The once-blooming European old roses did well for me in my Olympia, Washington garden. I had Albas, Gallicas, Centifolias, and Mosses--I ran out of room before I got to the Damasks and can't comment on them. I loved these roses, still do, and the longer I grew them the more of them I got. I didn't mind the once flowering, since I also had repeat-blooming roses, but there is a risk with once-bloomers that extremely heavy rains at the wrong time will knock out the year's flowering. This happened to me once in nine years. But I think it's well worth taking a chance. I didn't spray. I agree with the suggestion of 'Spray Cecile Brunner' and also like Lucretia's roses. I suspect the Hybrid Musks would do extremely well for you, as they like the cooler and moister parts of the garden here and flower beautifully in those conditions. Examples are 'Cornelia', 'Buff Beauty', 'Vanity', 'Francesca', 'Kathleen'. These make good-sized shrubs or contained climbers and are fragrant and repeat-flowering. I also had a rampant once-blooming species musk rambler in Olympia, but I don't know its name as it arrived mislabeled. It may have been Rosa brunonii. Other gardeners will have to advise you about large-flowered repeat-blooming fragrant old roses on contained shrubs, as I'm not knowledgeable about them in your growing conditions. Good luck! Melissa

We live in Santa Cruz and have a liquid amber in our yard, and I don't think it's at all what you're looking for. They get huge, cause major damage to pavement and foundations, and most drop a mess of very hard, prickly seed pods everywhere. I love having a tree in my yard, but I sure wish it was a different kind!

Texas Smoke Tree is a great small tree for fall color and strangely you don't hear much about it. It puts on another show in the spring when the new leaves are pinkish green. Google images of Texas Smoke Tree to see them. The leaves are a shiny rich green all summer with no insect or disease problems. As I remember it is fairly fast growing and has been this size for the last 10 or so years. The spring blooms are a nice addition even though they are not as large, nor give as much 'smoky' look, as the more northern branch of the smoke tree family. Here is a picture that was just taken. It is a little past it's prime, but still beautiful: The link shows the tree in a picture taken a little earlier in 2007. By the way, the tree is growing in San Antonio in thin alkaline 'soil' over limestone. Here is a link that might be useful: Fall color in 2007

Hellebore/Lenten rose is even more care-free than Carex. I let the crappy old Hellebore foliage just lay on the mulch beneath the plant since it seems to just disappear in short order. I figure it's just decaying organic matter enriching the soil. I'm 100% behind organic gardening but 150% behind zero garden maintenance. The Carex 'Ice Dance' plants are supposed to get a haircut every year early in the season but I haven't done that the past seven years and they're still looking just fine. They do send up some spindly seed-bearing stems early each year but I just ignore them and they just go away. One additional note about Carex 'Ice Dance:' I planted a single, nursery-grown plant in full shade back about 10 years ago. About 5 years ago I decided to divide it and plant the divisions in a part shade bed. I also gave some divisions to friends. Those have all taken off and are growing well. It's well-behaved but it's an amazing source of additional plants. I've never fed or watered either the Carex or the Hellebores. I'm in Southern New England. We're in the worst drought since I moved here 11 years ago and the Carex & Hellebores look the same as they do when we get normal rainfall. That says "bulletproof" perennial to me.