I wish I could give you definitive information, Rosefolly. I know Annie is being grown in The Netherlands and Germany, but they are young plants and probably with protection. I also know Strawberryhill has her potted in her zone 5a garden, but it's a young plant and hasn't experienced her severe weather. No one has reported to me they have ever experienced fungal issues with her from any zone or country. Kim

Thanks, Roseseek. I know this rose would not get winter protection in this garden, just a yearly prune, feed and mulch. I'll wait to hear what others say, but it does sound like it would be a shot in the dark.

I'm growing Annie here and so far, so good. She was an itsy-bitsy band three years ago and her first winter was tough. She is in a very shady spot on the NW side of my deck, protected from wind but gets only late afternoon sun--which is why I chose her, but not the best growing conditions. She had a few blooms this year. No blackspot. So, yes, I'd recommend her.

I know that Linda from Long Ago Roses sells Anne Laurie McDowell (along with a number of Kim's other roses), and she's located in N. Carolina. You might contact her and see how it does for her...or maybe she'll chime in :)

I grow three of Kim's roses: Purple Buttons, Rayon Butterflies, and Little Butterfly. Rayon & Yellow do great for me, but Purple Buttons blackspots...but its a seedling of Cardinal Hume which also blackspots for me out here in the East. I still grow both C Hume and Purple Buttons though, since I love the color of their blooms.

Tammy

I have Annie L. McDowell in a pot. She survived frosty nights in early April down to 32 degrees. She had zero blackspots when it was raining non-stop early spring. She has zero blackspots now in VERY HUMID 90's July weather. Mildew is non-existent, since she's drought-tolerant. She's in Organic MiracleGro potting soil, so my soil has nothing to do with her being healthy.

She blooms at the expense of growth, thus remaining small. Her scent is the BEST that I had ever sniffed (I have 15 Austins and 23 fragrant roses). She smells spicy musk in bud form, then becomes lavender-lilac. Here are some pics. of Annie:

Annie in 90 degrees humid weather:

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Annie's bloom gets bigger with more water. The scent is heavenly and it lasts 4 days indoor. One bloom can make my kitchen smells like lilac and lavender. Annie is 100% thornless from Burlington Roses, I went through all the branches with my finger, could not find one single prickle. But Marie Pavie pricked me badly at the base.

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I checked with Karl Bapst, zone 5a, as to what's the easiest way to winter-protect. The best way is to put Annie in a pot, then leave her off the ground (like on a stool), in a dark and unheated garage. Then give her some water once or twice a month. Annie is very drought-tolerant, so good-drainage is a must, which means no saucer at the bottom of the pot.

I find that animals like to eat Annie since she's thornless. If she's in a high pot, she's safe from the animals in the spring. She blooms more than my mini-roses, and can be kept in a pot for colder zone. Annie likes full-sun and blooms best when it's hot.