How about an update on this topic since Belinda's Dream is continuing to impress me this summer. It's the hottest part of summer now and a good time to analyze how roses are performing at this worst time of year in the South. Here's a picture of a Belinda's Dream bloom. The size is not diminished at all by the heat. Here's another picture showing a bud and a bloom. You can also see how beautiful the foliage still is. Another picture showing the blooms and foliage. Last of all, a shot showing the whole bush. Not the best quality photo, but it shows just how good the plant is looking. Keep in mind that I haven't sprayed this plant at all this year with either insecticide or fungicide. I do provide supplemental irrigation when needed, and I mulch. Could you ask for more out of a rose in my climate? Here is a link that might be useful: A shameless link to my non-commercial blog

Two 3-gallon own root Belinda's Dream new this Spring, picked up locally at Lowe's (of all places), did very well in hot & humid central VA with no spray & no black spot, even this late now in the season. One had a touch of mildew that responded to water spray & hasn't recurred. No hard frost yet & they're still budding & blooming. Really liking this rose for its health, generous fragrant bloom & rapid repeat with just snapping blown blooms at the peduncle deadheading. Some of the blooms were self-cleaning, dropping their spent petals, while others were not on the same bush. May have related to how wet from rain the blooms were when they blew. Buds unfurl slowly & open blooms last a good while on the bush - at least a week - even in temps past 90 - without fading or crisping. Two own root gallons from Chamblee's new at the same time held multiple plants, so were grown on together in larger pots before dividing & repotting. They've also done well. Those 2 gallons yielded 5 plants, so a BD hedge may be in my future, too! Been eyeing Zaide myself, but not convinced it will do well here under no spray conditions. May try one next year to give it the test run. Kordes only rates it 2 out of 4 on black spot resistance - "Blackspot: higher susceptibility, tonic required." Gives it a higher 3 of 4 for mildew. http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?ref=SERP&br=ro&mkt=en-US&dl=en&lp=DE_EN&a=http%3a%2f%2fwww.kordes-rosen.com%2fgartenrose-zaide On an older thread, linked below, Marina gave her 3 Zaide high marks, but didn't mention black spot resistance specifically. She reported they set nice hips, a bonus. Here is a link that might be useful: Marina's report on Zaide This post was edited by vasue on Sat, Nov 8, 14 at 15:22

Belinda's Dream did not do well for me in my zone 5/6, W. PA garden. I went full steam ahead responding to all its good press, and planted 4, one gallon size, four years ago. Four years later, a more than fair trial period, and nothing. BD died to the ground every winter, got to 14" by seasons end with very weak, puny growth. However, it made every effort to bloom but balled badly and its thin stems could not support the flowers. It also black spotted which surprised me in light of its Earthkind designation. I believe BD is a warm climate rose. It apparently does very well from zone 7 and higher.

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.