Thank you Olga and Connie. Your notes are very encouraging. :) I am looking forward to trying more Albas and Rugosas since they many of them are not worth growing here. I am fine with once bloomers--some of my favorites only bloom once. (Chestnut rose, Swamp rose, Fantin LaTour, Veilchenblau, Lady Banks) It is so hot and humid here, it's hard to imagine that the blackspot could be any worse. ??? Connie, April might be a bit optimistic for me to attend the Arlington presentation, (though I would love to), but I will absolutely be stopping at Hartwood as I cannot possibly take all my roses with me. :) I actually found your site a year or 2 ago while searching for Gothic Revival Houses (My husband and I love that style)on the Internet. You can imagine how wonderful it was when I saw that you grew and sold old-fashioned roses too! :) I am really looking forward to starting a new garden though leaving this one will be hard. Olga, I have so enjoyed your posts on Gardenweb. I am interested in the Kordes roses too--I read where Peter Beales called them "rudely healthy". ;) I was really excited when I realized that you lived in the MD/VA area! Hope we can meet some time when I am moved. Thank you both again. :)

You might consider 'Caldwell Pink,' also on the Earthkind list. That was the most disease resistant rose I ever grew. I don't remember it ever having a leaf or two drop from Blackspot at any given time. It's only drawback is that is has NO scent whatsoever. Unfortunately, that's a big one for me, but you don't mention scent as one of your criteria. Seriously, though, if anyone would be interested in starting a rose breeding program for areas with high humidity, 'Caldwell Pink' would be a good place to start.

Tina, I don't have anything yet for it to grow on, but I think I need to act fast. I'm going to make one out of rebar and coated fence wire. It will be about 7' wide and tall and very close to a storebought one that Don Juan is on. I intend for Lamarque to grow onto DJ's arbor, too. Ideally, the rebar arbor would be made of two 20' 3/8" rebars criss-crossed into an arch. The cemetaries in CA use this configuration, and they say it works well. The lady at the nursery where I bought Lamarque says it doesn't mind being thinned some if it gets too big. I would imagine if you have a tree nearby, you could train some of it to grow up into the tree. I intend to do that with Jaune Desprez. I think the Noisettes are probably a better bet in Florida as far as disease and heat tolerance. One thing I'd recommend is to anchor your arbors very well. We had one blow over before the rose ever got near it. A big rose on top of an arbor is very top-heavy and makes a great sail, i.e., catches a lot of wind. Sherry

Update, 1 year later, temps in the upper 90's to 100's. Winchester Cathedral: kept growing and blooming when the heat began, but then slowed down and with much smaller flowers. Weird fragrance. Bolero: Second year. Grows and blooms throughout the heat, almost the same as in the cooler weather. Nice fragrance. Flowers are with rare exception damaged and distorted by thrips. Looks awful most of the time. William Shakespeare 2000: third year. Keeps putting out flowers if well irrigated, but flowers more pale and fry by day 2. Probably would be better if grown very wet, but not something I want to do here in the desert. Falstaff: puts out a few flowers and growth slows but does not stop in the heat. Flowers are smaller, but do not fade, and they do keep their petal count. No fragrance. Abraham Darby: Second year. Flowers withered immediately when touched by the high altitude sun here in 80 degrees, even with copious rain. Does not want to grow. May need more water. Plant is removed. Glamis Castle: New this year. After a troubling start (did not like being overwintered in the garage, was then planted out), flowers came in the heat of summer, lasted a few days without damage. Fragrance of mothballs. Radio Times: Produced a lot of flowers in its first flush that did not show damage in the heat, but as the heat wore on, no signs of growth on this second year plant. Great fragrance, color and form. Wish it would grow. Alnwick Rose: Second year. Continues to grow and put out flowers in the heat, but they don't last more than a day before getting crispy. No fading in that one day. Absolutely wonderful fragrance. Evelyn: just planted a month ago. Put out one flower in 90's heat, no heat damage. Bishop's Castle: New this year, grew slowly in the unusually cool spring, growth sped up in the heat. Keeps growing and putting out buds in temps over 100. Flowers bleach with temps greater than 100, and don't last as long but still a few days. Mild fragrance. So far the most vigorous in the heat. This is the best Austin in the heat in my garden this year. Incidentally: Madame Isaac Pereire and Marie Pavie, seem to be doing just fine in the heat, with irrigation. Thanks all, for your input!