Try Polyanthas!

Jeri

I know you said you "pretty much ruled out Austins [because] they get too big in my zone" but perhaps you should look at 'Happy Child' as a possibility. I don't grow it myself, but I gifted it to someone who has enjoyed it as a smaller, bushy, yellow-flowered rose with nice fragrance. I can't say much more about it, unfortunately, as she's in Buffalo -- which doesn't get quite as hot and sticky as Georgia. I got that one from Heirloom Roses.

:-)

~Christopher

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Happy Child' at HelpMeFind

'Molineux' is less than 3' wide and could be kept to 3' high. It seems more resistant than HTs and should be OK in your climate with occasional spraying. 'Winter Sunset' is yellow toned apricot/brownish, resistant to blackspot but not cercospora, as is 'Prairie Harvest', pale yellow. These Buck roses are a little more vigorous than 'Molineux' but not huge.

'Carefree Sunshine' is about the most resistant rose I have grown. but it is 6' wide.

Julia Child is beautiful, bloomiforous, hardy and HEALTHY. And besides all that it smells delicious! In a bed where everything else is nearly leafless with black spot she is leafy green and constantly in bloom.

Sunsprite! Fragrant, saturated deep yellow, healthy carefree bush in the 2 climate zones I've had it.

Plant both MOLINEUX and JULIA CHILD. Grown own root and occasionally pruned both are easily kept at 3 feet tall. The diversity of yellows and fragrances will satisfy the most jaded rosarian. Beautiful, easy to grow fragrant yellow roses. What more could you want?

I was thinking of Julia Child and I've always wanted Molineux. I guess if they get too big I can always move them. I don't think I'll ever be no spray, but I'm trying to be less spray. So hopefully they are healthy.

Buford if you are willing to spray once a month then those two cultivars can be kept clean of black spot. Trust me, that is not a lot of work for a yellow rose.

Thanks. This year has just been horrible. I haven't sprayed since early June because there literally has not been a weekend that has not been pouring rain (as the thunder rolls outside....) Surprisingly, my roses don't look that bad, considering. Maybe the rain was washing all the BS spores off. Some are bare, but it's more the lack of sun that is a problem. Even my veggie garden was a complete failure. No veggies, no blooms. Thank God for vitamin D supplements. How do people in the Pacific NW stand it!

I have one final rose suggestion to make. I love the little Tantau floribunda "Bernstein-Rose". Only a few roses stay within their predicted size here. Most get much larger, but this little rose has stayed well within your 3X3 foot limit. I have three B-R, two of which I positioned slightly down the slope from my monster Julia Child roses which grow on each side of the ascending sidewalk. The B-Rs look like the little children of Julia. So cute. Their color is just a slightly brighter yellow than JC. The only downside is a very mild to no fragrance. In my pic, you can just see the the edge of a mother Julia above the valerian, while in back of B-R is a Ballerina.
By the way, I'll trade you 10 days of your rain and humidity for ten days of 98-100+ degree dry heat, NO blackspot whatsoever, but only 4.46" precip in nine months, and as a bonus--drumroll...my water bill! (no takers, I'll bet).
Diane