local Costco. They simply looked stunning in the store, with with every customer walking by them stopping to admire them and verbally praise them. The rose itself has what I feel is a bit more richer red than with knockouts while still having a relatively simple flower, while the bushes are not as "leggy" as knockouts and have attractive dark foliage. Quick online reviews showed it listed as highly disease resistant. We'll see. With the "Miracle on the Hudson" a fairly bold / vibrant choice for the garden, we wanted the next rose to help transition to lighter shades / other color options, and with the interior of our home a yellowish shade of paint (Corinthian White), we acted on Irisgal_z9's advice to pick a flower that would look good on the dining room table and choose "Double Delight" as the rose to pair with the Miracle on the Hudson rose. We planted these roses in the half of the space closest to the picture window so will be looking for lighter color roses that are no taller to fill the other half now. We're thinking that with the Double Delight helping transition, we can now go with very soft shades of yellow, pink, or white in the front half of the rose garden area. Absolutely WELCOME any continued recommendations for what might pair well with the space we have left.

There were multiple presenters. Carol (Kippy) covered diseases, pests, flower form, color, caging against gophers, skunks, feet and several other aspects. Bud Jones and Linda Buzell-Saltzman commented on OGRs, polys, Teas. Dan Bifano presented on some disease resistant moderns and the landscaping use of roses, climbers in particular. Carol has a LOT on her plate at the moment, but I will see if she can send me the link to the web page she set up with photos and links which was given on a hand out I didn't bring home. The main take away was select right the first time, for vigor, disease resistance, suitability. Do your research and definitely check them out on HMF and local societies.