I don't have the entire answer, but I suspect that the conditions of morning sun and afternoon shade have a lot to do with this, because I've found that to be the optimal location for roses in my hot and dry climate. My Belinda's Dream, which is in full sun, hasn't grown very much this year because of the stress of solar radiation, in spite of being watered every day. Also, it barely bloomed in spite of statements that this rose can really stand the heat and will bloom well in the summer. I had to give up Grandmother's Hat, very reluctantly, because in its full-sun location the blooms barely lasted a few hours. Ingrid

Well, because of the heat wave (record-breaking temps in S.F.), I didn't feel much like working out of doors today! However, with this rare blast of heat in my chilly garden, I can practically see my roses growing as I watch. Thank you all for your comments. I still can't seem to make a decision about what to put where. I've been thinking of putting Maggie next to Buff Beauty. I'm now wishing I'd placed Grandmother's Hat closer to Buff Beauty and might then place WR Smith on her right. (I'm thinking just now mostly in terms of color and contrast.) I forgot to mention that I also have Dd Brabant, another possibility, but I think for now I'm going to keep the teas in containers. The real problem is that my garden space is so very very small. At this point, I have to hope that my roses don't grow very fast. Also, I'd read today that WR Smith is OK with being cut back to limit his size. Ingrid, do you find W.R. Smith to be very fragrant? I've read contrasting notes about that on HMF. And I do like Lady Ann Kidwell. I can live with the nodding. Because of the limitations on my space and my climate, I am just overjoyed if my roses bloom! I tolerate a lot of things that make others SP a rose. For instance, we have rampant black spot here. And a lot of hungry rose slug action. So I often have a lot of pretty sad looking foliage. But -- the plants keep refoliating and seem overall healthy, so I just don't let it bother me. Jeri, I bought Grandmother's Hat last fall, all because of you, and am I ever glad! She is doing GREAT for me. She shot up to @ 5 feet very quickly, has had two lovely flushes thus far and is about to have another. She's been growing like mad this past month and has many new shoots and fat buds. Thank you so much for bringing her to my attention. Another fan here. Buff Beauty is growing in front of the chain link fence. She's really putting out some growth right now. She's my oldest rose in the ground -- I think it's 4 years now. It took til this year for her to finally take off, and I had my first wonderful flushes of blooms. So far no giant canes, and she's pretty stiff, but I will run her along the fence if possible. I love this rose. Vaporvac, was Maggie slow to bloom for you? I've been reading that she may not bloom for a long time, until she's reached most of her height. Also, I'd read that she is fairly shade-tolerant, so you may not need to give her your best sun, if that's in short supply, as it is for me. Except for this weekend, where the cool gray S.F. fog belt is getting a serious lesson in HOT! Sheba

If I had to pick a "favorite" rose -- it would be this . . . We grow 12-14 plants of it, and many of those were suckers from the first one, which easily grew into big new plants. In our very mild climate, there are always a few blooms somewhere to enjoy -- and it's changeable enough in form and shade to provide a wonderful visual diversity. When the weather is particularly warm and damp, it -- yes -- gets some "crud" which is mainly blackspot. But it doesn't spread, and is usually reserved to the lowest canes. For the first several years that we grew it, we pruned "Grandmother's Hat" rather as we might a Grandiflora. But, eventually, we let her have her way, and grow to her preferred size. If you are so minded, you can grow this rose as a lovely informal hedge, or espalier her as a low climber. No -- I have read no new thoughts on what she might have been -- but I do know that she has been found in locations in both Northern and Southern California. We found her growing in an old garden, behind a victorian house on Mare Island, and Fred Boutin found her in Altadena, CA and also in Columbia, CA. She's been sold as "Grandmother's Hat," as 'Mrs. R.G. Sharman-Crawford', and as 'Cornet'. I've come to the conclusion that, personally, I don't care what she was, and "Grandmother's Hat" is a good enough name for me.

Jeri, Carol, those are all good ideas for underplantings--thank you. It's not really that I don't care for the leggy look -- it's more that my plant is so very sparse. She was at @ 6.5 feet tall, with greenery only above @ 4 feet; and there are only a few canes. When she's blooming -- seems like a nice quantity of bloom for the greenery, but I want to see more leaves. That's really the issue. I think the snipping back will do the trick, tho--she's really leafed out. I really don't know much about pruning and such and have mostly avoided it -- but only about a week ago, I did a lot of cutting to the rose that's been winning the "Most Miserable in My Collection" prize -- Dupuy Jamain. And -- incredible -- that rose is already showing a LOT of fresh new growth, after doing next to nothing for the past 2 years except mildew and blackspot and rust! Going to try this on a few of my other struggling/loser plants and see how they manage.