Belinda's Dream is a gorgeous rose, huge and filled with petals, and fragrant. I would also suggest a group called tea roses, which are old roses from which the hybrid teas were created. However, they're big and beautiful bushes that like the heat, bloom a lot and are tough. Even if they get some disease (which they don't in my dry heat), they're usually vigorous enough to shrug it off. They come in beautiful soft colors. Unfortunately, most of them are not terribly fragrant, but some like Duchesse de Brabant and Mme. Joseph Schwartz, are. Another group called Noisettes are also wonderful, although they often get larger. Polyanthas are smaller roses that are also quite healthy. The Chinas are also another great group for your climate. The Texas Rose Emporium is a nursery that also sells on-line. I would give them a call. Describe your situation, what you're looking for and your climate. I'm sure they can suggest some lovely roses that will work well for you. The EarthKind roses, as mentioned already, are beautiful and tough roses that were tested in Texas for their disease resistance. The Texas Rose Emporium, Chamblee's and Rogue Valley are all on-line nurseries that will carry them, and also the other roses mentioned. Good luck! Ingrid

That's right we've had this discussion before. I'm not familiar with those desert climate redbuds. I'd just say that the Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis suffer in full sun in hot weather. They're understory trees. They live but don't look good. Small flowering trees are not my forté but OP might want to look into wax myrtle or a holly of some kind.

Your problem is not lack of iron and it's not freeze damage. Iron chlorosis will show green veins with yellow between them and freeze damage will turn the leaves a uniform light brown and they will be toasty brittle. What you have is most likely a fungal or bacterial rot on the leaves. Check to be certain that the soil level on the root balls has not been raised even a small amount which would limit oxygen to the roots. If the roots are still near the surface, your problem probably was caused by too much rain or your having run sprinklers over the winter which kept the roots wetter than they prefer for extended periods of time. Placing dirt on top of the original root ball level will keep oxygen away from the roots which will impede their ability to utilize the water around them. Remember that our plants use far less water during the winter because of cooler temps and fewer warm sunny skies which cause more evaporation. North Texas experienced a very wet and rainy Winter from 2009 to 2010 along with some roller coaster temperature variations with hot to cold back to really warm, back to cold, etc....those quick temperature variations are very stressful for many plants. The irregular shape of the dark areas on the leaves indicates bacterial growth but the round spots look more like fungal necrosis (rotting, while the splotchity yellowing indicates a possible lack of micro-nutrients. The bright yellow color can also indicate shock or stress caused by the quick changes in temperature or too much water....it's definitely NOT lack of iron so don't dose them with iron. When a gardenia's root system is not happy, it pulls the chlorophyll from the leaf which is what causes the yellow. Is your soil sandy and acidic like most of East Texas or is it different? I'd highly recommend pulling back some of the mulch from around the main stems of your plants. Having mulch touching the bark will keep it wet and it can rot the outer surface of the branches near the base of the plant. Once the mulch is moved, scruff the soil with a cultivator or a dirt rake and make certain that the roots are right at the top or just barely under the topsoil. Many folk think it's a good idea to add dirt to the roots of shrubs when they are digging and planting nearby flowers thinking that it will protect the roots, but it suffocates them instead. Dispose of the dirt from the holes another way if you've done that! Remind yourself that the plant was happy and beautiful with it's root ball exposed when you bought it so leave it that way...never add dirt to the top unless you want to kill it. I suspect that if you look at the damaged leaves with a magnifying glass, you will see irregular circular patterns in the dark brown areas...that will be your proof that roots staying too wet is your problem. They will often have a somewhat maroon coloration in the banding lines or small bumpy growths which are called fruiting structures. No chemicals will be needed if you see either. Just do whatever you can to allow the roots to get more air. Leave the mulch off the top of the root ball to allow the excess moisture to evaporate while it's still somewhat cooler. Feel free to add mulch in the summer to retain moisture...and in Winter to protect from freezing but don't have it touch the branches! Once the roots are happy, the bad foliage will fall off and new leaves will replace the ugly ones. Do not leave the infected leaves on the ground...remove them and throw them away or they will reinfect the plants when you water them. You might try a dose of Super Thrive on the roots to help reduce stress. A light dose of a good ACG fertilizer is also advised.

Summers - you should have no trouble overwintering Variegata di Bologna in zone 6. Mine is cane hardy in zone 5, which is one of the plusses, along with the cupped shape of the blooms. The downside is how very quickly the blooms fade - get your camera out quickly or you'll miss the blooms. Being a rapid fader is a real bummer for a once-bloomer, although one year I got a couple of repeat blooms in the fall by viciously pruning it back to about a foot tall after bloom. Have fun with it, but put it at the back of the bed so you can ignore it when it's done blooming. Cynthia