If I were you, I'd go to the Antique Rose Emporium, and buy things like 'Blush Noisette,' and 'Archduke Charles.'

You'll have roses that bloom in clusters, and repeat fast.

Floribunda . . . "What's in a name?"
Over the last several decades, hybridizers have called things "Floribunda" but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're alike, other than in being cluster flowering.

Jeri

I am also in the Dallas area. Like you, I prefer roses that bloom often or "constantly". I probably have around 80 roses now, mostly chinas, teas, floribundas and a few Hybrid Teas. Size, space and spraying for blaok spot determine what you probably will want to plant, but below is a list of my favorite roses that are pretty much always in bloom. BTW, you can buy most of them at North Haven Gardens, they carry a lot of the ARE roses, as that is one of their vendors.

Archduke Charles - almost always in bloom and changes color as the bloom ages
Ducher- a great white that blooms from march-dec it gets about 4x5
M Tiller- blooms from march-dec it gets HUGE, it grew to 5x8 in one season
Honey Perfume- an apricot/yellow floribunda, very fragrant
Cramiosi Superior- this is a great one, blooms in clusters almost constantly, it is still small for me but I have been told it gets big
Pure Perfume- a great white floribunda that smells like grapefruit, it has very quick rebloom
Black Cherry- a nice red floribunda very quick rebloom
Perle d'or- I grow this one in a pot, almost always in bloom, loves the heat and has a honey fragrance
Carefree Beauty- a shrub rose, pink always in bloom
Old Blush- a pink china that is always in bloom
Julia Child- yellow floribunda, a nice rose, quick repeat
Hermosa- a china, pink, blooms from march-dec
Duchess de Brabant- a great rose, smells like raspberries, nodding blooms. I planted this last year and it is 4x6. I love the fragrance, just wish I put it closer to the front.
Belinda's Dream- a nice pink earthkind rose with hybrid tea shaped blooms, it loves our heat in the summer and almost always has blooms.
Marie Pavie- a nice polyantha, stays small great fragrance
Valentine- a small floribunda, I bought this rose blooming and it is still covered with buds, it was recommened as a continuos bloomer
Eutin- a small red floribunda, again, recommended as a constant bloomer, like valentine it hasn't stopped blooming since I bought it.

I am sure I am forgetting a few, these are the ones that stick out in my mind and roses that I know you will be able to get locally. I hope this helps you get started.

Jeri knows his roses, and I'm glad someone from the Dallas area has responded with roses for your area. You can take your pick of colors and bush habits.

A couple of suggestions: 1) go to the Ft Worth Botanical Gardens. A goodly portion of the gardens are open and free to the public, with lots of roses that should be in full bloom very soon; 2) follow the link to tylertexas.com and search through the city website for information on roses. Roses are what Tyler is all about.

Good hunting,
Gary

Here is a link that might be useful: TylerTexas

ARE is Antique Rose Emporium. It's a nursery that supplies many nurseries across Texas such as Petal Pusher nursery and Weston Garden. Chamblee Nursery is another one that also supplies roses to a lot of nurseries in Texas. They are probably your best bet for having hardy roses in Texas.

I'm in DFW too and have a number of floribundas, here's my recommendation that grows well in my garden:

Julia Child- blooms until early Dec. she stays clean as well

Easy Going- I planted this one where it probably gets 4 hours of sun but she still blooms her head off.

Tuscan Sun- she's got about 5 blooms already and tons of buds, she'll show off her stuff next week.

Honey Perfume- she's a sweetheart, very nice during cooler weather, hot humid weather isn't her thing. I look forward to her blooms during spring and fall.

Goodluck with your choices!

hi! I was going to recommend Julia Child to you too. Great rose.

If you would like to try a hybrid Tea Strike it Rich is constantly in bloom, just like my Honey Perfume.

Being constantly in bloom is more a attribute of the individual rose than it is of the type of rose imo

Hi, tropper! I am a Consulting Rosarian and a huge fan of floribundas and have fifty of them! I love them all, but will recommend some you probably can get now at places like NorthHaven Gardens and Calloways. Here is a list of top bloomers: Black Cherry, Frankly Scarlet, Lovestruck, Laura Bush, Mardi Gras, Julia Child, Julio Iglesias, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Preference, Pretty Lady, Rainbow Sorbet, Sisters at Heart, Tuscan Sun and Vavoom. I haven't tried the new ones-Cinco de May and Light My Fire - no room! But, you might try them.

snowheather,

what about blackspots on those you mentioned?

I would recommend DayBreaker, Our Lady Of Guadalupe, Pinnacle, Scentsational, Rainbow Sorbet, and Preference for floribundas that sail through temperature extremes hot and cold.
John

I spray fairly regularly, so it is difficult to give you accurate information about blackspot from my personal experience. I hear that Pretty Lady is well-known for being very blackspot resistant, and I have never seen any on it. I've never seen any problems with Our Lady of Guadalupe, either, but most of my floribundas are quite happy. I have seen a little blackspot on Julia Child, but others have seen more. I also saw some on Laura Bush when I first got it.

Jon, I also recommend the other ones you mentioned - Daybreaker, PInnacle and Scentsational.

In this climate, blackspot is an issue, and you are unlikely to find many blackspot free ones - even the EarthKind roses usually get it, but don't defoliate. If you aren't going to spray, then, think about some shrubs in the Knockout family or Lady Elsie May.

Snowheather,

What about Livin' Easy? I'm intrigued by this rose. I saw it at a nursery. It just stands out of all the roses I looked at. Scentsational looked very interesting. I'm seriously considering getting it but I have so many roses that I've yet to plant so... Hey, Have you gotten Grandma's Yellow rose? It's out now. Nice bright big yellow roses!

Lou, I don't have Livin' Easy, but know it is a great bloomer and lovely color. And, I don't have Grandma's Yellow either. My problem is I am out of room. I have to shovel prune a rose to add one and I seldom shovel prune a floribunda! In fact, I've only done that to one in the five years I have lived here. It was Fragrant Wave. I had to give up because it is white and a thrip magnet!

And by the way, if you think we have "high humidity", then you haven't gardened in some other parts of the country :-)

Take care,
Randy

'Pink Gruss an Aachen'

*** I think a lot of vendors still sell this as 'Irene Watts.'

The real I.W. isn't verified in commerce, and may be extinct, so there's no confusion.
If you see "Irene Watts," you have the lovely 'Pink Gruss an Aachen.'

(And the buff-toned original 'Gruss an Aachen' is no slouch, either.)

Jeri

Another good red in addition to Eutin & Valentine is Kordes rose Lavaglut--a great garden rose, never out of bloom. Living Easy and Easy Going both do well, good repeat and foliage health. Honey Bouquet is gorgeous and FRAGRANT, as is the oldie but goodie Apricot Nectar. I grew Escapade in Dallas which makes a graceful shrub- blooms don't have lots of petals, check is out on helpmefind.com/roses. And 3 wonderful polyanthas with abundant bloom, healthy & fragrant: Perle d'Or, Maire Daly, Marie Pavie. I also lovelovelove Caldwell Pink. NOrthhaven has a wonderful selection of roses.

Thanks for all the help.

Jeri mentioned the original 'Gruss an Aachen' is no slouch. She's right about that! And it is a historical rose too. It is thought to be the very first floribunda rose. It is celebrating its 100 year anniversary this year, as it was introduced in Germany in 1909. The name translates in English to "Greetings to Aachen", which is the city that served as Emperor Charlemagne's capital (Holy Roman Empire / Western Europe). The French name of this rose is 'Salut d'Aix la Chapelle'.

Randy

Gruss an Aachen, photo taken in my Dallas-area garden this morning:
{{gwi:260495}}

If I remember correctly, Dallas is capable of over 100 consecutive DAYS of temperatures in excess of 100 degrees and unlike the Midwest, there's little temperature drop overnight. Not uncommon for temps over 80 to persist thru most of the night. And it's also very windy. Most of my life I grew roses in Ohio but I never understood what a hot summer is til that 3 years in Dallas...my dogs burned their feet on the sidewalk for hevvins sake!

That is true, Barbara. It's an oven here. Exactly the reason why 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' & the china roses do so well here.
During the summer, I often feel sorry for the roses out there, they need sombreros. You can't even step outside without becoming drenched in sweat & sunburned. Most roses and plants in general don't like it one bit.
Yet SdlM & the china roses are out there square dancing with the agave and cactus, oblivious to the inferno raging around them.

Randy

Dallasguy (or anyone else), how did your Hybrid Teas work for you in the summer months?

I only have a few Hybrid Teas, Pope John Paul II, Double Delight, Mister Lincoln, First Prize, Summer Celebration and All American Beauty, and a few Grandifloras, Wild Blue Yonder and Janice Kellogg. With a few exeptions, I am sort of going away from the modern roses and trying the OGR's. I do spray for blackspot, and I didn't have any problem this past summer. I am having more issues with Powdery Mildew this spring. Of the HT's I have, I highly recommend, Double Delight, Pope John Paul II and Janice Kellogg. The three of them bloomed like crazy. Though they "rested" in between blooming periods, the repeat bloom came rapidly. I do fertilize monthly with a mix of Rose Tone and the store brand of organic fertilizer that North Haven sells (it has a lot of alfalfa meal in it).

Again, I think you need to decide if you are going "no spray" or if you are willing to spray for disease. If you are going to try no-spray, I would suggest you look at the china's, teas, bourbons, noisettes and polyanthas. They are constantly in bloom in our climate and would probably do better in a no-spray situation.

Dallasguy,

What are the cons of using sprays. I know that a lot of people dont use them but i want my flowers to be healthy and pretty. If spraying them wont hurt the bush then Ill do it.

Great post. I see many I might try if I can find a spot to squeeze them in. I'd also recommend the Austin 'Mary Magdeline' which blooms constantly. The only one I'd disagree with is Day Breaker, It blooms non-stop and is pretty but is the worst thrip magnet I've ever seen and even though I spray religiously every week there was no way to control the black spot with our humidity. It is a great rose just not in this climate which I believe is pretty similar to yours.
{{gwi:260496}}
Mary Magdeline (with The Dark Lady jumping into the shot)

Nancy

My ht's did very well during hot summer months, but I water twice a week. My potted roses get watered every other day during summer.
I spray for blackspot, I hate it but I have to otherwise, it's all canes. I also use messenger.
Mister Lincoln, Chrysler Imperial, Tiffany, Just Joey, Granada, Double Delight, Heirloom and Rouge Royale lives in my garden. Granada by far outblooms them all.

HMMM the cons of spraying are..

It is time consuming, you have to start pretty much right after pruning and spray every 2-3 weeks though Nov...

You need to spray when it isn't windy. I had to spray last night as a lot of my roses are suffering from powdery mildew. You probably should wear protective clothing, I don't and regretted it yesterday, I got a facefull of spray and smelled like fungicide the rest of the evening. I'm sure that wasn't very healthy!

I only use a disease control (bayer advanced disease control for roses). I have not used an insecticide and really do not recommend that you use one either. We are lucky that we do not have a problem with Japanese Beetles though thrips can be an issue for a few months. I have enough beneficial insects and gekcos in my yard and it seems to keep the bad ones away.

BTW, spraying will not harm the roses as long as you follow the instructions. It will actually help them by keeping them healthy and disease free.

Hope this helps, I would like to hear from others in our area and see what they use for spraying.

I spray with Honor Guard, which is a cheaper version of Banner Maxx. It is a version of what is in Bayer Disease Control,only lasts longer - up to three weeks. I get it from Rosemania.com. It is pricey, but lasts a long time, as you only use a little of it at a time. I also use Response with it, which is a solution of seaweed, and I also use Indicate 5 - a spreader sticker. Oh, and I use Messenger, too, but spray it separately.

I strongly recommend getting a chemical mask - not too expensive at one of the box stores, along with goggles. This will prevent inhaling chemicals, plus protect against what dallasguy got - a faceful! I use the mask with anything I don't want to inhale - including the organic fertilizers which have powdery ingredients like alfalfa. It is just being smart - if you smell it, you are inhaling it. I always wonder why pest control men go around spraying without masks and say that to them. Of course, they just shrug their shoulders.

Also, wear long sleeves, a hat, long pants and chemical resistant gloves. I use the disposables - also at the box stores. After you spray, wash these clothes separately from the others, and, of course, take a shower.

With a small garden, you can use Bayer All-in-One poured in the ground, and I know a lot of people who do it successfully. But - even when mixing that up, I would use my mask. Again - it's just common sense to me.

I have a lot of hybrid teas in addition to floribundas, shrubs, minis and climbers. In the summer, their bloom size decreases, but revive in the fall with huge blooms - often into December. The floribundas bloom more in the summer and size of blooms seems the same. Anyway, growing roses in blackspot prone areas is a challenge, but the spectacular blooms and long season makes it worth it to me.

I agree with everything Snowheather says except using the "Bayer All in One" product. It contains an insecticide that you may or may not need. It can also kill the beneficial insects and fungus in your soil. If you are planting roses in pots the bayer all in one is probably a good product.

I guess it is all up to what we will tolerate in our gardens. I don't like the look of blackspot or mildew so I use a fungicide. I try to be as "green" as possible. If you don't need an insecticide why use one?

I think I am going to end up planting a mixture of OGR, Floribundas, and a select few hybrid teas for the wife. I also decided to spray for black spots on the current roses that I had already planted before the post:

1 Charisma Floribunda, 2 Double Delight Hybrid Tea, 3 Ferdinand Pichard Hybrid Perpetual (wish I would have gone with the Scentimental instead), 2 About Face Grandifolras, 1 Oregold Hybrid Tea, 1 Angle Face Floribunda, and 2 Double KO's red.

Please continue to post which flowers will do best in my area. Thanks for all your advice.

Good luck, tropper! The spray will be a preventative, but the blackspot you currently have will still be there. It is best to remove all the blackspotted leafs. If you can't stop the blackspot in a cultivar (like Angel Face, which loves to black spot!), you can always shovel prune and plant one that is more resistant.

And, dallasguy is right about the insecticide in the All-in-One. I think that is one of the reasons they (Bayer)says not to use it in potted plants, as it builds up.

Snowheather is right about Angel Face. They look good at the nursery, but I have never seen a healthy looking plant in our area, even with spraying. If you want a deep purple floribunda, Ebb Tide is amazing. Melodee Parfume is a nice lavender-purple grandiflora. New this year to me are Excellence Von Schubert and Reine de Violetts, both look like promising plants in the lavender/purple/violet color range.

'spice' has been bullet-proof for me. I have poor, alkaline soil and it is a non stop, disease free bloomer that likes the heat. I grow 'ebb tide' and 'midnight blue' and love them both. I find 'midnight blue' to be more vigorous and able to handle the heat and intense sun a little better.

Rather than planting rose varieties that will need to be sprayed in the Dallas area, you might, as an alternative, consider these plants instead:

Chinese Fringe flower
Oakleaf hydrangea (for partial shade)
Texas Sage
Salvia greggi
Salvia nemorosa 'East Friesland'
'New Gold' Lantana (it's usually perennial here)
Daylily
Intermediate bearded iris
Abelia

Mix in a few "Dallas-tough" antique china roses & polyantha roses, and spraying chemicals would be a waste of time.

Just a thought.

Randy