Someone posted a picture of San Jose Rose Garden ... the roses are tall and planted really close together like a forest. In contrast, the rose park in zone 5a plant their roses widely spaced apart, for ventilation due to blackspot pressure, and for maximum sun-exposure during low-sun fall and winter season. What Kim said about the difference between hot and cold climate is right. We have 4 seasons here: sunny and wet spring, sunny and hot summer, gloomy and wet fall, and cold winter. My husband set the blade to cut grass higher, so that the grass is taller in spring and summer to shield the roots from drying out. My neighbor butchered his grass really short, and it looks really bad scorched at above 90's. In our less sun fall, he lowers the blade, so the grass is cut shorter to allow more sun to penetrate, so we would have less mushroom growing on the lawn in our damp fall.

Well, considering how much a fan of own-root roses here in my cold zone, this was an eye-opening exercise. I went through my entire alphabetical list of 800 or so roses, a majority of which are flori/HT/grandiflora roses, and noted any that I considered excellent on own roots. It turns out a lot of outstanding bloomers that I vaguely had considered floris or HTs were actually shrubs, and many of my best HTs were in fact grafted. Dang. I have a bad survival rate with bare root roses, but it looks like I should be cautious with the HT own root roses on a second round. My impression was that the floribundas weren't particularly bothered by being own root and very few of mine were grafted, but by far my best bloomers among the HTs tended to be the grafted ones. Who knew?? Here's my list of the definite prolific or otherwise robust roses in these categories: Floribunda: - prolific Bolero Floral Fairy Tale LavaGlut Mandarin Ice Grand Duc Henri Occhi di Fata Pinocchio Suni Louisa Stone/Guinevere Pillow Talk Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale Impatient Roman Holiday Alice Pat Champagne Moment Bad Worishofen/Pink Emely Eutin Hot Cocoa HTs Beverly Francis Dubreuil Cubana Comtesse de Segur Dames de Chenonceau Acropolis Aloha Headliner Nigrette (no worse than it would do grafted) Papageno Lafter Maid of Honor Spiced Coffee Golden Buddha Birthday Girl Grandif �" Paloma Blanca Paw Maw Lagerfeld Earth Song (extremely well) Mother of Pearl I ended up needing an honorable mention for the HTs, with roses that are robust and vigorous growers, but not terribly prolific or frequent rebloomers. I figure that can be true of any of the HTs and it wouldn't depend on them grafted or not, so for what it's worth here are the good HTs on own roots, for me: Peggy Rockefeller Karl Herbst Intermezzo (surprisingly hardy for a lavender Dot rose) Neptune Henri Matisse Careless Love Charlotte Brownell Harry G Hastings Madame Delbard Break oâÂÂDay Sophisticate I agree that Double Delight is a very weak grower under any circumstances, but virtually microscopic if own root (and I've tried several times). It refuses to die before lingering several years, but never thrives own root. Cynthia

Kristin, The best dark wine/purply Austin we have grown is William Shakespeare 2000. We are putting in two more next month. You are probably aware that Austins typically shatter kind of quickly, but it is our fav in that color range, and great in bouquets. It will get taller in your zone than it does in ours, but it doesn't have those "octopus legs/arms" that Falstaff and Othello do. We are going to move our two Intrigue roses to the back or side yard (similar color), because, while they are breathtaking and smell wonderful, they are not as floriferous! I don't know if you can find Wm. Shakespeare 2000 locally, but it would be worthwhile if you could! Have fun! :0) Phyl

I collect Old Garden Tea roses and I rarely see any rose in a different class that has the same degree of "exquisite delicacy" that is shown in a Tea rose blossom. The few roses that I do grow with my Tea roses that are suitable for a colder climate include: Tea Hybrids: which have one Tea rose parent; Souvenir de la Malmaison' which although is sold as a Bourbon is fully 1/2 a Tea class rose. Divine pink-flushed creamy blooms, the plant is floriferous. I planted 3 of these in a triangle at a local public Old Rose garden, which makes a mass of fragrant roses. One of the very best of the Old Garden Roses in my opinion.. Mrs. Herbert Stevens, is very lovely; the climbing form can be grown as a self standing "tree rose", c. 6-7 feet tall, with one thick central trunk, the delicate blossoms have the natural artlessness of a true Tea. Mlle. Cecille Brunner' a Polyantha-Tea with dainty blossoms and a great fragrance, Spray Cecille Brunner is an excellent plant that can be grown as a hedge, or as a self standing "Tree rose" . Early Hybrid Teas that retain some Tea rose character; Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria' a white rose with a sweet graceful bloom style. Not pure white, it has some lemon tints to it according to conditions. 'La France' 'Snowbird' nice fragrance and a lovely bloom shape. Mrs. Jules Bouche' is as floriferous as a Tea rose and has a nice mixed floral scent. The Pernetiana class has a few roses that would mingle well with Tea roses. Duquesa de Pernananda' (sp?) reminds me of the Tea, Anna Olivier', but with richer hues. If I could not grow my beloved Tea roses, I would grow the roses listed above. Good luck on your quest to find cold climate Tea like roses.