Lol, you just asked the $64,000.00 question! Because they only hear the hype and are scared away. So they never try them for themselves to see that they aren't the prima donas they're touted as. In truth, they are no more or less work than any other perennial in your garden. They need sunlight, water, fertilizer now and again and a pruning about once a year. The same things most people do for their hydrangeas, lilacs, peonies, iris, azaleas and hostas, etc., etc. In fact, when you think about it, your lawn requires more care than roses do! And people have much too high expectations when they purchase a rose. They expect to see those florist shop perfect roses in their garden. Unrealistic! Those roses are force grown in unnatural conditions that no one can duplicate in a garden setting. And they are meticulously groomed! So people are set up to fail and be disappointed. Hence the myth that roses are so hard to grow. If you purchase the right roses for your area and don't expect them to look florist shop perfect you'll be much happier and enjoy them more for years to come.

Old garden roses and semi-old garden roses like H. Musks) that I have in the yard for minimum 3 years, in certain cases much longer. Climbers: Crepuscule, Jaune Desprez, Prosperity, Marechal Niel, Buff Beauty. - these are "no spray" in my garden. Zephirine Drouhin (the oldest climber), Gloire de Dijon (it suffered major dieback after the big Eastern freeze; if it dies, I will order a new one from Pickering)- Zephirine needs spraying and Gloire also benefits from occasional spraying. Anoter Noisette I have is Celine Forestier (must be sprayed) Shrubs: SDLM (I have 4), Kronprincessin Victoria (2), Catherine Mermet, Felicia (needs spraying), Paul Neyron, Devoniensis, Lady HillGruss an Aachen, Duchesse de Brabant (about 8 years), Luise Philippe, Lady Hillingdon, Clotilde Soupert, Mme. J. Schwartz and Baronne Prevost (BP must be sprayed regularly). A few Bourbons, HPs, a few teas and Portalnd damasks were planted in the last 3 years except for Comte the Chambord that I have about 6 years - I intend to SP it every year but the fragrance saves its place. Moderns - too many to list so I mention a few Climbers: Colette (my favorite and the best modern climber I have), New Dawn, cl. Pink Peace, Cl. Peace (all are older than 6 years - DH would not hear about getting rid of cl. Peace that must be sprayed and has RMV), The Field of the Woods, Pele, cl. America and a no name cl. with similar flowers as Foklore, Ilse Krohn Superior, Eden. Cl. Mrs Mc Gredy, Royal Sunset. I think Papi Delbard is in his 3rd year. HTs, floribundas and shrubs: Abbaye de Cluny, Bolero, Frederic Mistral, Johann Strauss, Yves Piaget,Bewitched (the oldest HT in my yard along with Double Delight), Lemon Spice, Antigua (one of the oldest), Taboo, Papa Meilland (I got a second one this year), Royal William, Velvet Fragrance, Black Baccarat, Rouge Royale, Red Intuition, Jardins de Bagatelle, Secret, Crimson Glory, Europeana, Bride's Dream, Ambridge rose, Medallion, Tiffany, Cherry Parfait, Paris d'Yves St. Laurent, Belle Epoque, Valencia, Scent-Sation, Just Joey, Elina, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Heritage, Abraham Darby, Paradise, Memorial Day, Ginger Hill and about a hundred more. It would have been a much shorter list If I should enumerate those that I SP-ned or gave away.

I'm in Arkansas, and it's still 85 degrees here daily right now. Mild winters and hot, humid summers that begin in May and last until the end of September. Hopefully that'll be enough?? I haven't decided if I'm going to cut them or leave them. They look awfully pretty on the plant, so I can't decide! Seil, if I decide to wait, how far down should I prune this spring? My granny was an absolute master with roses, but she is 90 now, and not able to help much. Thank you for all the great info.

Hi Julie. Don't worry, we got this. (well, I hope). The most important thing to remember is that you are in SEA; that will make this easier to pull off. In contrast, I am in USDA Zone 7 where SEA-like weather lasts only about two to three months. Right now, I have a couple of seedlings from my own plants and they look like this: Note that i have my seedlings in heavy soil. This is because at this age (about 6 months), adenium seedlings need a lot of water. Adeniums are really not succulents until they are maybe a couple of years old and even then, only in winter. This is the reason why most lazy growers (like me) plant them in very loose medium---it makes it easier to water them sporadically in winter and still allow them to dry fast enough. Where you are, evaporation due to the heat will dry your medium much more quickly. That is why they were drying out. They had reached that point where the medium you were using was not able to retain water long enough to keep up with how much water the seedlings needed considering how hot it is there now. So, that's the general principle. Now, what to do with your seedlings. If you are daring, I would move one of them in just normal soil. That's what I would do if I lived where you are and if these were my plants. They have no leaves at the moment so I recommend putting them back in bright shade (not indoors, they need the heat) or dappled sunlight. I have to warn you that the visible water line on the trunk of the plants do not look good---that is typically a sign that they are not properly absorbing moisture. But I have seen seedlings bounce back from this so all is not lost.