Sherry, I'm not sure what my pleased rate really will be until maybe next year or later...! Though I must miserly-ly admit that I have my eye on one that's bloomed once and looked a bit toasty the rest of the year while ALL the others have attempted to bloom more and are lovely and green. (*cough* Mortimer Sackler *cough*) Masha, but you can see all those roses, so that is an excuse because it -must- tempt you to add them to your garden! The ones that I really really want are not at Descanso or Huntington (which are kinda-sorta near me). I saw a very sad almost-dead stick of Archduke Charles. It was almost comical because the one I wanted at the top of my list, they denied me seeing in action! "and one must support the nurseries, etc. etc......." Ingrid, hehe. :) I know what you're saying about finding more suitable varieties, though. I feel like I don't really know yet which ones will be winners. This summer (except for this past week) has been unseasonably NOT HOT, so... my roses are doing really well, mostly, but I feel like it's not really a good test. Next summer I bet will have a whole month or two of 100+ temps. rosefolly- I'd love to see more pictures of "whole gardens" with roses of members. :) Renee- you can almost always find a spot for an iris, though, right? and maybe one of them will rot. ;) OK THEN... I appreciate all the thoughtful advice, you guys. I'll get my Bermuda's Kathleen and I'll keep my up and growing pot ghetto with a feeling of slightly less guilt. ;) I actually think my pots look kinda cute. I have alyssum growing around the base of the pots like crazy. They love the little bit of extra water that seeps out of the rose pots.

apologies I probably didn't read through everything properly, long day with babies with colds! SIGH! So basically I should make a stronger effort to spring and fall do a big layer of manure... and as I'm able to build up from what I've got to make the soil on top better... and when I dig holes in the meantime, dig a REALLY BIG HOLE. I have a raised sidebed in my front yard, all the roses in it, of course, are doing great. When the development put the front yards in, they added sloping raised beds I think to some degree. Everything in the front sloping area, in general, as long as it gets the right water seems to do pretty well. The Backyard which got no sloping, etc, and was probably not done well by the different landscaper (not the development one) I don't think was drained or graded as well as it could have been. There is an area of the yard that has never quite drained properly, and there are definitely parts of it that just will probably never tolerate saliva due to drainage, while other areas in the back have thriving ones. my wisteria doesn't really bloom... (if it doesn't bloom enough this next year I'm pulling them out. Yes I know they're monsters, but at least they haven't DIED.) AT LEAST THE GUARA IS THRIVING. haha. BLESS GUARA. (If you don't like it, lie to me.) and miraculously my weeping sakura tree is happy. :) There's one very happy wall and corner which starts with my snail vine, a big happy La France Cl, Larry Daniels, Sombreuil, Alchemist, William Shakespeare 2000, James Galway and a lot of guara, agapanthus, irises and rosemary. all are happy and large and starting to grow into each other. If I could just get the REST of my yard to look like that...! The center of the backyard is particularly barren looking to me. Maybe that's the area I should try to dig up some and build on top of since a lot of the stuff there isn't that happy. Maybe I could dig around the roses which ARE happy there? I don't know.

Brandy, I suppose the my description was not quite accurate. I'm looking at your second picture..notice that the flowers would actually touch each other if there were still flowers? The quality I'm looking for would have the flowers with significantly more space between each other (on the same cluster). I hope that my Penelope will grow one day! Robert

Oh Ingrid, I do feel for you. I too am in a sort of gardening depression. Being in CA I'm with you on the water restrictions. I went from waaay over-watering in 2013 (thankfully), to cutting back last yr by about 30%. I just got my notice from our local water company that I am in the top 25% of water users in our area. (Go figure) They are requiring me to cut back to HALF of my usage from 2013. Plus we can only water on odd/even days based on your address. Soooo... I am now trying to only water every 4th day. I had gone to every 3rd day before the letter came. But being as I have to water only on odd days, doing every 3rd day doesn't work, obviously. I have cheated a little and done a little extra hand watering on even days with my potted roses, because if I don't, in the heat we've been experiencing... I'd have some dead roses. And I tell you, I AM NOT going to lose more roses. I have invested waaaay too much money and time in them to let them go. Adding mulch has helped and (trying to find time to) clear away all the damn leaves and infernal pine needles and weeds that are wicking the water away from the roses, has helped a lot. Plus getting a few little mini thunder storms dumping tons of water in a short time has helped too. That and the now slightly cooler temps we're having today. Hopefully that will be a trend for awhile. The 90-100 degree temps are not good for only watering every 4 days!! I often ask myself what the @#$% I am doing with all these roses (1700+) and adding more. I work two jobs 6 days a week and help take care of my almost-97yr old mom on two of my 4 days off per month. I have no life.... and not much time to do the things I need to do in my yard. My husband helps only if I ask, and absolutely need him. My son and his girlfriend are worthless when it comes to helping in the yard. And my niece who just moved back from NY is also staying with us, and while she does help with dishes and meals, she's never set foot in our backyard. No gardening help from her either. Not that I'd expect it. But, I get sooo depressed some days when I go out and see all the weeds and deadheads, and the many oak and walnut trees growing amongst the roses. (thank you, Squirrels!) So very much that I need to do and just haven't the time nor the energy to go do it all. I feel so overwhelmed so often. But then I go out and see the gorgeous roses blooming (I call them the "beauty amongst the ruins") and taking pictures helps to keep me going at it. And then I see all the "ruins" in the background of the photos and that can get me depressed too. But I keep on plugging along, doing whatever I can, whenever I'm able. As long as I keep the roses watered and "alive" I figure one day I might have time to do what I want. And the way things are going, I think mine will survive the less watering and be hanging in there until the next El Nino comes in the fall to bring us the much-needed rain. So hang in there too, Ingrid. I know it's easier said than done. But things will get better. They HAVE to!!