Ben, I was thinking the dinos were made of some kind of resin, but it's impossible to tell from photos--just looked again and it's not resin. Our soil is not sandy at all and has some clay in it. Sandy soil would be worse. I think we have a kind of cold Mediterranean type climate with months without rain during summer. I've mentioned this before, but we get only about 10 inches of any kind of precipitation. This year we'll be lucky to get nine inches if that much. The reservoirs are about empty. I use a drip system augmented with tiny sprinklers plugged into the drip lines. The drip emitters go to roses, shrubs, and trees, and the little sprinklers go to perennials and also add some water to the roses. Everything is watered. I got a lot of my college education in California, married a Californian, my daughter is a native born Californian. We lived in both the Bay area and Redondo Beach in southern Cal. Then later I went back to grad school in California--but I never gardened in California. Whew. So I'm familiar with some of the California climate. I think your drought is worse than ours right now. At least in certain parts of the state. Diane

belle, I didn't know you can arrange Burling's list by class. That's a very helpful feature. So many roses that I'd love to have! Now that my roses are planted I'm in a constant rose delirium, imagining how beautiful everything will look. If only they could grow and bloom overnight! Sheila, that's really valuable information, not only that you've ordered but have done so multiple times with great results! Now I'll have to study their listings more carefully. I won't be ordering more now (except for Old Town Novato from Burling, possibly) but if all goes well, then certainly in the fall. I'm so grateful that we now have a wonderful gardener because without him none of this would be possible.

Elena I have grown all the varieties on your list (except Polka) and think they are all wonderful. You must be very skilled at picking roses, lol. SoCal Sheila’s Perfume has been a terrific variety for me in both Texas and California, beautiful colors, excellent fragrance and good repeat.

Ken, you meant All My Thyme, right? I just placed my first order with them. Based on the Rose Vendor Feedback reviews, people seem happy with their roses. Here are some pictures I got from them — I’ll remove them after a while. https://www.facebook.com/groups/383906040740972/search/?q=all%20my%20thyme