Wow, it must be hard to make rose decisions in a place where it's hard for a rose to die, Suzy. Sometimes i'm secretly glad when a rose that really doesn't thrive in my yard has the good grace to die over the winter, so I don't have to be a rose murderer. As for the rate of failure, it's definitely a product of being a zone pusher and wanting to try something different. Plenty of people in my zone have never lost a rose because they're smart enough to only plant roses suited for their climate- imagine that! I'm more like Ingrid, in sandandsun's timely quote, that I prefer to look at winter survival as a challenge rather than the roses of a particular type (or breeder) having a specific death wish in my garden. You're all absolutely right that knowing the breeder isn't enough to judge health, survival, or any other qualities in your yard. I absolutely do the kind of trial and error experimentation that Lyn was talking about in my own yard, it's just that I haven't really come up with particular patterns for what thrives in my yard, except for the obvious ones like "lavenders and russets are usually weak" (understatement of the year) or "roses with teas in their heritage are a long shot". Rick, I admire you for checking the breeding history of the roses, and it certainly would be a more logical approach with fewer failures. I'm afraid I don't follow the breeding history or even keep track of which parents do well for me, though I have noticed that climbers with New Dawn as a parent are likely to be a good match for my yard. Wow, Nastarana, I hadn't been familiar with Jacobus as a breeder but I looked up Dream Girl, and - wowza zowie is she ever! I love those fat blooms with swirled packed petals, and it's great to hear it thrives in zone 5. Might be a nice counterpart to Nahema on my fence. You ought to share your observations with Helpmefind, since there was very limited personal information on this rose. Where did you get yours? Cynthia

Hey friends.....that's wonderful news!! I guess I lucked up since I just planted the TG's, Evelyn, and Iceburg this year!! Indeed this cool spell has been Heavenly!! Haven't seen too many little buggers myself! No blackspot but it isn't prevelent in Ky...or powdery mildew either. I am glad to hear that others are enjoying great flushes and hopefully all new roses are getting one of the better summers of their lives! I, however would not go through that WINTER AGAIN EVER !!!! Had to move out and wait it out with relatives....One never knows though with all this crazy weather if we won't have to do this again in the coming years!! GLAD the JP's may have gotten frost bite in the worst way!!!

Oh, my -- A rose lover tries to get some useful information from other rose folk, only to be hearing about needed rain in California and a mythological definition for rain. Aren't there any other websites where you folks might "bless" others with your non-sequitarian comments? My heart does go out to the Californians along with a financial contribution of support for those in need. And certainly, mythology is quite fascinating. Everything has its place. Perhaps, there is a weather web or a mythology web where you can chat with others who are interested. All that I really wanted to know was about roses that still bloom in rain for future reference. Anyone else out there who might offer some useful info? CJ

I'm new at growing roses. This is only my second year. I used banana peels, ( which I've been told roses like) not the whole banana, and buried the slop just before it rained. Hopefully someone else will chime in and say whether I did a good thing or not before you try it =:) For the trouble and mess it made, I think I'll just stick to chopping the banana peels by hand and burying them near the roses.