>I want something that is hardy and somewhat resistant to disease- Maybe Crepuscule and new dawn?? Hi vlodom, I was just going through some similar decisions recently and rhonda in upstate SC convinced me to go with Crepuscle. She posted a picture of it growing at one year old that is incredibly enticing. Plus, it will do that well in less than ideal sunlight. And it has few thorns. Just a really nice rose, I think. I've been interested in New Dawn too. Someone has been working on me towards one of New Dawn's seedlings: Penny Lane. That one has really good shade tolerance, she said, and she loved its fragrance. I assume it will grow as well in the Piedmont as New Dawn will, though she was writing from Kansas. Some other rambling or climbing roses you might take an interest in: Madame Alfred Carriere, Dublin Bay, Red Fountain, Quadra, Laguna, Reve d'Or, Jaune Desprez, William Allen Richardson, Sympathie, Goldfinch, Creme de la Creme, Climbing Pinkie (especially the cultivar at the Antique Rose Emporium). If you'd really like a lot of bushiness as well as the ability to put out some long canes, then take a look at Ghislaine de Feligonde. It ought to mix well with Crepuscle too. Avoid Iceberg, including climbing Iceberg, if you want to try to avoid having to spray for blackspot on the east coast. I wanted Iceberg so much that I decided to give it a try anyway... but sure enough, all I'd read about it being more of a problem on this side of the country turned out to be correct. The best resource on the internet for investigating roses is HelpMeFind.com: http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/plants.php Good luck with your new house and yard! Best wishes, Mary Here is a link that might be useful: Crepuscle photo appears in this thread within Antique Roses Forum

Antique Rose Emporium knows their hot-weather roses. Look up some of their pioneer roses. They only do own-root though. (I grow only in pots, so nematodes are less of an issue for me) David Austin as some that are supposed to do well in the south, but I'm not sure if quite as far south as you are!

I call my gerberas, gerbils, drives one of my Sis's nuts:) She likes proper pronunciations. I do like the common plant names, much easier to wrap my mouth around but I'm with your Mom, every once in awhile there's just a plant you need to call it something else.... Les

Thanks Brenda, I can't wait until next summer when everything is a year old in this garden and the climbers are up. That sign was in the original mini bed in the now shade garden, When winter softens up the clay I'll be able to pound it into the ground and put it into the garden in a visible place. The sign has stakes on it because of where it used to be, other wise I would have screwed it into the fence. That end of the garden is mostly minis, a mini flora and climbing minis. I have the sign 'Hope' hanging over Chicago Peace rose, it's the large pink one and I know one day I'm going to slip and call it Chicago Hope because I watched that show all the years it was on:) I shouldn't have put it there, LOL* So far besides Jackson's I have two stepping stones out there now. One grandgirl made and one I made. She made another today and I've got another I made for my sis as a gift for Christmas curing now and another ready to be set in as soon as I mix up the cement for my garden. Guess what family members are getting for Christmas:)