In my zone 6b Pennsylvania garden, I grown Gemini, Tamora, Lavaglut and olog. I have a friend in the same zone (near me) who has Cherry Parfait and a DIL who has Frederick Mistral. I'm thinking you might have slightly more humidity than I. My gardens are all day south exposed full sun. Gemini is a wonderful rose and does quite well, even with disease resistance, but like Diane NJ say, it shuts down over the very hottest, most humid part of the summer. Winters, it seems quite strong. Besides being very small, Tamora doesn't do so well in the heat and humidity either and is more prone to black spot. I'm not as thrilled with this rose as I could be and it suffers from winter die back. Frederick Mistral also suffers from winter kill, but not to the extent as Tamora. It is also a larger bush, more heat tolerant but still prone to black spot. Cherry Parfait, olog and Lavaglut are all outstanding in the gardens around here. Cherry Parfait is more prone to black spot, but is winter strong. Olog and lavaglut will get blackspot in my garden toward the end of the season and I do spray, but not as regularily as some of the others. Remember to keep Tamora, olog and Lavaglut toward the front of the bed since all these roses have a tendency to be squatty. Tamora looks more like a miniature except for the leaf and bloom size. The plant is so extremely tiny. This is just my take. All roses act differently in different areas.

I have been growing (or attempting to grow) tomatoes in Tucson for many years now. My philosophy with tomatoes is grow sandwich sized tomatoes of good taste and heavy production on disease/heat resistant plants. I have tried Super Souix, Porter, and others with minimal success. The problem tends to be that the plants get very big without much fruit set before or after the main heat of the season. My experience has been that the bulk of my food production from tomatoes has been from varieties that are referred to as semi-determinate (tomato varieties that are determinate in size, but indeterminate in fruit production). The best tomato I have grown in this class has been the F1 Celebrity. It is very easy to come by and does very well with only a little west-side shade after the month of May. 6-12 of these plants will feed a family of 4-6 with tomato sandwiches all through the summer. (As a note I do not use shade cloth and plant my tomatoes FAR from structures such as houses or walls that radiate heat at night). Many heirloom and other open pollinated varieties of tomatoes can produce very nice foliage here in the desert but they often fail to produce any significant amount of fruit. After trialing multiple open-pollinated tomato varieties each year, the best open-pollinated variety I have ever grown that tolerates the heat has been Siletz (see the link below). This variety is parthenocarpic, so it will produce virgin fruit through the summer, then, from my experience, you will be lucky if you can get some seeds from the plant in the fall. (= Neptune is also another good variety but it is a classic determinate, meaning it produces only one crop before its demise. No matter what tomato I grow, the biggest key to growing tomatoes in a desert climate is to put them in the ground or have some kind of insulated container with a water reservoir. Once the plants are established you must wean yourself from the tendency to water every day. Gardeners who water (at most) once every 3 days have much more success than those who water every day. Though this is initially counter-intuitive, flood irrigating or watering for 2+ hours on a drip hose every 3 days enables the roots of the tomatoes to develop 18-24 inches below the surface of the ground where they are well insulated from the scorching summer heat. The main benefit from watering occasionally comes in less plant stress and consequently, much less disease and pest problems. If you are new to this area you might also note some of the considerations to growing tomatoes in the following blog post: http://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2012/01/few-tips-for-growing-tomatoes-tucson.html Here is a link that might be useful: Siletz tomato trial

I really like your backsplash choices. The colors are beautiful and I hope that you will share what the name of the mosaic is...it's yummy! Just 2 comments: going soley by your photshopped images, I like the layout on the left better. Also, I would consider adding a listello between the brick and the mosaic to help define the design. (I think that's what they call the long skinny 'border' pieces of tile.) It's really going to be beautiful! Sandy

Aloha is my desert isle, if-only-one rose. Generous nearly continuous bloom from early to late on a sturdy yet flexible framework with impeccable health here in blackspot country no spray. Sumptuous large quartered flowers with subtle undertones show that lit from within quality, pack a rich delicious fragrance of damask & fruit (not apple as HMF states), last two weeks in the garden or cut, unfurl slowly & drop their petals cleanly. A mature Aloha here, grown from a gallon ownroot, reaches 14' high. (ARE's height of 6-8' describes its form grown as a freestanding shrub & they list it with large shrubs in their print catalog.) Blooms are routinely 5" & larger in Autumn. Bloom is also very full all over the plant, which is literally studded with blooms. Grown in an ESE location, mine receives morning sun till 1 pm then dappled shade through much of the Summer, but as the Sun's arc shifts in Autumn, enjoys less than 4 hours of direct sun. Last blooms just finished & the display was only slightly less full than earlier in the season. Big fat hips form decoration through the cold months. Deadheading through the bloom season is optional as bloom continues regardless, very nice quality for the high growth. Thorns are well spaced along the branches, so find it easy to work with. Cane hardy to the tips down to -4F. (Lowest temp for the 18 years we've lived here.) Do order this one, and later its sport, Dixieland Linda aka Lady Ashe. Others on your list landed here only this year & received my usual routine of pinching all but one bud each as first year own roots. Can merely report their foliage is clean so far no spray & they've grown enthusiastically. Like you, researched for health no spray, bloom, fragrance & suitability for my conditions. Found them likely candidates to give a go. Another new pair of Alohas, Climbing Caroline Testout, Climbing Crimson Glory, Felicia, Parade & Pinkie Climbing from your list growing on in pots. Still debating Blossomtime & others ARE offers for order today while free shipping applies. Pairs of Cl. Crimson Glory & Westerland arrived from ARE this Fall & the shipping for 4 was $34 - almost enough for 2 more roses during their free ship sale. They send hefty plants with great root systems in specially designed protective packaging that's easily opened. Best buy in my book for older more developed own root roses at prices comparable to bands & gallons. Shipping for 4 broke down to $8.50 per rose via FedEx. A pair of 2-gallon Parades arrived mid October from K & M during their sale. Wanted to try that one for years, but put off by the color description as "rather harsh" by UK authors. Finally went ahead to see for myself, since the quality of light here on the 38th latitude softens the intensity of some saturated hues. Allowed a bud to develop on Parade & found the color very appealing & jewel toned. About to be nipped by a hard frost, cut it with a short stem to keep at my desk. Really too early to cut, it still managed to partially open & the fragrance was satisfyingly promising. Great luck with your choices! Sue