Hi Deb,
I have some of those but I am way out of your zone.
Just wanted to say Hello!
alida

Welcome. I have alot of these roses and love them but my growing conditions are not similar to yours so I will leave comments to someone who is from your area. Just wanted to say Hi.

Carol

Welcome! You will have your hands full with a bunch of good roses. I would say your main challenge will be watering, so anything you can do to automate that will make your ownership a lot more enjoyable. As someone who does not spray, I can say the majority of the ones you have ordered should do fine. That means they can get some blackspot and disease, and sometimes even defoliate. But they should bounce back. No spray takes some patience watching nature take its course- sort of like the urge to help your kids work through a tough school project without your help! And you may lose a few along the way. That just makes room for another variety to try. Eventually you hit upon a group that does well in your situation. If you have them growing in formal beds without other plants, the disease pressure will be higher vs. inter planting the roses as part of the landscape.

Welcome and holy moly! Do you have a BIG selection of roses coming. I have space issues here so I'm quite envious... ;-)

You have some very fine roses on your list. And what a list it is! That is more roses than I grow, and I've accumulated mine over several years. You'll have your work cut out for you, but it should be fun.

My advice would be don't expect perfection. Nature doesn't work that way, and I'm glad to hear you are going to work with nature. The earthworm, beneficial insects, birds, your pets, etc will appreciate it too (I admit to nuking fire ants & Bermuda grass when needed though). Find some perennials that work in your area to inter-plant with your roses ... perennials that are not invasive. Salvia works great for me, along with balloon flowers, guara, and small-dwarf-slow-growing varieties of dayliles, but I don't know about where you live. And, in my area at least, some annuals like petunias, geraniums, & penta work great too. You will have different option as far south as you are, but choose carefully, with an emphasis on mannerly, containable, non-aggressive companion plants.

Enjoy,
Randy

Hi,
Thanks for all of your comments and the warm welcome!

I am feeling very good about going no chemicals and thanks for the encouragement! Any tips would be appreciated. I have been doing so with my existing roses for 2 years and believe that everyone is better off for it. Still lots to learn but I can see good changes already. Large populations of some predators have moved in and I see more new ones everyday.
Fugal disease was much more of a mental challenge, but I am holding firm. I had fairly severe blackspot on a lot of roses. First thing I did was get rid of all those roses that were on the worst offenders list. I also worked on the soil hoping to improve the roses general health. This seems to have a helped a lot, as the roses now appear to be even more resistant, maybe just coincidence? I get some mildew in the spring and fall, and use milk or Eco Carb, which keeps it in check.
Please say if you feel any of my rose choices are really black spot prone, it is not to late for me to pick something else. Can't see how it is possible, but I seem to already have a huge wish list to pick from...LOL

I have used lots of underplantings on the existing roses and have been planting like mad in the new beds for the last few weeks. I would enjoy any pic's of underplantings you have used. Also mulch suggestions? Was using alfalfa but supplies are very short right now.
Thanks again,
Deb

Welcome,

I too grow many of the roses on your list, but, alas, I'm in the humid, hot, mid-atlantic south....aka blackspot paradise. I don't spray, and I encounter some BS and leaf loss, especially after the first flush...my plants are still 1-2 years old, but, I'm thrilled with them.

Many of the roses you grow are climbers or, at least roses that might benefit from support. I've used rebar teepees to add verticality to my garden which seems to be working well.

Robert

I agree with your assessment of fungal disease as a "mental challenge". Severe unrelenting fungal disease can kill a rose. More commonly, I think it mostly bothers me more than the rose. I put up with a bunch of defoliators because they are so good at other times of the year. I personally think wildflowers found in your region are some of the best ones to plant in the garden for attracting a diverse insect populuation.

Welcome to the Rose Forum Deb. You will like it here if you learn not to accept every post too seriously.

The best teacher is the experiences of the many rose growers here. Some are true masters. I have a number of rose books, but 90% of everything I know about rose growing came from this Forum.

I can only say I am impressed by your starting list. You will be urged to continue buying more long after your yard space and wallet are depleted.

Deb hi and Welcome,

Your list is awesome and I must say I envy you your space.

My guess is that your growing conditions are somewhat similar to mine, but you are probably drier and don't have the coastal climate that affects my roses.

Please post pictures as you get started and with the changes your garden will go through.

I think your selection should do very well for you.

Carol

Thanks again to everyone!
It is very reassuring to hear your comments. I had a lot of help with this list of roses from 2 freinds. Consensus was to stick to mostly teas, chinas, H musks and noisettes. Having grown Hts in the past it is a learning curve. What really amazes me is how I could have missed all these truly superior beautiful roses all these years. No looking back now!

Hi Robert, you mention supports. You have touched on something I have been thinking about. Some of the roses such as Lady H and Cloth of Gold will be grown as climbers and there is support for those roses. However my area of concern is the H Musks. I love their soft relaxed growth style and want to accentuate that but also feel that they might benefit from something to lean on? Maybe this is unwarranted?
I have an unlimited supply of log poles from my neighbouring vineyard, so would like to make use of them if possible. I made a teepee out of them today, but it was very difficult for me to manage the weight of the logs in that design by myself. Would something like a hitching rail or post and rail fence section work for HM's? I can build this by myself. The poles would allow for a finished height of about 4-5 foot with a 7 foot spread.

Hi Carol,
I grew up in Ojai Cal. Northern Cal was always one of my favourite haunts, you are fortunate to live there! You are correct, where I live now is very similar to many areas of California. Grapes, canola, cherries and alfalfa are the local crops, and lots of sheep.
Deb