I am in east Texas and the Antique Rose Emporium carries this rose. Polyanthas do very well for me. I love Phalenopsis too. They bloom alot, little disease. I cant remember about fragrance, probably not. Polyanthas seem to have blooms on them all they time. If you are near Brenham, go to the Antique Rose Emporium in April and you will be fascinated and enchanted! They have gorgeous beds with all sorts of blooming plants in addition to roses. I have to go get my "fix" here several times a year!

Clothilde Soupert could be a good one for you. I'm located in northern VA about 30 miles south of DC. Tea roses are no spray for me but they grow quite large - Monsieur Tillier is about 6x6 with regular haircuts. Marie Van Houtte is larger. So scratch teas from your list LOL -- there's no winter die back here.

Do you or have you lived in that climate? I suspect that if you have, you would not be asking this question. I live in a Gulf South climate. With a whole house fan, I imagine that you will wake up every morning not cool enough and very wet-feeling. The economics are questionable as well. If your mechanical cooling has to dry the house out every day, it may cost more than it saves. Someone has probably done those engineering calculations. Cost for humidity removal competes very well with temperature reduction in this climate. Keep in mind that although keeping a home cool all day, or drawing the temperature down in the evening, keeping the house cool in the night is a modest electrical demand by comparison. You are pumping heat against a very small gradient. I'd concentrate on building a home with energy efficient features. Hire an energy rater (Resnet or BPI) to guide you in making the most efficient choices for your money. LSU and Florida's land grant university make recommendations for construction in this climate and probably so do land grant universities in TX, MS, Georgia, Alabama.... Here are some examples of the kind of resources you might find useful in your planning. A good energy rater will already be familiar with these or the concepts: Louisiana State University AgCenter. Building Your Louisiana House. Homeowner’s Guide to Shaping the Future for Louisiana Living. 2002. I can't find a link right now, but all the information should be found here along with lots of other information LA House Humid South—Creating Comfort and Controlling Cost Research Report - 0214 November-2002 Building Science Corporation Abstract: If you don't do anything else along these lines, pay attention to this list: Joe's top ten Honestly, for new construction, I'd be looking at concrete insulated panels -- no termite problems, very wind resistant, and very easy to control indoor climate.

I’ve been wondering if I should have gotten Darcey Bussel instead of Munstead Wood. MW is said to be much more fragrant, but in my garden it is only fragrant when conditions are just right. It’s an okay bloomer, but flowers lose their form, size and color in the heat of summer. The flowers crisp quickly in our dry summer heat. The spring and fall flowers are wonderful though. Sheila, do you have a MW? If so, how does it compare to DB? Stephanie? Bishop’s Castle would happily grow to 6 feet in my garden if well irrigated. I keep mine rather dry and the flowers are smaller, but it mostly stays about 4 feet and bushy. When the late summer monsoons come and the weather cools down, it shoots up taller basals that get pruned down in the winter.