Carol's comment about not pruning her scarlet Meidiland brings up a question I have. I'm growing a low hedge of about six ruby Meidiland roses, and I've usually pruned them to about 18" canes each spring. I had read before that any cutting should be done all the way to the ground, but I just didn't trust that I should really cut them that hard. I've read recently that they can do fine with no pruning at all -- is that 100% true? Or will they flower better if they have more new wood by cutting off last year's long canes? I have to say mine have flowered quite well with regular pruning. Here's a photo from last July. They have a fairly long bloom season in early-mid summer.

zyperiris, I'm a couple of years into my grand experiment to frame my front yard and screen the neighbors unsightly house and yard. It started by designing a fence/trellis of cedar, copper, and amber glass post caps. Then I had to come up with a way to raise the roses above my shallow buried roof drain. I used 18" corrugated PVC wrapped with brown vinyl lawn edging. The plan was to alternate climbers and shrubs that could be pinned to the fence in such a way as to make it a mute point if you could see through it, to sort of give your eyes a reason not to look past it. Anyways, I started on one end with a baby own root Darlow's from Heirloom 3-4 years ago. Then last year I planted a WS2000, then a Gertrude Jekyl, then The Prince, and then another climber Eden. Next a Hot Cocoa, a Tamora, then another climber Blaze of Glory, a Betty Boop, then the climber Scent from Above, then the fence makes a 90 and I planted a Stairway to Heaven and then a Lyda Rose. There are like 8-9 of these fence sections and I'm discovering through this process exactly why patience is such a virtue. To speed up the screening process, this year I added a different clematis between each rose. This is either going to end up being the coolest living fence ever or a colossal wart on an otherwise gorgeous pig :-) Here are a couple of pics of the first few sections. The Darlow's and the Eden are now coming together to form somewhat of a canopy over the others.

Oh what a thrill you are giving me! So happy to hear you are rose growers in Fla. One more reason to get back there. Own root is the best way to go I'm discovering. DE, Wl, SGMM are own root. Don't think the red (turns dark pink in heat) mystery is. It has been moved at least five times, so one more surely won't set it back too far. It just might have to come in the Prius with me instead of van! I'll tell my Dunnellon friend there is hope for him. Thanks for the good reports, GatorRose and Floridarosez9

I grow both! Darlow's has just fully leafed out. It's always my latest leafer, latest bloomer but the only one that blooms consistantly all summer. I love it for the tiny little roses and mine has a BIG rose scent. Veilchenblau grows by the driveway and I"ve been pruning it torturously back every year the the fence. It's not large at all and trying to sucker because I cut it back so much. It is GORGEOUS in bloom and never has a single foliage issue all summer, except that it doesn't bloom again. Like the others, my Darlow is very disease resistant but it is the only rose to get powdery mildew if we had a lot of moisture in summer, and that is the only time it gets any spray (of powdered milk and water). I think there's a photo of that and the Mozart rose on the driveway arch somewhere on this forum!