I read about Black Cherry last year and recently bought one. I like it so far. The little bush is densely foliaged. The dark red blooms last well and hold up very well in the 90 degree heat and humidity, and they even have some fragrance.

Personally, I'd plant a string of Rio Samba with an occasional pink or red HT in-between. You don't sound like you're looking for exhibition-style blooms just lots of them year-round. Another option would be a row of Golden Celebration with Tamora or Prospero interplanted. The Austins can really pump out the blooms and I know these three do just that. GC gets taller than the other two although all of them can take up a good 3-4 ft wide spot.

Roseleaf, I have a black cherry in my backyard. I love the color and the fragrance. The blooms do last a long time, but our wet summer has really taken its toll, I never had to spray any of my roses but started to this week. The black cherry was pretty much defoliated from bs.

Moroseaz, I haven't tried the austin roses yet. I really like the pics of golden celebration and Prospero. I guess I should have said that I was looking for whites, pinks, yellows, purples and reds. I am not a fan of the oranges or apricots. I have about 40' of garden space to work with, the rest gets too much shade for roses. The golden celebration and prospero are on the list, especially if they are bloom machines.

In the Polyantha class, the Koster group is notorious for a long vase life without significant deterioration, usually about 8 days. So you might consider Margo Koster (salmon), Dick Koster (medium red), Blanche Neige (white),
Morsdag (red), Orange Morsdag (orange), Margo's Baby, (salmon with touches of yellow), Margo's sister (pink and white), Vatertag (orange blend), or Summer Dawn, (pink); all of them are characterized by small cupped bowl shaped blooms, clustered, reasonably good disease resistance, and short stature about 2 to 2 and a half feet talk and just as wide.

JimD

Thanks Jim, I did a search for the morsdag roses, I like the foliage color and the bloom form. Since they stay relatively small, I can use them in the front of the border. Do you know a source for these roses? Thanks!

Belinda's Dream is supposed to be very hardy in TX but mine have all defoliated with bs (so much rain this year!). My Rio Samba planted next to them didn't get any but she is burning in this heat. All of the bare root Austins I got this year have not a speck of bs on them at all. I have Teasing Georgia (yellow), The Generous Gardener (white as a baby but I think she's supposed to get to a light pink), Christopher Marlowe (a deeper salmon pink), and Jubilee Celebration (medium pink). I have Heritage also but as I understand it her blooms don't last for some people.

I would suggest Lavaglut. A very deep red with plentiful sprays of deep red that last and last. The plant has small leaves and doesn't get too tall. Stays at about 2.5 ft. Marmalaid Skies is also a wonderful bloomer growing to about 3.5 ft. Orange/yellow blend.
Best of luck with our new bed

If you want to try an Austin, William Shakespeare 2000 (Not the older W.S.) is crimson pink aging to purple & has the most long-lasting blooms of any of the Austins I've grown, both on the bush and in the vase. (I know you said fragrance wasn't important, but this rose also has a nice damask, traditional rose fragrance.) Be warned it is rather sprawly initially.

For a different red option, I think I remember raves that Europeana is a great landscape rose-holding color and bloom for a long time, but don't know if it would have better disease resistance for you & I haven't personally grown it.

I've had remarkable luck with 'Pretty Lady'. Gorgeous rose, and the blooms seem to last FOREVER. Prolific, almost disease free (and I DO have a no-spray garden)...I want to plant at least one more.

'Belinda's Dream' has been OK for me...but it had thrip issues this year and I had some balling. It's very pink...and guests comment on it...but if I had to choose between the two, Pretty Lady would come first.

melanie

Julia Child keeps her bloom for a good length of time. Love Daybreaker too. I have this one as a standard which and the blooms last and last--I usually deadhead them because I am tired of them--cuz they have faded a bit. Lavaglut is amazing for staying power. It is the best that I have seen in my garden. Two weeks!

Perfect Moment holds its form longest in my garden, and though I'm out of your climate, I hear others say the same.

It's a flame-colored hybrid tea rose. I'll put a link below to the HelpMeFind listing (click on the Photos tab for more pictures):

Here is a link that might be useful: Perfect Moment

In my gardens the roses that last a week on the bush is St Patrick ( yellow) Christian Dior(Red) Moonstone( white & pink blend)Veterans Honor (Red HT).belindas Dream lasts a long time if it don't rain on it.It balls bad with rainy conditions.Dolly Parton (Red)Hope this helps.

Jean

I have a Perfect Moment that came with my house. The flowers are beautiful, have a lot of substance, and hold their form on the bush or in the vase by far longer than anything else I have.

All two of them. With all three of the leaves.

It hasn't been sprayed. It is very unvigorous, stingy, and fungal-disease prone here. And this is a pretty great rose climate. I would never, ever pick it, knowing what I know now.

I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience, nickelsmumz8. My Perfect Moment blooms well with no particular disease problem and I've had it for many years.
Roses perform differently in different climates, so maybe it just likes SoCal.

Hybrid teas are kind of my thing as they are what I really grow most of. I would suggest the following that I have found to be good roses all the way around:
Reds--Veterans' Honor, Royal William, Olympiad, Liebeszauber, Ingrid Bergman, Beloved, Ronald Reagan & Double Delight (actually r/w bi-colors).
Pinks--Louise Estes, Affirm (from Steve Singer only!)Lisa Maree, Hot Princess, Brides Dream, Fame, Savoy Hotel, Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Apricot--Marilyn Monroe, Jema, Summer's Kiss, European Touch,Day Breaker, Tahitian Sunset, Sunset Celebration.
Nancy Reagan (she takes a couple of years to establish)
White--Moonstone, Denali, Princess Grace of Monaco, Pope John Paul II, Crystalline, Pop Warner, April in Paris.
Orange--Miss Elvis, Cary Grant, Dolly Parton, Folklore, Touch of Class.
Yellow--Elina, Cheshire, St. Patrick, Gold Medal, Golden Age, Magma, Hopie Girl, Sunstruck, Southern Belle, Love & Peace (nice yellow blend).
Mauve--Lagerfeld, Melody Parfumee, Fragrant Plum, Paradise, Wild Blue Yonder, Heirloom.
Others--Gemini, Honey Dijon, Pasadena Star, Chihuly, Shielas' Perfume, O'rilla pretty flower for a toughie to grow bush).
Just my two cents worth mind you.
John

Petaloid, do you spray?

My Perfect Moment is not in a premium spot, and I'm sure that's not helping. But since I have other roses that are doing fine in similar non-premium spots, FOR ME it's not worth the real estate. I'm not rushing to take it out since it's not a spot I'm coveting for something else, and I do get a couple of nice cut flowers from it each year. However, if it croaked, I would not replace it.

I do agree that the flowers last forever and really do have a stellar, consistent formal bloom form. If it were easier to grow well, I'm sure I would have more of them because they make such great cut flowers (and I like those blends).

In our Oakland, California garden these 3 roses keep their blooms for 7-8+ days, when temps. are 80-90 degrees.
1. Best of all, "Betty White" Melland. enormous baseball sized blooms which last more than 7 days on the bush when tempetures are above 80 degrees, white edged with pink. very fragrant of old rose and rose cologne.
2. White Masterpiece" large blooms which slightly resemble gigantic gardenias in the way the outer petals spread out. Good rebloom, and bloom production for such large blooms. Little to no fragrance. 7-8 days.
3. "Prospero" blooms last just a little less longer than the first two, 6-7 days.
"Prospero" has bloomed every month of the blooming season when I promptly deadhead it.

The blooms don't last as long, but there are a great many blooms, and fast repeat bloom,
1. " Europeana" red florabunda. Attractive plant, 3' tall by a little wider. Very floriferous. The red stays true in hot sun. Blooms every six weeks here from April through Oct.
"Marie Pavie" fragrant, frilly, pink buds open to bright white blooms, blooms every month of the blooming season with prompt deadheading. Fragrant. Can reach 4 1/2 feet tall in warm climates.

Luxrosa
I don't reccomend "Heritage" which shatters the same day it opens in our garden, when temp. is above 90 degrees.

I'll agree that Lavaglut is NEVER out of bloom and looks nearly as good at 105F as it does at 80F, provided it gets afternoon shade and good water. I've got two. It blooms in bouquets and is a trophy table regular in the Floribunda spray class.

Christopher Marlowe has been a bloom machine for me but I wonder if anyone knows whether it will ever grow upwards or if I'll have to cage it to keep the blooms outta the dirt, lol. Would be loverly if it grew like Molineux and Prospero in an upright position.

Besides being bloom machines in our desert heat, the Austins I've mentioned also look great interplanted with some other plants (especially other roses, lol).

Veteran's Honor all the way.

Giant, red blooms that last forever.

Betty

I went out today and bought a few roses for the space. I bought Julia Child, everyone seems to recommend it and the nursery I went to had them on sale! I also bought "Carefree Beauty", Marie Pavie, Zeph D, Benjamin Britton (the only austin rose I could find.) Guess I will try to mailorder the other selections in the fall. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!

I skimmed this thread... did anyone mention Tournament of Roses? This is the absolute champion for me in terms of long lasting blooms. St. Patrick, Elina, Sunset Celebration, Kentucky Derby, Moonstone, Brides Dream also produce blooms that last.

Glenn

Golden Celebration is lovely and blooms well but I do not find that they last long and it's a black spot nightmare for me. Graham Thomas lasts longer and doesn't BS. I know you said you're not into oranges but take a look at Disneyland Rose. Mine is covered with sprays of a dozen or more buds and blooms each and they last forever.

I don't see how anyone can say that Julia Child-- as great a rose as she is-- actually holds her bloom for long. Even on the bush, the blooms don't last more than two days before the petals fall off.

LadyBird's blooms are gorgeous when fresh and they last for literally about two weeks on the bush. After a while the edges bleach out big time, but in a vase they would probably do better.

I agree with greenthumb about Julia Child and dug mine up last year at the end of the season.

This year one of my favorites is Black Magic!

Oh no, don't tell me that about Julia Child. I just bought 2 because I have read great things about this rose on other threads. I like the brightness of the foliage against the yellow bloom. The 2 I bought are covered with blooms and buds, I am looking forward to see how quickly it repeats.

Showbiz.

Just one thought. You say you have St Augustine grass. Nematodes (like the ones they have in Florida and many parts of the south) are known to be attracted to St. Augustine grass. In Florida they grow St Augustine grass and roses on fortuniana. Is this something you might want to consider, perhaps.

I have some patches of St. Augustine that we have been trying to eradicate for years (was here when we moved here) and I grow about 300+/- roses, many of which are on fortuniana and others on their own roots. I have had no luck with Dr Huey rootstock (the choice of the large vendors since it is so well suited for California). I have a few roses on r. multiflora but have them in areas where the soil is quite acid as it was used prior for azaleas.

Attache, Lipstick (a/k/a Gypsy Carnival), Elina, Milestone, Moonstone, Imperatrice Farrah, Veterans Honor, Perfectly Red, Valencia, Table Mountain, Hot Princess, Angela Lansbury, Moonstone, Gold Medal, Belinda's Dream, St. Patrick, Chelsea.

Marie Pavie is a lovely rose and I treasure plant, but when it comes to holding her bloom, I am reminded of something Christopher Lloyd wrote about a certain peony: Her blooming spans 12 hours and the flowers are at their magnificent best for perhaps 15 minutes during that period.

I forgot to mention that I bought "Maggie". I have had it about 2 weeks (got it and a few others at a 75% off sale at a local nursery). Maggie has really held on to her blooms and I like the color. I originally bought it for the side yard but am going to make room for it in the back. Thanks again for all the suggestions, hopefully it will stop raining soon so I can start planting. I will post some before and after shots.

Plant while it's raining. Sheezh. How I would love to have a rain in which to plant.

I wish it was just "rain", but for some reason this has been the wettest June on record for the Dallas area. The area that I am going to plant the roses in is wet and muddy, I have to wait till it drys out a little bit.

Dallasguy: please don't be worried about the quality of Julia Child. She really is a superior rose in every other way. Her foliage is gorgeous....super clean and shiny and perfectly formed. And her blooms turn slightly lighter without looking washed out against deeper yellow fresh blooms. She smells good if that is your thing too. And, she NEVER stops blooming! Mine is a newly planted bareroot this year and it gorgeous. She is a totally superiour garden rose, but not cutting rose. I'm definitely putting her at the top of my list to get more of next spring.

Thanks Greenthumb! JC looked great at the nursery (full of blooms). I ended up buying 2, one for the front and one for the back yard....ugh I guess this rose thing is turning into an obsession. I just hope I can get them to look as good as the pics I see on the forum. Thanks for the encouragement.