I think people under estimate how much sunlight big catts can handle. I have some in my screened in patio in baskets, and I know the screening material only shades about 30 percent. That means 70 percent of direct sun in South Florida. That is pretty bright and actually brighter than my vanda shadehouse which had 50 pct shade cloth. I would suggest that you let the plant tell you when it is receiving maximum sunlight that it can process without stress. Look for a light to medium green color on your NEW growth. If you get yellow growths, than it's too bright and need to shade some more. Remember that the more light a plant receives, the stronger it will bloom. Think of the sun as a battery charger. If you increment gradually, you should be able to eventually figure out how much it can take. If you get some red pigmentation, use epsom salts at 1 TBSP per gallon and it will green up quickly from that point on. I try to use it every couple of months.

First and foremost, I believe it comes down to what you love to surround yourself with. seil is happy with different colors mixed together, and from what I've seen of her garden it works beautifully. She probably has a good eye for color and subconsciously chooses roses that look good together even if not aware of that on a conscious level. Terri likes warm pinks while I adore the cool ones, and Meredith has cleverly combined both by separating them with her entry porch. We each have a different style that works for us. The other consideration is the background in which you plant roses. If you have a smaller garden in the suburbs you can probably do whatever you prefer without worrying about clashing with a larger background. Part of my backyard is a wild, boulder-strewn hill and the surrounding scenery is natural, with hardly a house in view. Most of my less than two acres has been left natural with the garden only on the flat area surrounding the house. For that reason it's very important to me to make the garden blend with the landscape. mendocino rose, with vastly larger amounts of land and a huge number of roses, has chosen a different path by making her rose garden a separate entity, with soft and bright colors mixed together. It works beautifully because she has over 1500 roses which can easily be seen as separate from their hilly background because of the huge impact that large number of roses makes. Fortunately, there's something for everyone, which is what makes looking at others' gardens so fascinating. There are endless ways to incorporate roses into a garden, just as there are endless numbers of gardeners to implement those ways. Ingrid

Thanks, I moved the Borinda and think I'd better move the Yellow Grove as well. I have a Pseudosasa japonica that actually I did buy for this very spot in the first place, but since it was just a 1 gallon, I have it in part sun, figuring it will grow faster than it will in full autumn /winter shade. Is the best plan to probably to let it grow in part sun until it is a large size, then move it to the winter shade area? Whatever i put there needs to eventually tolerate summer sun as well. Thanks!

Hey Bruce, I'll add something here. Your question is "How much is too much sun?", but the conversation is focused on temperatures. I submit that temperature and sun intensity are not necessarily directly related. If the question was "How hot is too hot?", I would say at that point where pollination is adversly affected - which is a function of temperature and humidity rather than sun intensity. Now, as for "..too much sun". I would say that this is more a function of your latitude than your temperature. I'll give you an example. It may be 100+ where you are, and 85 where I am, but the sun's intensity will be FAR GREATER here than there. Too much direct summer sun for me might be 2 hours, where too much direct summer sun for you might be 6 hours - even though your temps are much higher. PJ