Hi Perma! I'm in New Orleans so not exactly your climate but close! And definitely different soil, but until the FL people chime in I can tell you what's doing well for me. All of mine are own-root and and most of them are only about a year old, but from what I've heard, they get better "immune systems" the older they get, so there's a good chance that anything that works well its first year will be just as good or better long-term. First of all, there will be blackspot! No getting around it without spraying. But for me it's been minimal with OGRs. I just cut or yank the spotty leaves and try not to leave any lying around on the ground. And underplant with salvia - that might be an old wives' tale but hey, I'm an old wife! And salvia looks great with roses anyway so why not. Right now everything is pretty clean despite all the rain, and I don't spray for anything although I might start making an exception for thrips, grrrr. A few are getting munched on by caterpillars and snails but that's about it in terms of pests. Right now I have: Souvenir de la Malmaison - slow growing, about 2 feet tall and wide (which is actually fantastic for me and my small yard because everything gets HUGE down here), minimal blackspot, no balling, gives me a perfect little flush every few weeks. I adore it. Duchesse de Brabant - I know she will be a giant monster and I just can't decide where to put her, so she's still in a way-too-small pot. But blooming anyway! A little spottier than others but she's all stressed out from being so crowded so I can't blame her. Probably my favorite fragrance and favorite blooms overall, cupped and a perfect clear pink. Mrs Dudley Cross - minimal blackspot, zero thorns/prickles, lovely frilly pink/yellow blooms, no fragrance yet but she's still a baby. Nice shape so far though, maybe 3 feet tall 4 feet wide. Angel's Camp Tea - a recommendation from Linda at Long Ago Roses and really one of my best overall performers. It's in a big pot and filling out nicely, 3x3 or so. Definitely the bloomiest of them all. Sort of parchment-pink flowers that open flat and don't nod. Little bit of a sweet peppery scent but Linda tells me it's one of her most fragrant so we'll see how it matures. Very little blackspot. Zepherine Drouhin - zero blackspot, zero thorns, gorgeous purple new growth. No flowers yet (I hear climbers like to climb before they bloom) but foliage is thick and dark and clean as a freaking whistle. Gorgeous plant. Lamarque - not terribly happy at the moment, probably because it didn't get a chance to adjust to the completely insane sun/heat we had in May. Thornier than I thought, but honestly can't remember why I expected it not to be. No blooms yet. The youngest are my polyanthas, got them as own-root bands from Burlington a couple months ago but all are putting on growth and so far they are all perfectly clean. Clothilde Soupert is growing the fastest with 3 little buds right now. She has a reputation for balling, so with all the rain I guess I'm about to find out! Aunt Margy's Rose is a perfect little thing with a great old rose scent and tiny adorable perfect foliage, she's gonna be a superstar, I can tell. Marie Pavie and Marie Daly are in the shade probably until fall but still putting out growth. No thorns/prickles on any of those either. I have learned so much from these boards, I really hope Houzz can resolve the issues everyone is having because a mass exodus would break my heart! There is a subreddit now as well though with the same folks, so if it slows down here, we'll all head there. Welcome!

Mantis , I wasn't looking at it as being blue at all . It struck me as cream with mauve . So not being blue is not a big disappointment for me . I blew up the picture from the lily auction . It seems the canoeing on the AHS image is an anomaly . The picture from the auction shows about a dozen blooms . None appear to have the canoeing you mention Debra

Burling just emailed me and my roses are being shipped! We are having a mild winter so far but I have a greenhouse I can put the small plants in if needed. I will report on Cl. Work of Art. I grew it years ago and it is a mini climber with lovely apricot/orange blooms. For whatever reason, it became hard to find - Burling is the only one who apparently grows it - there may be someone else but it was sold out, so am excited to get it. I apologize for changing topics, but I have just been struggling with a sprayer which is brand new and cannot get the thing to work. Its a Flo Master - called the company, they said lubricate the O rings......I have pressure inside but spray barely comes out. Am using Mancozeb which is diluted and like water in the tank. I asked this question on the rose forum but while there is activity on this thread, I would really like to know what kind of sprayer you all use. I have had the best luck with hand sprayers but they wear out quickly. Very frustrating to get started on a project [spraying all my roses today with 70 degree weather] and the sprayer wont work. Maybe I just need to shell out and buy an expensive one.......but would sure appreciate knowing what you all use. Thanks!! Judi

No, the mushrooms aren't sinister. My best guess is that there were spores on whatever bark you used and they grew. I think often people see any kind of fungus and panic, the good part is that they're not competing with your trees, they're just feeding on the decaying wood. I'd personally remove them, as I don't like growing mushrooms in my plant pots, but it shouldn't be a problem. You said your windows face North? I've noticed that mushrooms grow very well in low or indirect light areas, so the base of the tree is likely dark enough they can grow. I'd see if I could make it a bit brighter. (And bonus, if they grow that easy get a mushroom kit and toss it on a shelf. You'll get at least two crops of delicious mushrooms). I use an innoculated organic soil and fertilizer for my plants, occasionally I'll get mycelium in the late winter/early spring. I usually just break it up and it goes away. As for the DE, I too wish that it would last longer. But at least with the crawlers it only needs about 14 days to work.