Continuous bloom is a bit of a misnomer when it comes to roses. They typically bloom in flushes and some repeat faster than others and the maturity of the rose usually plays a part as well. Based on your height requirements and other wish list, I'd really take a look at getting Roberta Bondar. It is not intensely fragrant, but does have a good fragrance to it. The blooms are a very large clear yellow that hold well in the heat. Disease resistance is above average as well and it will stay in the 6-8' range you are looking for. The best of the lot is probably Golden Gate, but it wants to be bigger than 6-7' tall and will require some regular pruning once it is mature to keep it that size. Normally a 8 to 12" climber.

Fragrant Cloud is a family favorite here, and it should grow as well as any other HT in your city. At the end of the summer, mine can stay a little dewy in the morning because it doesn't get full sun until 9:30 or 10:00, so I do have to be careful with it. Sulfur dust is usually all I need, but your area is less than half the elevation and twice the humidity of mine. The only issues I have with FC is that it fades quickly to dull coral and shatters. At our old house, it was on the west with only afternoon sun, and didn't get blackspot as badly as several other HT's that were a few feet away. I never sprayed or treated the roses there. That bush was about 25yrs old when we moved, and it always flushed with 50-75 blooms, usually twice in a growing season. The scent would fill the entire neighborhood. Gary

Hi Msgirl: I love your honesty .. I looked up El Catala on HMF, and I broke out laughing when I saw 3' in height .. translate to a slow & wimpy rose. Heirloom Roses is notorious for small root & slow start. Now they raise the price to $27 per band !! If the root is big & solid, then it flowers sooner (roses from Weeks & star are grafted on Dr. Huey, see below). http://scvrs.homestead.com/Rootstock.html I got roses from Heirloom Roses as own-roots and their roots were like alfalfa-sprout, instead of big & long & woody like Dr. Huey. High Country Roses in Colorado sells BIGGER own-roots at $14 per band (they ship to Hawaii). I got Austin roses from them with blooms on !! About Dr. Huey rootstock: They are native to alkaline region, thus most healthy in alkaline clay. Dr. Huey itself tends to mildew, so high potassium helps. If your soil is acidic, then raise the pH with lime to above neutral. Lime will supply calcium besides raising soil pH. Decades ago my neighbor bought a bunch of grafted-roses-on-Dr.Huey, he planted in our rock-hard clay at 7.7, and they were blooming like mad & zero diseases. I was jealous since I had just moved from an ACIDIC clay region, and gave up on roses due to black spots. Since Dr. Huey is a woody-root, calcium should be supplied at 1/2 of potassium. Calcium is what makes plant tissue firm, thus more resistant to pests like thrips, mites, and aphids. When nitrogen is supplied via chemical, the quick burst of growth makes plant tissue softer, more susceptible to pests. I have been growing tomato for 30 years, and the only 2 years with big-fat tomato worms, plus blossom-end-rot were the years I used chemical fertilizer 10-10-10. Other years with ORGANIC slow-released nitrogen like manure, cocoa mulch, alfalfa .. no worms, no blossom-end-rot, since those ORGANIC sources supply low-nitrogen, decent potassium & calcium & trace elements.

Dave & All - just a note that Rene at Palatine says they have a new contract with Tantau and will be bringing in a lot of their roses over the next two years or so. I'm beyond excited, since I love the Tantau roses. You can drop them a line to ask about Soul in particular, but I know Rene said they'd have Augusta Luise back this fall because I'd asked about that one on my own (begged, after Diane's pictures). That picture of Soul makes it worth begging for as well - thanks for posting! Kelly - I have Out of Rosenheim in my front mailbox bed and it seems average winter hardy here in zone 5. Not cane hardy, not even last year's mild winter, so I wouldn't put it among the most hardy roses. Instead, Archbishop Desmond Tutu (probably the same as Tutu that Chamblee's sells) is a fabulous nonstop bloomer for me that's mostly cane hardy and pretty dark true red blooms. More HT-like than Austin-like, but there are a lot of petals and they last a long time on the bush. It stays about 3' tall or less for me, but packs a punch with blooms. This shot is pretty typical. Cynthia