FWIW coming from my zone 5 perspective... 'The Dark Lady' was a low sprawler for me. Her blooms did well in the heat and didn't blow too fast. Spotted like a leopard here... but So Cal should take care of that problem. :)

Bon Silene is huge and healthy here and blooms in numerous heavy flushes. I don't find the blooms good for the vase, but otherwise I love it.

We grow'Bon Silene' in the Stagecoach Museum Rose Garden in Newbury Park in Ventura County; I agree that the blooms are not suitable for cutting and that the bush is huge, healthy and strains upward to nine feet tall.

Well, so far so good. "Spotted like a leopard" - what a great way to express a not-so-great situation. Hopefully I won't have that problem here.

Bon Silene's size sounds fine for the place I have in mind. I'm hoping that it will be a beautiful rose and not just a large one.

Thanks for your input. Amazone must not be grown very often but I'm still hoping I'll hear about it from someone.

Ingrid

I had to research a little before responding, Ingrid. I grow Soncy, a Bermuda rose, and that is the same as Amazone. I have two of them, and I think they are pretty good. This is my 2nd year for one and third year for the other. Since our weather has been so bad this year, I can say that the roses are healthy, but when it's over 100 for a long time, the blooms are quite small.

I think you will enjoy the rose.

Sammy

I love The Dark Lady.
Don't know how she'll handle your dry heat, but she's a beauty here. I agree, not a big rose, but a very good bloomer. For us, the color is not that dark, but very lovely. And she's fragrant.
If she blackspots in warm humid climates, it's not surprising. She's a child of Prospero, who is a child of Chateau de Clos Vougeot, and so, a Pernetiana of sorts. But she is very disease-resistant here.

Jeri

Thank you Sammy and Jeri! It seems that both Amazone and The Dark Lady will be good bets for me.

I wonder if white teas are prone to decreasing their size drastically in the heat. By far the smallest blooms I have when it's hot are Westside Cream Tea and Spice. WCTs's flowers are so unsightly at that time that it's actually embarrassing since it's in a prominent location right next to the walkway.

Ingrid

Ingrid, our weather is breaking all the records in Oklahoma. From about the last two weeks of June until now, we may have had 2 days or so without 100 + temps. It is a true crisis in our state, and I see nothing letting up. My tomatoes are finishing fast if they even flower. Huge tomatoes are far too little. My roses are also almost deformed. SDLM did have thrips, and now seems to be ok, but not all the plants are thriving.

In other words I cannot make much of a statement at all about any of my roses. I think people in Texas have it even worse, and Kate in Kansas seems to be struggling also.

I really think Amazone will be good for you, but now is a bad time to judge.

I wish I could give you my 3 Mrs. B.R. Cant roses. They are so beautiful, but not winter hardy enough for Oklahoma. About every 4 years or so, they die to the ground, and take time to recover --- since they are own root. I will enjoy them for as long as I have them, but will no longer replace them.

For you in California, you will really enjoy them. Have you seen the picture of Dr. Malcolm Manners roses at his University? He has a circle of Mrs. B.R. Cant. I cannot remember how many, but in about a year it should be breathtakingly beautiful. THat is a good rose for you.

Sammy

Sammy, the weather situation in so many areas sounds truly awful and must be causing such misery. I feel for all of you. I don't know how you all manage to get through such periods of heat.

I have seen Dr. Manners circle of Mrs. B.R. Cant. It's his high praise for this rose that's causing me to order a second one even though the first one isn't big enough for me to make a judgment about it. I've heard only positives about this rose and love the blooms I've seen on mine.

I hope the situation improves for all of you soon.

Best wishes,

Ingrid

I grow BS in my hot florida garden and it seems to do very well in the heat. My Bon S is a year old(fortuniana root stock) and its 3 feet tall and wide. Here is a picture from this spring.
{{gwi:237765}}

Vintage thinks Amazone is Alexander Hill Grey. Mine certainly looks a lot like it. It is a healthy plant for me, bushy and well-foliated. There are lots of blooms which don't always open well, but those that do, are very much like those of AHG. It is a pretty rose.

Oh dear, If Amazone is Alexander Hill Gray then I already have one. I have to say on HMF when I looked at Amazone it really didn't resemble my AHG, which seems to have more petals and somehow looks more elegant.

Jason, thanks for the lovely photo of Bon Silene. I'm glad it does well in the heat although I've noticed that some roses react differently to humid heat versus dry heat. I guess I'll find out!

Ingrid

Chamblees lists Soncy AKA Amazone. Vintage thinks it is Alexander Hill Gray. I just looked up all three of them on HMF, and within the varieties of each there are huge differences. (I am surprised that my Soncy is one of the two that are listed.)

Once experts begin trying to decide the true name of a rose, I have to bow out. My knowledge is so limited.

Whatever the name of the rose, I think it will be beautiful and you will be happy with it. If it is a duplicate, they will look good together, or they will be an effective repeat.

Sammy

You're right Sammy, having two would not be a bad thing. My AHG has not grown as quickly as some other tea roses but it's a very handsome little bush and of course the flowers are gorgeous. I've been disbudding this rose to help it grow larger so hopefully it will catch up soon with the others, since they're all in one row. I have no problem having a duplicate of a good rose, and have several such sets.

Ingrid