Dear Gary,

This thread is for you!

Yes, You can grow roses. They are very tough once you get them going. I am sure that the tree roses you saw that made you drool where green house grown, pampered and primped hybrid teas. Most modern hybrid teas require real dedication, esp in Swampland. This includes weekly spraying with harsh chems to keep the fungus and mildew down.

If you go the hybrid tea route you must get them grafted on Fortuniana. This is the ideal root stock for here and all roses do much better with it. If you succumb and buy HTs on multi flora, Dr Huey or some other ones that do great in the north, you will get one or three years out of them and then they will go into a decline and you will be out your money and, as I am rapidly learning, the TIME & EFFORT it took to grow them.

What I strongly suggest to you is that you start with a few wonderful antiques teas. Also, if you have the funds, go ahead and find a larger size bush. The little twigs are great but they can take a very long time to come into their own. These teas have va va voom blooms and usually have a great fragrance (though some people cannot smell them!). Most antiques grow very well here on own-root though I have read that if you can find them on Fort, they will mature MUCH faster and therefore reward you sooner.

I, too, am shade and lousy land challenged. We are next to a small swamp and everywhere I dig, about 10 inches down I hit limestone rubble and/or asphalt chunk landfill.

I grow quite a few in pots. Very large pots. I just got 2 olive plastics at KMart for less then $27. It was a 40% off sale. They are 24X28. Sams had some better lite grey ones for about $22.

Another thing is that many of the older types can do with less sun and still be rewarding.