Hi, Florida belle, I'm in Ocala. Here is a recent thread started by sumognat in SE Florida asking the same question. Malcolm Manners offered some good information as well as the rest of us in Florida. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesant/msg0116360230458.html Here's another similar thread of hers. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesant/msg0110541918913.html You should be able to grow lots of roses where you are but not ALL roses. Lots of beautiful roses can't tolerate our climate and fungal situation. I'm not sure is Buck roses were mentioned in these threads, but there are a bunch of gorgeous ones that do great here. Mail order is the most common way to get roses from specialty nurseries around the country via their websites. The most important thing about growing roses in Florida - besides picking the right ones - is amending the sand heavily with organic material. The roses will not live for long if you just plop them in the native ground. The Antique Roses Forum is where you'll find the folks who grow mostly teas, chinas and noisettes (warm climate Old Garden Roses), but many of the same people are on this forum, too. It's just that the OGR topics are on the ARF. Welcome to roses!! You'll find the folks on these forums to be very helpful and just lovely people. Sherry Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation... This post was edited by sherryocala on Wed, Jan 23, 13 at 11:28

Hi--I just happened by and your reference to Hyde Hall caught my eye. I don't know what others have said about it previously, but I think it's worth looking into. In my zone 5, in a slightly neglected spot, it gets about 5' high by 4' wide. I think it would be bigger with more water and fertilizer. I have to prune it to about half to two-thirds down each spring, although once there was only tip damage. I do nothing to winter protect it. The thing about it is that it blooms almost nonstop and is an excellent background shrub, if you want lots of blooms. I also have an Alba hedge, which I love. The scent that wafts through the yard is heavenly. I have other repeat blooming rose areas, and I appreciate the once-blooming Alba hedge that I can adore in June and then forget about it and focus on other areas (it makes a green hedge all summer). What do others think about Hyde Hall? I really like it, and would have a whole hedge of it if I had a place for it.

Hi, SFL, I don't know how similar Zone 9a and Zone 10b are. I imagine you get NO chill time, and I'm wondering how is your soil? 300 miles is a long way, putting us pretty much in different worlds even in the same state. But I'll give it a shot. The main similarity is heat & humidity!! There's a good small book called 'The Southern Queen: Growing Beautiful Roses in the Tropics' by Latimer C. Farr about growing roses in South Florida. I got mine in a local rose society drawing, and I can't find any for sale online. As to the nematodes, if you're going for HTs and other moderns, they definitely should be on Fortuniana. I grow Tiffany on Fort and two Chrysler Imperials probably on Dr Huey so they're in big pots. Both are on Farr's HT list. I have a very early HT (pre-1895) called Madame Abel Chatenay (own root) which I love, she's healthy but loses her leaves in Jan & Feb. Farr has a pretty long list of moderns that do well down there. Probably your local rose society would be the best source for a list. I don't grow David Austins. Belinda's Dream is a good modern one. She gets very big here. Hmmm, don't they all? Old Garden Roses, especially Chinas, have some resistance to nematodes so they can be grown on their own roots. (I have 100+ roses, mostly own root.) And it has been found that nematodes don't like organic matter and heavy mulch including concrete slabs & foundations, so organics is the route I take for nematode deterrence with OGRs like Teas, Noisettes and polyanthas that aren't 100% China. I incorporate a lot of composted horse manure and pine fines (close to 50%) into the bed before planting and topdress every spring with composted horse manure on top of the old mulch and add new mulch. (I didn't know that clay could be obtained and added to the soil when I did my beds, but if I were starting over, I would try to get some for water and nutrient retention. I don't know what type of clay is preferred.) This year I've started watering daily with a micro system for 30 minutes in the early morning. When I watered every other day, my bushes stayed almost leafless all summer even with thick mulch. So! Which roses? Louis Philippe is the best, a beautiful red/pink flower with cherry candy scent. Easy care, virtually no BS. Another China that I love is Le Vesuve along with Jean Bach Sisley & Old Blush. Teas are great. They love the heat and come in a variety of colors and bloom forms. Some favorites are Maman Cochet, General Schablikine, Mrs B R Cant, Anna Olivier, Duchesse de Brabant, Madame Antoine Mari, and many more. The Bermuda Roses work well. I like Carnation. Noisettes and Tea-Noisettes are generally climbers that like heat and tolerate our humidity. They get fairly huge here. Cile Brunner Spray, LeMarne & Perle d'Or do very well in Florida. I have had less success with Hybrid Musks probably because of my soil pH and they tend not to like heat & afternoon sun. For climbers Don Juan does well enough here but does get BS. Mine is on Fortuniana. I have own root Sally Holmes & Pink Perpetue, both are recommended by Latimer Farr along with New Dawn, Sombreuil & Clair Matin. The short Bourbons in the Souv de la Malmaison clan do well albeit with some BS but have beautiful flowers and extended blooming, and Farr says Maggie does well, too. I found that Maggie got more BS than I could handle so she's gone, but you have to establish a tolerance level for that. Hope this is helpful. I hear the soil in South Florida can be really shallow on top of limestone. What's your situation? Hi, lagomorphmom! Sherry

Hi SoFL Rose, I see you didn't get many replies :¬( - probably due to disruptions caused by all the changes here... For more detailed pruning advice on your old roses as well as Austins, you might like to try posting your question on the Antique Roses Forum. Some old roses need very little or no pruning at all, other than deadheading if you want to, and a tidy up of dead and unproductive wood, etc, every now and then - just like any other garden shrub. Some positively resent hard pruning, and will go into a major sulk if so treated! They're not at all like the modern Hybrid Teas that routinely get chopped back to 'sticks' every year. Each class of rose has its own habit - manner of growth - and so requires a different approach; there can even be sub-groups within those classes that are quite distinct, while some roses are just a law unto themselves! There are often a number of different possible methods of pruning, too. Everyone gradually learns about their own particular roses and how they respond by observation over time. The main thing is to know that you won't harm them by not pruning at all, so you can safely err on the side of caution if you're unsure. Where you live - your climate - is very relevant to timing. Some books etc you read might not be appropriate for your zone. Of course you wouldn't want to prune hard just when they're blooming their little hearts out! The usual time is when they're dormant (not actively flowering or growing), but in warmer areas they may keep going pretty much all year round. Also, I think where they have ice and snow, pruning is done to remove any frost-damaged growth before the new spring growth starts; of course that isn't necessary in mild winter areas like yours. So, I'd suggest perhaps, listing all your older, shrub, and DA roses by name, in classes if you know them (i.e.Teas, Chinas, Modern Shrubs, Ramblers, Austins, etc), on the ARF, along with your query. I don't know how many you have - perhaps it might seem like too many to list them all individually. You might get, as well as individual advice, links to tried-and-true tutorials for each of the different classes. Once you've got a basic understanding of how it all works, you'll gain confidence to start looking at your own plants in your own garden conditions, and using your own judgement and intuition. One other thing, a lot of roses will produce smaller booms at different times of year, eg when heat-stressed. I don't know if there's much you can do about that, since it's a normal biological response. Also, a young plant may take a while to acquire its mature blooms. But there are many other folks, far more experienced than I am, who may well have some excellent tips for getting the bigger blooms you're hoping for. At the very least, posting this answer should bump your question up to the top of the list, so more people will get a chance to see it, and respond. All the best, Comtesse :¬)