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

I had a JFK that I shovel pruned after 4 years. it was always soooo promising. excelent growth, long canes, no black spot (only mildew when the damp ocean air sticks around too long), and HUGE HUGE HUGE flower buds which never opened all the way because I think it is too moist and/or cool so close to the ocean. I gave up and swore off white roses. :)

Rusty is right. JD dumped many small dealers and now you have to drive for parts. They don't follow the successful Walmart program of many little profits making a huge profit. Bad move in my mind. As a part time job, I service, on average, one machine every day of the year. 90% are Sears, or MTD. I really have to do almost no repair on the bodies, mostly routine stuff on the engines. I always loved my Wheelhorse 312A, non-Toro, but when I bought a used JD316, I have to honestly say that JD has it all over my Wheelhorse. Neither one has nickeled and dimed me, but my Eaton hydro pump did fail on the Horse after about 1000 hours. That set me back $800 for the part.

'Emanuel' is one of the very best Austin's for hot, dry gardens. 'Radio Times' is another good one, as 'The Reeve', 'William Shakespeare', 'Swan' (a magnificent Rose) and -whereas short lived in summer-,'The Alnwick Rose', 'Glamis Castle', 'St Swithun'... Many Teas and Chinas crisp relentlessly here in summer, only a few are still good: 'Mme Falcot' (ex India), 'Mrs Dudley Cross', 'Le V�suve'. 'Odorata'/'Spice' shrink under hot sun, but it's continuousely in bloom. However, some Roses seems to wait for summer to show up their beauty. I can't succeed to see a single open bloom in Spring from 'Tipsy Imperial Concubine' (I use to call her Tipsy Imperial Artichoke'!), 'Clothilde Soupert', 'Leveson Gower' and that big Bracteata Hybrid, 'Alba Odorata'/"Maria Leonida". But they are a magnificent sight in July and August. So I still grow them and enjoy them when other Roses have their bad time. I'd like to add that heat resistance in Roses -as in all other plants- is not only a matter of temperatures and humidity. The kind of soil they grow in is a very important element to consider, as it's able to influence a great number of different aspects in plant's physiology. I saw recently in a garden in Catania, Sicily, a huge 'Felicia' growing in an abandoned corner: she was in full sun, bare earth, no watering, near a orange grove. And it was early June, with average 30 �C. The plant, full of perfect green leaves, showed a huge mass of big, full clusters of fragrant blooms, as large as I only saw in England. The same rose suffered by midday in my garden in May with no more than 26 �C, watered almost dayly, and my blooms where less than a half the size in Catania. So... WHAT it was the "x factor"? The soil! And, overall, a whole different micro-climate. In Catania, they are blessed from Mount Etna influence and that means: to equal day temperatures, lower night temperatures; a rich, deep, ultra-fertile volcanic soil; a typical, very thin "mist" who lightly veil the sky in the afternoon, protecting the plants from being scorched by sun. That 'Felicia' was surely sinking their roots deep into that fertile soil, finding the right amount of water, their leaves protected by air humidity and night freshness, enjoying their settled climate conditions, whereas mine was fighting with a thin, granitic soil, under a sharp sun, and -maybe more important- with jumping climate conditions: humid nights followed by dry, windy days... what -I've experienced- the roses seems to hate the most. Hope, as usual, this should help. Maurizio