LynneinP.... D.A,s "Sophies Rose" is a good, tough, fairly prolific flowerer in my area (Tweed Coast, NSW) but tends to be a bit towards a (full double) red. To be quite honest the best flowerer I've ever seen, and have, is from the French based producer, Meiland; his 'Seduction' - It simply never stops. However, with a flowerer like that your twice weekly deadheading can become a bit of a chore; and it goes on allmost all year round. But don't forget to give it a bit a chook man., blood 'n bone, and dolomite lime twice yearly.

Thanks for your advice, Funnelweb. I went out to the Melville Rose Nursery in Carmel today and bought a row of standard Seductions. I'm going to plant John Clare between them. I also got some climbing roses - I'm going to have 3 arches, so I bought 2 each of Lamarque, Zephirine Drouhin and Kathleen Harrop. I bought some Angel Face roses - just love the bloom and the fragrance. I'm going to have a mixed cottagey bed as well, so chose Windermere, Molineux, Abraham Darby, My Hero and one other (forgotten its name). I also chose lots of other plants, including lavender, African box, agapanthus. I'm going to get nemesia, salvia, and penstemons as well. It's going to look great, once I get through all the planting! Thanks again for your help.

Hi Lynne, We are very slow to answer on this site nowadays, sorry about that, used to be so good. Your selection of roses should look superb by now, I should think they are flowering. You must put some pictures of your garden on the Gallery for us to see and wonder over. I love Seduction. Was one of my favourites but not enough space in my tiny garden now One of my friends in Perth had/has a standard Seduction, with multi grafts, can't remember exactly how many but it was a sight to see.

hi Lynne I'm in Perth too and started my rose addiction with DA pinks from Melville nursery. I highly recommend princess Alexandra of Kent she blooms repeatedly and has large cupped blooms. although my Mary rose and sir Edward Edgar are continually blooming the flowers are small. I'm hoping it's just because they are newish plants. another lovely pink very fragrant is the forget me not (it's not a DA..hybrid tea I think). that one also loves our weather here and is gorgeous but it grows tall around 1.5m. good luck with your roses!

Be interested to see how Angel Face goes over there Lynne, I tried it a few years ago in Sydney, it wasn't a big rose, but it did no good; I thought maybe it was the summer humidity down there that troubled it. Looks like you've got a lot of work there and please, when it all blooms some pics would be nice. By the way, I love those W.A. natives, the Banksias and eremophylas especially, I've got a number of them in my natives section. Good luck with it all, Lynne.