AvaVictoria -- Jacqueline2 (see post above) will be a good guide for you. I am located in Southern CA, but on the coast, so you get more winter than I do. Tea Roses are the most regular repeat bloomers. The modern Hybrid Tea Roses inherited that trait from the Teas, and the Teas are still champs. Bloom size will vary from one cultivar to another, so you'll want to make individual selections. I suggest that you might want to visit places where you can see mature plants, rather than roses in pots. Use Google to find: 1. The San Jose Heritage Roses Garden, part of Guadeloupe Gardens in San Jose, and . . . 2. The Historic Rose Garden in the Old Sacramento City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway, Sacramento, CA. That garden will hold an Open Garden and Rose Sale on April 20. This is a great opportunity to acquire roses otherwise not offeree in commerce. Other public rose gardens should likewise help you decide what you want. Availability of roses is descending into a very black hole at the moment, with fewer and fewer nurseries growing roses, and fewer offering them. For moderns, Reagan's Nursery over on the East side of the Bay has a huge selection. For Teas and their other older kin, most use mail order sources. Such roses will be small plants grown on their own roots, for the most part. Whether you go for modern or older roses, you're not going to have a complete rose garden overnight. Roses will take months and years to grow up, and "be all they can be." Avoid planting too closely. The newly-planted rose garden should look under-planted, until plants grow up and mature, and fill it in. Jeri

I was just going to add Mendon's Nursery in Paradise on the list but then I saw that Kate had beat me to it. I live in Paradise and most of the plants I have planted have come from Mendons. I am very sorry Kate's first impression wasn't a very good one. There are many many people who work there and most are quite knowledgable. Maybe it was just the heat of the day. By the way, they have a great sale every October with all plants being 40% off. That is how I am able to afford all my landscaping.

I'm a big fan of Yamagami's nursery in Cupertino. They are on the pricey side but their nursery people are very helpful and they carry nice quality, and a good variety. Yamagamisnursery.com They are closed this week, will reopen on the 2nd of January. Also Roger Reynolds nursery up on the peninsula are good. www.rogerreynoldsnursery.com They might be a bit of a drive for you. And are you anywhere near Central wholesale nursery? Despite their name they do sell to the public. That's worth a look - when I was there in mid-summer they didn't have too much selection in fruit trees, but their inventory is always changing. They are a great place for natives, by the way. www.centralwholesalenursery.com

Out of the 2 GN trees I bought last year, one held on to a fruit. I was not expecting much since it was late season and barely planted in the ground. Well, my SO found it on knocked off on the ground. From what I hear, it was pretty good. could have used some more time to ripen if it didn't fall off the tree. Glad someone in the family got to enjoy it. :( really. i.am.glad.to.wait.another.year.if.i.am.lucky.it.holds.on.to.fruit.again.