Krista, that last photo of Stanwell Perpetual feels like saying "spring awakening has started!" Lady EH brings brightness but there is also a lovely delicacy in its orange color that nicely shows on your photos. And there must be gorgeous gallicas in Falstaff's lineage. Glorious blooms!

I have been intrigued by LEH for a long time, but it took me a while to decide to get her, because I heard that it doesn't do well in places without enough winter chill or too hot in the summer. In fact some California nurseries do not recommend it in zone 10. It tends to grow slow or get fungal disease. I also heard that it tends to not do well as own root - too wimpy and you will need it grafted. I live in Northern California in a micro climate that is actually cool in the summer but doesn't get cold in the winter. This spring I finally decided to give it a try. To my surprise it has been growing very rigorously in my garden. I am probably lucky. Now it is almost 4 feet in height and 3 feet across. It has beautiful reddish foliage, and the color is light orange with pinkish overtone. I do spray it every 2 - 3 weeks to prevent fungal disease. It comes grafted on Dr. Huey. Here are some pictures: As my micro-climate is cool, I only had 2 days in June during which the temperature went up to 95 F. During those 2 days the petals of LEH burnt. So if your summer is very hot in Indiana, it may not do well. I don't have Pat Austin but I heard that the flowers blow in just 1 day. The flowers of LEH last a bit longer but no longer than 3 - 4 days. I do have very strong wind in the spring and the summer. Not sure you considered Lady of Shallot which I think is more robust than LEH and Pat Austin. Lady of Shallot is almost continuously blooming and from what I heard is quite cold hardy and very disease resistant. In my garden, it is one of the few that does not need to be sprayed.

Ratdogheads, your pictures look great! My summers for the last few years have been pretty perfect with temps in the low 90's here and there, otherwise 80's, maybe a week of bad humidity and unbearable weather. I actually could plant roses all last summer it was so mild, and that is rare. We have been having strange weather for Wisconsin though, milder winters (like this last one) though last year's polar vortex was down to -26 without the windchill. My roses survived it. I'm curious on this year after the mild winter what will stay. I don't uncover till tax day, as we still usually get a frost around the 13th, then it's smooth sailing! I am having a hard time deciding what to prune as the canes are sometimes discolored then green then discolored further down. If it buds, do you keep it or cut it off? If it's totally brown or black I, of course, cut it off. Btw, thank you for showing your zone, I like to be able to see if someone is close to my zone and what they're growing! :) Krista, Wow! I love it between the two purple/pinks. It really brings out the pink. It doesn't look red at all. So pretty! I'm so glad you mentioned the fragrance because that is a must! Thank you!

Where in zone 9 do you garden (for example… Las Vegas, Houston, many cities in California… ) ? In warm /hot climates, generally, the graft should be above the soil line… The bark appears to have been placed right up against the rose… you may want to avoid that… if you live in a hot Summer climate, new plants need to be watered more regularly, as compared to established plants with a more developed root system. For now, I would suggest checking the soil regularly and watering to ensure the rose does not dry out again… wait and see…. protect from intense sun and heat if you garden in a hot climate.