"Water is the best fertilizer" -- Sure is! And we are getting less and less of it. We did have some unusual cold this winter, and the few HPs and Damask Perpetuals LOVED that. I think it was even good for the Teas. But when the rain stopped far too early we knew we were in trouble. Ingrid, MY list may or may not be helpful to you -- because though we share sandy soil and drought -- we are still markedly cooler than you, over all. And our air is more humid. We do best with Teas and Chinas -- and when I say that, I mean that those roses do some of their best blooming here during the late Fall, the Winter, and early Spring. When things get hot and dry, they shut down. And I think that's one reason so many of them have survived with no care. 'Mme. Lambard' bloomed almost without a pause through Fall, Winter, and into spring. She had one big hurrah, and went bloomless, and I thought to see nothing more from her, for a while. But, deadheaded, she is now covered with new red growth, buds, and opening blooms. De la Vina Mystery, if you could get it, might work. Mons. Tillier, Rosette Delizy, Mutabilis, Archduke Charles FOR SURE, Grandmother's Hat FOR SURE. Mme. Berkeley, whose bloom schedule matches Mme. Lambard pretty well. Old Town Novato hangs tough. Look for White Surprise, which is amazing. RAGGED ROBIN -- Gotta have Ragged Robin International Herald Tribune. But the problem, of course (as I said above) is that these roses which are so good FOR ME, here in a coastal climate may not work in Ingrid's desert setting. Kim's list would likely be better for you. Jeri

I would get them planted asap. Mabey help them along with a little root start fertilzer. My holes end up being very muddy when digging roses. I dig a good deep hole, mix in a good handful of 6-8-6 granular organic fert, mix that around, make a little 'cone' of dirt, spread the roots over it, fill in with good compost and soil mix. Once it gets almost full soak new dirt with water to make sure to get all the air pockets out, sort of wiggling rose around a bit to make sure dirt is caving in around roots. You will then see soil really settles then fill up more even barley covering the crown. The crown (bottom part where the branches come out) is where you always will want to get nice new growth from. If you bury this to low sun cant get to it and new shoots wont break (come out) . Thats why they say use a stick for proper planting height. Your area being so hot I would protect that crown at first as lots of your new growth will come off the branchs that are already there. Next spring uncover crown to get new shoots. Epson salt tea is good for roses too but im sure I would use any yet. umm hmm ok that my tips I have Sombreuil and out of 100 roses I would say its in my top 3.

My paternal grandmother (in South Carolina) always had a big garden, and my mom has always loved gardening. Her grandfather was a very skilled gardener, who not only grew fruits and vegetables, but also flowers. His love of flowers came later in life, but he was especially known for his gladiolas :) As for roses, no one that I know of had roses over other plants...maybe a few mixed in. I love old-fashioned roses, especially fluffy pink ones and single white ones. I think, honestly, this has more to do with growing up with Walt Disney movies and The Secret Garden, than any influence from my family. Maybe it's more right brain/left brain than genes. I love color and fragrance, but I also like the gardens to be designed in a more formal style, with lots of mirror reverse planting. It's just that I use such cottage style plants, that most people never seem to notice the order within the chaos :)

Hi Marlorena, There were a couple of threads a short while back about Filroses and importing their plants into the U.S.. I got some mixed messages about inspections and a quarantine that are required (or not). I am still totally mixed up, but my impression is that getting Filroses plants into, say, Canada, is a lot easier than into the U.S. Even Pickering in Canada has had recent troubles with U.S. red tape. I should contact Filroses and see what they say, but negative info about importing plant material has dampened my enthusiasm. Thanks so much for your comments, though. I still need that diplomat with the locking attache case, I guess. Diane