I don't know if you like poppies, but that might be an interesting choice. I grew Papaver Somniferum (opium poppies, "Lauren's Grape") last year and I was so surprised by how tall it grew -- almost up to my shoulders. I grew it in a container. I'm also thinking of growing sunflowers on my back porch. Never tried it before, I'll see how it goes! Gonna need a big pot. Some amaranth might be a cool accompaniment to the sunflowers, those get huge too. Or maybe hollyhocks? I like nasturtiums, I'm growing a bunch right now and I'm just going to let them hang off the edge of the deck. They're the "tall" kind, so they get pretty long. I grew them last year too and it worked out well for my balcony. And for plants that will "go nuts", vines are probably a good idea. Plus they do well in containers because they are never truly allowed to get wild. You could always buy a mixed packet of wildflower seeds, scatter them in some big pots, and let it surprise you with what it'll grow into. I'm trying the upside-down planters too! I've also seen strawberries grown like that, and peppers.

Hi, I grow both. My climate would be as hot as yours but I would have less humidity, but still enough that black spot is a common problem in my garden. I do not spray. I think these roses are rather different. I grow both on tripods. Crep is healthy, repeat is good, flowers will crisp on really hot days in my garden. Fragrance is not a standout feature. I have 5 plants in different locations, all perform about the same. Growth is bushy, dense, very attractive. Celine gets some blackspot, but it does not defoliate. It is almost never without a flower. Fragrance is wonderful and will hang in the air. Flowers do not crisp on really hot days. I have found this rose is a heavy feeder and the performance improved greatly with regular feedings. Growth is a little more climber like, but new canes quickly form many short laterals. It would do well on a fence I think. photo taken yesterday

Well, I don't know if I can tell you what Celine Forestier LIKES, but I can tell you her situation here. She is planted in a droughty, sheltered corner under the south side of a pepper tree, getting full sun for maybe 3 or 4 hours a day and filtered light the rest of the time. She was moved there, into the far reaches of the yard, because it did not look like she was even going to survive during those first several years (started from an own-root band), a very sickly-looking plant, but around year 4 or 5 finally took hold and has become a good but not overly-vigorous grower (she has MAC and an unknown climbing China on one side of her and Reve d'Or on the other -- there's no room to be overly vigorous!). The soil here is a reddish gravelly loam that shows an alkaline bloom in dry conditions. Mildew can be a problem here. She gets a touch of mildew in the early season, but I wouldn't consider her a mildew magnet. (I've tossed more than a few of those and Celine is still here.) She is a good rebloomer (2nd flush currently beginning after April's first flush, with regular cycles of bloom into the fall), but that also did not happen until she had been in the ground about 5 years. I imagine a grafted plant would develop faster. I do think her somewhat sheltered position here helps, too (the pepper tree provides a warmer microclimate in the winter and a cooler one in the summer -- Celine's exposed leaves will burn a bit during extreme heat, which we get a fair amount of in our summers). It is a delightful rose with unique flowers, in my opinion, but required patience in this case. When my daughter asked me which rose I wanted her to support with an annual donation in my honor at the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, I chose Celine Forestier. This post was edited by catspa on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 10:42

You are more than right, Asarum. Not only is it true that not every every avid gardener goes on garden tours but, judging from GW, hardly any avid gardeners are avid garden visitors. And I just can't understand not going occasionally. It's not a design thing in most gardens. I don't see that many gardens that feature amazing designs. In fact, most of them are plant-centered. And other people's gardens in your area, wherever anyone of us might live, are a better guide to what does well--and why--than the best nursery in the area. I've gardened a long time but I always see something new to covet. An example: About ten years ago, I went on a tour near Hampton NH, not that far from me. One garden was clearly owned by a plant nut--we can all relate. He had stuffed plants into every crevice he could and while the overall design would not have won a prize, he was an enthusiastic and generous gardener. He had a plant I'd never seen before and, as I said, I've been doing this a long time. He said it was spring vetchling, Lathyrus vernus. I loved it and managed to find a couple somewhere. Since then, I've bought a bunch and they are great! Very early bloom, no pests or diseases, easy and beautiful. I remember starting a thread about them once. Maybe they are common now, I don't know. But I do know I never would have added this delightful *early* bloomer to my garden if I hadn't been on that tour. And PS for DTD, go to the Cotswolds. I have been twice and it is something you'll never forget. Not to mention the natural scenery and perfect villages. I couldn't do anything like that when the kids were young or in college but I am making up for it now.