Welcome!

I can't comment on your question, but I hope you enjoy whatever time you spend here talking roses and meeting rosey folks. :)

Rob

Just wanted to say Hi and welcome.

This is a great forum with knowledgable folks, who will never tire of answering questions. Well, so far they seem to answer all my questions :)

The rose gurus will be chiming in soon, so fasten your seatbelt and get ready for the wonderful ride to OGRs!

Best,

Audrey

Welcome! A lot will depend on your location and zone. Roses can perform very differently in different location. Also what appeals to you color/scent and form. The best is to look at pictures or go to gardens near you to see what does well and what you like. Then you can come here and ask people's experience with that rose in your area. Don't worry, you will be very enabled!

You will love this forum. I was active on it a few years ago and recently got back into gardening. We had a long drought here in North GA and during that time I lost interest in gardening, but I'm back! Noisette Roses like it warm. A beautiful one is Celine Forestier (classified as a Tea-Noisette). It takes a while to get established but it is wonderful. I had one, but I think it was a little too cold here, I had it in a container, so that may have been why it died on me during our last winter which was colder than normal. Here is a link, (copy and paste this):
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/pl.php?n=1036

Another good one for you is Caldwell Pink. It doesn't really have a scent, but makes up for it with the show it puts on. I have had one in a container for 5 years. I am giving you the link (copy and paste) for the Antique Rose Emporium in Texas that has this rose. Check out their whole site, they are really good on warmer climate roses:
http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/rose-2117.html

I actually got my Caldwell Pink at Home Depot!
Maybe some others on this forum will have some input about Noisettes that do well in warm climates. Also, do an internet search on roses that grow in warm climates.
Susan.

Stasi,
Welcome! I too am a newbie gardener and have just now become, well, addicted to OGR, teas and chinas! I have found that really the best way to choose is to find someone near you that grows OGR, etc. or sells them. I have a lovely lady that lives 20 min. from here (longagoroses.com) in which I can actually go to her garden, smell, look and pick exactly which rose I would like, and know that I have a good chance of success because I know it grows well in her garden which is in my climate area. Roses are a lot like perfumes, it's a very personal pick. Heirloomroses.coom is also a great, healthy place, so far, to buy own stem roses. In a month of purchasing from them, my Abraham Darby, is about to bloom! If you are going to go the own root route, I suggest potting them for a couple of months. They grow a lot quicker and will do better in the ground with a bigger, better root system. I hope this helps!

Emily-newbie gardener

Stasi hi and welcome,
It always helps to tell us where in zone 9 you live. All zone 9's are not alike and what will do well for me, may not do well for you.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and my area is not humid, but I live near the Bay and get foggy conditions, yet I have sun also. Fog and sun create problems like rust and mildew.
Carol

Hi!

Try and find out what Sunset Western zone you are, that can be helpful, too. Are you inland or coastal? Do you have hot dry summers and mild winters?

Where are you putting your roses? Will they be in 6+ hours of sun a day...? or dappled sun...? or what? Do you want a climber or a bush rose?

Do you have a preference on type of bloom? Like do you like single roses or complex doubles or...?

I'm zone 9-10 and Sunset Western zone 18, I'm inland, up in the hills a bit, I have mild winters and hot dry summers.
Here's a thread of recommendations that were for me and someone in a similar zone to me (Ingrid)
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesant/msg0413533422060.html

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesant/msg0520510532411.html?60

(copy and paste in to your browser window)

Basically, what people have told me is that,... mostly, for me (and again, your zone 9 might be different) but mostly for me, these are good:
Teas, Chinas, Hybrid Musks, Polyanthas and Noisettes
SOME Bourbons and Hybrid Perpetuals and David Austin English roses, some Hybrid Teas.

most Gallicas, Damasks, Mosses, and Albas don't do well without a winter chill apparently.

but give everyone more information and that will help. :)

You can also look through types of roses based on class of rose,... like on sites like roguevalleyroses.com That's fun. Cause it has pictures.

Aimee I don't think you're 'Grasshopper'* any more!!! Good job!

* reference to the tv show Kung Fu for anybody too young ;-)

Great advice. Definitely, zone 9 varies greatly. Albas do very well in Sacramento. We get enough chill. Teas, noisettes, polys and chinas all do splendidly, too. All of our roses take at least a short break, so instead of blooming 12 months out of the year, the most everblooming bloom 10 1/2 or 11!

Seeing roses "in the flesh" is definitely a preferred way to go. If you let us know where you are, we can point you to gardens that you can visit. I like for people to see the Sacramento cemetery, but the size of those roses can be offputting. Many can be put into garden settings with companion plants and be more manageable. Some are going to be monsters whatever you do!
Anita

Wow! I don't know what to say...the amount of responsiveness is great. Thanks for all your responses.

I live in an area that does not get much coastal influence as the ranges keep that back. We aren't that far from the coast but do not get fog from ocean (15 minutes). Mild winters with no snow, lots of rain during spring/winter (especially this year!!), hot dry rainless summers but rarely over 100 or high 90's. I live in the Bay Area, south of San Francisco in a hilly area.

I find it kind of tricky to determine my exact zones/sunset. The maps are not that clear!! I'm kind of on a border area. I will try again :-) Any input?

So I have a mixed natural garden. I am finding that as I plant more, I have less full time sun but I still have some. I have mixed spaces, some with more sun, some with less, some with very little, some dappled thruout the day.

I have yet to plant a china or tea but keep hearing how they are good for California so I'm looking for that.

I tend to like the old fashioned forms, fully double, cupped, globular, many petalled or the appearance of such. Disease resistance and not super diva high maintenance would be nice although I don't mind *some* maintenance. I don't mind if a few are also modern roses that look like OGRs (but I have some of these). I do have some Austins.

In a separate thread, I will list all my present roses and let you all have at it :-)

I have been to Filoli and recently to Heritage San Jose garden (love, love LOVE that place! Could move in and take residence :-) I am considering some roses specifically, would like to get them sooner rather than wait til next season:

Felicia, Cornelia, Devoniensis, Buff Beauty, Souvenier Del Malmaison, Lavender Lassie, Nymphenberg, Archduc Charles, Baronne Prevost, Celine Forestier, Comte De Chambord, Rose De Resch, Reve D'or, Lady Hillingdon and I'm sure there are more :-).

I love climbers but need to get some arbors or other relatively less expensive ways to create height and I would gladly have more of them. No house eaters though, unfortunately or my husband would have my head! (though I wouldn't mind them)

Thanks to all in advance,
Stasi

YAY! I've graduated to semi-grasshopper!

or does that make me a padawan? :P :) :)

I don't know the answers, I only know how to ask questions. :) :)

Stasi, I have the following and love them

Comte de Chamboard
Barronne Prevost (they are related and if I had to choose one, I'd choose the Barrone. Darker Pink, same great scent, better bush form, IMO)

Lady Hillingdon

Reve d'Or (this one will eat a house!)

Also you should consider Crepescule, another climber. I think it's a tea noisette. I live in NE Georgia, but I love the teas and will be getting more noisettes in the future.

Teas should do well for you -- there are long-time survivors in your area. Noisettes should be wonderful. Crepuscule in the Heritage is unforgettable.
Most of the Chinas should be good for you.

You can probably grow Hybrid Perpetuals, but don't make them the backbone of your garden. The Evergreens (above) will be your best friend.

You might consider coming to the Celebration of Old Roses, this coming Sunday, May 16, at the El Cerrito Community Center, El Cerrito Community Center 7007 Moeser Ln., El Cerrito, CA 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Many of us will be there, happy to talk roses with you.
Also, Vintage Gardens et al will be there to sell roses, and give you good advice.
Also, some of us will be picking for the display, in the Heritage, on Saturday morning. You're welcome to join us there.
For more information, go to the website of The Heritage Roses Groups (see below) and click on EVENTS.

Jeri

Here is a link that might be useful: The Heritage Roses Groups

Hello Stasi, and welcome to this wonderful forum. I joined about two years ago and have become addicted. I've learned so much and have come to adore the people here. There are some really first-rate rosarians here who really know what they're talking about.

Your description of your area and climate sounds rather similar to mine, and I've concentrated mostly on teas, with some Chinas and Austins, and lately I've become interested in Bourbons, which also do very well here. I wasn't as successful with hybrid musks and no longer have Felicia since she didn't like the heat here. Teas like Rosette Delizy, William R. Smith, Madame Charles, Cels Multiflora, Le Vesuve (one of the very best for hot summers), Cl. Lady Hillingdon and Duke of York have worked really well for me, as have Chinas like Mutabilis and Bourbons like Mme. Dore, Mme. Cornelissen and Souvenir de la Malmaison. The best advice I can give is for you to try out the roses that you like and see how they do for you. Every garden is different and the only way to know for sure how a rose will do is to grow it. Obviously roses that like cold winters and cooler summers won't like what you have to offer which is why it's a good idea to start with roses like teas, noisettes, chinas and the Austins that are recommended for warm, dry climates.

Growing the old roses can be a wonderful experience which I hope you'll want to share with us as time goes on.

Ingrid

Thanks so much everyone. I am thrilled to discover a group as interested in OGRs in the level of detail I am looking for. People mean well and I love the rosarians and members of our local chapter, but not a lot of detail on OGRs there. So thank you again!

Jeri - I am planning on coming to El Cerrito and am sooooo excited about it! I cannot WAIT to see these roses in person and be around "all things rosy" :-) I am definitely addicted! As a matter of fact, I'm giving up theater tix to do so!!! :-)

How is parking, etc? Anything I should know for planning purposes for this event?

Stasi

Visiting Vintage during their open gardens this month is another way to see, and fall in love with, a variety of roses.

You're not too far from the cemetery in Sacramento to visit there. You will see some inexpensive solutions for climbing roses - rebar arches and simple frames. My new mania is putting roses up over things - it's so romantic and effective. If you are coming to the cemetery, let me know - I'll try to meet you there. I love showing people around there. We are hotter in the summer than you, and probably colder in the winter, but roses that work for us should be ok for you.

I'll be at the Celebration, and may be cutting roses at Vintage, too.

You have a nice list. Don't forget Grandmother's Hat. I finally have succumbed to its charms. A wonderful rose.

Your county's Master Gardeners can probably help you figure out what zone you're in.
Anita

Hi Stasi, welcome to the forum. I second what everyone says about seeing roses in person to help you decide. Take notes. Sometimes the only best way you'll know is to see how they do for you. Your area is probably close to perfect for growing roses, though you might not have enough chill for some of the old roses, like Gallica's.
Many of us will be at the Celebration in El Cerrito on Sunday. You'll make a bunch of rose friends. I'll be working in the Vintage Garden booth. See you there!

Welcome to the Forum----I see you are already on your way to meeting some great rose-lovers--(wish I lived closer)

good advice to check on the roses in person.

Can't wait to see your garden's progress.

Florence

Hi Stasi,

If you are free Sunday, the gathering in El Cerrito is wonderful. Pam (Mendocino Rose) and her husband will be helping out Greg with selling roses, you can learn so much by talking with them or others at the show. Greg of Vintage Gardens holds open house the month of May (not this coming weekend) so worth the trip. The place is a wonderland for roses. I plan on being there to help out on either the 22 or 23 of May. And, also, there are many of us who have become fast friends working on Greg's garden. We are loosely called Friends of Vintage (FOV) and we usually have a work/eat garden party at least 2X per year.
Welcome to our world, we all love it here.

Carol

Stasi -- I'll be at the Local HRG Groups Table, much of the day. (Time out periodically for my own shopping) Please come by and see me as you have time.

Parking . . . WE are always there screamingly early because we help set up, but as the day goes on, I think people park all up and down the streets, for the parking lot isn't huge.

There's a day's worth to see. I wouldn't miss it.

Jeri

Thanks Jeri, I think I'm going to try and get there early then as I'm sure I will love to look at everything too. See you there (hopefully!) Stasi