Here I am again staring at your lovely roses, and the best rose photography I've ever seen.... Whisky Mac sigh.... the Dark Prince...Sharifa Asma, so many... Khalid you wrote: During previous years, I used to prune all my roses at one time but now I have decided that I will only prune those roses which show the signs for hibernation. Otherwise, I let them grow and finally prune them on 15 January Due to the rust I had I already pruned a few but not a full-prune. Did you do a full-prune with your roses, after they stopped blooming? I was thinking to do that a bit later on, closer to spring, but definitely to cut away a lot of canes, to prevent the rust problem....and with spring 2 months away. I can see the value of not allowing diseases to over winter.

For a full sun garden here, you'll have to be careful in your rose selections. My garden is full, all day sun, and some plants just can't take it. I would say antiques (teas, chinas) are better suited, but some modern roses do okay (Easy Does It blooms like a champ), and your garden will likely rest during July and August (due to the heat) no matter what you choose. I second (third?) purchasing online at Chamblees and The Antique Rose Emporium. Know that many of the antique roses can grow quite large (bigger than what's listed). Also know that our humidity may keep some roses from opening properly, particularly the ones stuffed with petals. I had the climber Red Eden years ago, and that sucker just never opened, so out it went. The Kordes roses Beverly and Poseiden work well for me (they are HUGE), but Savannah so far has blackspot issues, hopefully she grows out of that as she gets older.

Perle's scent is very light. Her apricot blooms fade more quickly in sun, but they are charming either way. Perle is quite thorny and grows into a substantial bush. In its shadier location, my Perle can easily top 6 feet even when pruned regularly. Her buds are like tiny high centered Hybrid Tea buds. She is very healthy. Like Marie, Perle blooms late spring through fall. Something else to note about Marie Pavie: she's thornless. Carol

I would recommend a mix of a few varieties because you have a warm climate and can thus have roses year round if you do a mix of different species. Well except maybe for this last year with your crazy snowstorm! What I have noticed about the Austin roses is that they behave for me as if the winter was a real thing here in Los Angeles. They might be daylight tuned? They bloom through the late fall and then completely stop and go dormant with no blooms from Dec-Mar regardless of whether I prune them. Then they put out an incredible Spring flush and bloom through the summer and into fall, but to a lesser extent. The Teas (and I mean real Teas not Hybrid Teas) pretty much bloom in the complete opposite seasons. Teas come from warmer places in China and they do have a wonderful Spring flush but then it gets hot and they stop blooming. Then the Teas put out an amazing fall flush that continues through the end of February. Basically the Teas bloom all winter and the Austins bloom all summer. I only have one modern Hybrid Tea “Belinda’s Blush” and she blooms with the Austin’s. I also have a collection of Polyantha roses, which seem to bloom year round. The only time they stop is when I prune them back hard in February. Marie Pavie is already setting buds 6 weeks after her hard prune.