SoFL The reason I was inspired to get into roses is due to a bed of roses I planted (all on Dr. Huey) when I first moved into my house, only to have all but one die within months. Since then I've gotten really good at growing roses, but there is one critter that ends up winning every time: Crab Grass. During this time of the year I spend countless hours in the garden, but when those summer months come around and the daily thunderstorms prevent easy gardening, I tend to work less as the crab grass works more. By the time September roles around, all my beds are overgrown with weeds and roses decimated by thrips. This year a decided to grow a new garden all in pots as this tends to work best for me. I have since potted up all my roses in the Costco pots as well as 7 gallon nursery pots. I have also purchased nursery grade ground cover and put it down over all the beds. So far everything is just growing like crazy. Almost all my roses have several basal breaks, even the Dr Huey grafted varieties. Eventually I can see myself planting some of the roses on Fortuniana in the ground, but they'll be the exception. Here's a link of a video that has inspired me to grow a pot ghetto rose garden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9h4fMliSgY Potted Rose Garden

Earth Song has a nice form . Carefree Beauty has fewer petals and opens much blowsier. Belinda's Dream does well here and to me has the most beautiful bloom shape of all of these. It's a shrubby plant but mine is not as big as that TX plant.

Sara Ann, I hope she stays dependable, but off years seem to be pretty normal in my roses, along with the great years. I still can't figure it out. The Prince, Tamora, and Love Song are having unusually good years, but Evelyn is just blah (except for all the candelabra canes; I think all my roses have those currently--what a bunch of crazy looking roses). Diane

Sam, some of my roses are doing that too! I'm in Durham and it makes me feel better that it's not just me. Mark_roeder, thanks for the advice! I'm going to cut one open and see what I find. Otherwise I'm just going to wait it out as I'm too lazy to spray. Although I've been thinking of buying some predator mantises so maybe I'll go that route.