Hi James --

You might look for 'Secret' (pink and cream)
and 'Gemini' (Coral and creme).
I suggest the tall Floribunda, 'Scentimental,' if you find red and white stripes pleasing. It's vigorous and disease-free in Southern California. It will grow long stems for cutting, and does well in a vase.
Though it is a soft apricot, see if you can find the older Floribunda, 'Apricot Nectar.' It too is fragrant and disease-free in Southern California, and grows long stems for cutting.

Jeri

Sunny Delite - deep yellow HT - lasts a long time in the vase(atleast a week with just water) but not very fragrant.

For bright orange the classics are Tropicana and Fragrant Cloud. Some people love Tropicana and other people just hate it. It is a very, very bright orange. Fragrant Cloud is a little darker and a little more coral-colored. Fragrant Cloud is well named, with very strong fragrance. I believe Tropicana also has good fragrance, but I've never had the chance to sniff one.

If you like bright bi-colored roses you could add Double Delight, which has a white bud with red-tipped petals. The red covers more of the petal every day. The fragrance is very good!

I grow mainly hybrid teas myself and will suggest a few that any newbie can usually grow as they are very vigorous, healthy, hardy, and not to mention pretty flowered. Some are fragrant,and some are not. That is just the way it is.
Royal William is an easy to grow bulletproof dark red.
Pope John Paul II is a new white that is really impressing me with it's vigor, health, fragrance, and continuous bloom.
St. Patrick is a good yellow that loves heat you just might have in your location.
Marilyn Monroe also loves the heat and is a very classy apricot.
Folklore is a beautiful vigorous growing bi-color orange with yellow reverse. This is a great garden rose because of it health and vigor, not to mention lots of beautiful flowers. It can get very tall--6'-8' by the end of growing season is not unusual, so beware!!
Bride's Dream is a lovely long stemmed light pink that is my wife's favorite rose. Very easy for me to grow.
Pride of England is a great medium cherry red rose that is new to me this year and is impressing the heck out of me with it's contnuous blooming of very high quality flowers and really nice bush growth.
Peace is of course a good standy-by that most everyone is familiar with. It can get a little black spot occasionally, but it is still a very rose to have in the garden.
Fame! is a really heavy blooming grandiflora with it's flowers displayed in multiple sprays and it seems to always be in bloom of it's very hot pink color that really grabs your attention.
Moonstone is can't miss white/pink edged garden and exhibition rose that really is beautiful at all stages of bloom in my opinion. My Moonstones grow hale and hearty and blooms in big flushes. Gotta love this one alot.
Just quickly consider Gold Medal, Octoberfest, Fragrant Plum, Lisa Maree, Veterans' Honor, Love & Peace, Double Delight, and Memorial Day. These are good ones as well.
I hope you consider these. In my personal opinion these are very easy hybrid teas to grow. You don't have to coddle and pamper these as you do a few ht's here and there.
E-mail me if you have any ?'s. I love to help newbies out when they have questions that I can help answer.
John
jojomood@sbcglobal.net will get an e-mail to me.

Thanks John, for a lot of info.

I'm going to shop for roses in a week. It is pretty hot more than 100 degree in so cal right now. I'm going to check out some of roses you mentioned. I hope I can get some of those at local nursery. I'm interested in Pope John Paul II, Moonstone, Pride of England and Fragrant Plum. My wife also like Gemini, blackmagic, and Hot Princess which I'm not sure about suitable in So Cal climate.

BTW I didn't mention that the roses area I prepared would be under sun only 4-5 hours. I know Roses need full sun. Will I have any problem with roses mentioned above?

Thanks for all opinions and still welcome new opinions since I'm not sure what I'm gonna get when shop around.

James

another question thou, since some already suggest "Floribunda Roses" Should I re-consider from hybrid tea to this type of roses for more bloom?. Should I mix Floribunda and HT in same planter? The planter size is about 20" wide x 120" long x 16" deep.

James, you'd be wise to put these roses on 4-ft centers. Mature plants will be easily that wide, and you must allow room for some air flow between them.
So I am thinking this bed is for three roses.

If you principally want roses for cutting for the house, Hybrid Teas ARE probably your first choice. That said, there are a few Floribundas which grow very tall, and product blooms on long cutting stems, often one-to-a-stem. That's why I suggested 'Scentimental.' It's a big bloom producer, and grows long stems. Longer, in fact, than you get with some of the HTs.

How about this:
On one end, 'Gemini,' which is fragrant, disease-resistant, coral and cream.
On the other end, 'Secret' which is fragrant, disease-resistant, pink and cream.
In the middle, Pope John Paul II, a White Floribunda, which I am hearing is a good bloomer, fragrant, and disease-free.

This should give you lots of bloom, in a small area.
If you get LESS than 4 hours of sun, however, you may have problems with any roses.

Jeri

No one has mentioned amending the planter. Just dumping garden soil is not the best avenue. A good mix of organics, sand, and soil will give the roses a good start. If you are a member of ARS, there is always good articles on new beds, what to use, etc. in the American Rose Magazine. Good roses come from a good bed. Time spent on preparing the bed is well spent if you want good roses.

Good luck!

FloridaArkansan

You are in a very hot area, Moreno Valley, so less than all day sun is a good idea. However, 4-5 hours might not be quite enough...6 hours would be good. With less sun, you get less flowers. The growth isn't as strong, and it is elongated and more "lanky" than it would be in more sun. The plants are also more vulnerable to fungal disease.

I would thoroughly mix up your existing garden soil with very high quality compost, about 1/2 to 2/3 soil, 1/3 to 1/2 compost, depending on the quality of your soil. Do not worry if you have heavy clay soil; roses can do very well in clay soil because it holds moisture longer than lighter soils, and roses like moisture. A thick organic mulch of shredded bark or compost on top of the soil will also help to retain moisture and keep the roots a bit cooler--roses like cool roots. You want to keep the mulch a few inches away from the plant itself, so that you discourage any kind of rot or canker. This isn't so important in the dry heat of summer, but during the rainy season when it is constantly moist and cool, it is very important. As the mulch decomposes, it will enrich the soil. Just add more when it thins out.

It is still too hot here in Moreno Valley so I haven't gone shopping just yet. I'm preparing the bed for roses adding more compost about 6" deep and then will add rose soil (ordered from nursery where they will mix to suit rose plants)on the top 12" deep.

I plan to have about 5 Roses along the bed of 12 feet long. I know that I will not get the most bloom out of roses when I plant too many but I need varieties of color.

I've read about "Grandifloras Roses" which I found to be quite perfect for my test and my small garden, even thou the bloom will be smaller but I will get a lot more bloom than HT. How is anyone opinions and if possible suggest ones for this newbie? Color my wife's prefer , white, red, purple, yellow and one multi (Pink red or orange) color.

Thanks
James

Beside the roses I also prepared bed for Blackberry or Raspberry along the north brick wall. Anyone wanna give some input on should or should not. or what kind? This bed is only 12" wide about 8 feet long. I've already add compost about 6" deep.

Sorry for too many questions. This is our brand new condo and it was nothing but dirt. I wanna make it look nice for my wife to enjoy the garden.

James, 5 HT's in 12 ft., in a bed only 20" deep is TOO CROWDED.

Each of your HTs would do best with 4 ft of width, and would be TIGHTLY placed at 3.5 ft.

If the roses are placed too closely together, they will not have enough air flow, and you will have disease problems.

Jeri Jennings
Ventura Co., Southern California

I went a bit shopping today. I didn't find any roses I want. I have to wait for Spring time to special order. But if I buy stock roses now I will get a deep discount from them. What do you think about Black Baccara and Kentucky Derby.

I also fround double delight and Scentimental which I think I will get these two for sure.

Edit (btw how can I edit my post?)

I forgot to mention that I also found Queen Elizabeth and I would like opinion about this roses also. The bottom line is I'd like opinion (bloom, scent and cutting) on
Kentucky Derby
Black Baccara
Queen Elizabeth.

I space my HT's about 2 1/2' to 3' apart in my beds and that seems to be sufficient for me. I don't have any unusual or out of the ordinnary disease problems at all. The only issue is the occasional HT or GR that decides to grow like a shrub and spread out all over the place instead of upright. Frederic Mistral and Cherry Parfait are examples of rosebushes that spread out. Folklore, Lynn Anderson, and Veterans' Honor are good examples of upright growers.

Black Baccara is an excellent cur flower - it was bred to be as a florist rose. Alas, no fragrance. Still, I think it is worth having it. BB do not need more than 4 hours sun or need is early morning othe5rwise the blooms will fry in hot weather.

2 great dark reads that are god for cuttinh and last in the vase for a long time are Papa Meilland and Rouge Royale.

>>I space my HT's about 2 1/2' to 3' apart in my beds and that seems to be sufficient for me.

*** It probably IS, in Midwest 5b/6a.
It is NOT enough space for Hybrid Tea or Floribunda Roses in Southern California.
(Go back to the original post. Query comes from Southern California.)
Location, location, location.

Jeri

James-you are getting some good advice here, the best information comes from growers in your zone. Listen carefully to what Jeri is telling you.

If you use specially mixed rose soil from your nursery let them know you plan to amend with 6" of compost. I know roses are heavy feeders but that seems like a lot. More could be better though but do ask. Also make sure to mix the rose soil and compost together which i think will make for better water penetration. You might want to mix some of the amended soil with the existing garden soil inside the bed as well-again this is about the way water travels in soil.

Gemini is an easy to grow, beautiful HT with big flowers. The one thing you should know is that it doesn't really have a scent-at least not to me.

A rose i really like is called Elle. Smells delicious, smaller, more compact size, glossy dark green leaves. Color is described as pink and cream but I have found the color to be very variable-always has some pink which can be a light medium pink or sometimes shade all the way to a bright fuschia around the edges. Centers are yellow with peach to orange blends throughout. I really like the shape as well, little more open than some of the HTs. That said i don't live in california and i don't know how she'll do in 4-5 hours of sun.

According to me you should wait until spring to get the rose you really want. Plant some cheap petunias or other colorful annuals to get you through until then, rip them out in the spring.

Good luck

Thank you all. I've finally done with my my roses bed. I plant some roses which may not be perfect per Jeri recommendation but I will try to control and cut as mush as I can to not let it grow too big.