Great feedback on these newer Kordes roses I'm also considering - thank you each & all! Patty, a pair of Polar Expresses from Chamblee's this year grew tall for me, too, arching gracefully as the canes gained height. Repotted into 3-gallons & then into 5's, they're certainly vigorous. Allowed only a few of the tips to bloom & pinched off the rest, going for root growth & branching before planting out. Hot Summer here in contrast to your cool one, so this may be the early habit of Polar Express. Short laterals grew late in the season as the weather cooled & a long Indian Summer began. The growth reminds me of Golden Celebration at that age, and I'm wondering if Polar Express might be coaxed into climbing, as the canes are still pliable. The blooms were quite lovely - pale yellow buds that opened creamy white with yellow hearts, gradually losing the center tint. They held fresh longer than any other rose bloom here - a full 2 weeks - before shedding their petals cleanly, in full ESE sun till 3 pm. Larger than expected at 3" on these babies & the scent was stronger than anticipated - spicy fruity - at least 6 on a scale of 10. Impeccable health in this hot & humid no spray garden. Very pleased with these new friends.

Update on 'Earth Angel' & 'Madame Anisette' for this year-2017 both roses did extremely well in terms of disease resistance. 'Earth Angel' has bloomed several times this summer and 'Madame Anisette' bloomed twice for me. I moved 'Madame Anisette' to my rose garden from the chimney. It never really went dormant in front of the chimney. I moved it in April and just this week moved it to another spot in this rose garden so it could be seen better (on the border edge corner.). 'Earth Angel' looks very good and healthy -- a smallish shrub about 3' X 3'. Next spring it needs to be moved away from a 'Pat Austin' as it might start encroaching on it, 'Madame Anisette' is about 5' tall and 2' wide.

Earth Angel is tall, 3+-', and black spot proof. It's, unfortunately, a baller in wetter climates like here in Pittsburgh, but in a dry climate or during a dry spell in a wetter climate it is unparalled in beauty if you like very cupped, goblet shaped blooms. Very fragrant and long lasting blooms, if not weather damaged, are produced in moderation, not profusely like Bolero's. Bolero is a black spotter here, but a profuse bloomer, more abundant in bloom than EA. It's bloom gear is in overdrive. The bush is short here, about 20+-" tall. The blooms can nod and crisp, and their form is not as captivatingly unusual as are Earth Angel's, buy still have a presence. Fragrance is tops. Moses

Slightly OT- Hey, Southeasterners, if you like lavender, try Phenomenal. I'm z7a in TN. That one came to me with rave reviews for being able to grow where lavender usually doesn't. While I can grow lavender here, (Poor rocky soil and living on a hillside is good for something after all!) humid heat all summer can make some lavenders looking ratty. This one does well and it also overwinters well. Now back to original- I'm not sure where you live, Mx Chino- z5 can cover a lot of territory- so I'm remembering what I grew when I lived in Ohio and Utah. Dianthus was one of my recommends. Some should overwinter for you, depending on where you are and they are so pretty with roses. I think you'll like them. For perennials, veronica, columbine, salvia and dicentra may also work. I know dicentra appreciates some shade but often larger plants will cast a shadow big enough to satisfy it. At least it does for me. I really like to use echinacea 'White Swan'. The colors blend with both warm and cool colored flowers and offer a sort of sweet, old-fashioned, country feel. Also, they're tough, can take some drought and they don't take as much space as daisies seem to here. If you need taller plants behind your roses to cover an unattractive background, you might try delphinium, hollyhocks or garden phlox in back of your roses. These can get big as well as tall, so make sure you bed has enough space for them to spread out. Lilies look wonderful grouped with roses and so do iris and peonies. Seems like someone (Jackie? Ingrid? Or ...???) had photos of their garden with this combo and it was memorable even though I can't remember who's it was. These flowers' season can be relatively short but they can be so beautiful together and they return every year. With annuals you are only limited by what is offered in your area. If you can find the photos of Ingrid's garden, she used statice with her roses in a way that was lovely. I think Ben used certain Wave petunias that he grew himself that were nearly as striking as his roses. I never thought they'd look that good together but now I want to try it myself. Anyway, maybe this will give you some ideas.