Hi Carolyn,

I live close by in Miramar Florida. Out of my enitre garden of over 300 rose bushes I can honestly tell you that your choices are a bit limited. If the black spot isn't trying to defoliate your rose bushes the thrips are working on the new growth.

That said, I'd recomend a Florida classic: The Cracker Rose. It is dark red and grows to be a very large classic rose bush with small flowers that produce some of the strongest scent of all my roses.

After that I would recomend a pink that fails to impress: Belinda's Dream. The roses are many petaled and cover the bush in a profusion of pink. The smallish leaves fight off blackspot very well. The bush is versatile in its being as large as you let it or trimmed as you'd like. It's definately one of my favorites for our region.

After that most roses down here suffer greatly without a spray program, however there is one Hybrid Tea that grows like a weed in our climate, unfortunately it's light yellow. Elina is a beautiful rose that makes up for its lack of scent with long stemmed roses that cover the bush and gets stronger with every trimming.

Good luck with your heartfelt worthy endevour. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I will tell you that this isn't the best time of the year to plant a rose garden but I'm sure you'll be successful.

Adrian.

pink that fails to impress: Belinda's Dream.

Forgot the 'never'? At least it never fails to impress me. ;^) A wonderful rose!

'Our Lady of Guadelupe' and 'Pope John Paul II' immediately spring to mind, but BS resistance may be iffy.

Hallandalegal -- For the very best advice on growing roses in Florida (& probably anywhere else), ask Dr Malcolm Manners. His e-mail address (posted on his page at this forum) is mmanners@flsouthern.edu

I think that Dr Manners would be more than happy to advise you.

Yes hoovb, lol, I meant "never fails to impress".

Carolyn,

I forgot to meantion two vendors that might be useful:

Blooming Idiots

and

Nelson's Florida Roses

I agree that you should contact Dr. Manners.

Also, my 2 cents worth:

Saturated true red, classic romantic rose form climber that does VERY well for me here in SW Fla z10 - Don Juan on Fortuniana rootstock. Covered with big fat blooms, even now when it is near 90 F everyday. They are large enough for cut flower displays and fragrant.

It's important to get DJ on Fortuniana. Occasionally, you can find DJ on Fort at Home Depot, of all places. Just make sure that it has a tag on the pot that says Fortuniana.

If possible, choose a spot that gets full sun in the Winter and partial shade in the Summer. Roses seem to do better here if planted very close to a building, like under the eaves. I'm not sure why - extra shade, extra water, maybe? Maybe it's the "head in the sun, feet in the shade" thing that they like.

I dig big holes, put down rotted mulch, rotted cow manure, peat, maybe some bone meal and Epsom salts. I make sure that there is a watering well (a raised dam) all the way around the bushes' root zones. In Florida, it's important to only plant a grafted rose as deep as it was in the pot. Planting too deep will cause the stem to rot. Watering only in the morning cuts down on blackspot problems. I don't spray my roses EVER, and Don Juan looks great.

If you don't want a climber,
there are probably some true red tea roses that will do on their own roots, and may be bushes, not climbers. I'm sure that Dr. Manners can suggest some. Also, if you would like a white rose, John Paul II is THE best performing grafted rose in my garden.

Best Wishes,
Avalon

I once did a garden for a former Jesuit priest with a great sense of humor. Everything in the garden had a religious name (ie, Jacob's Ladder, Pasque Flower), including a dozen different roses: Abbay de Cluny, Pope John Paul, Our lady of G, Winchester Cathedral, etc. Maybe make a list of those and then send it to Malcolm Manners and see what he recommends.

You know, after Catsrose's post, it occurred to me that recommending a rose named "Don Juan" for a convent garden might not be appropriate....:)
Perhaps it could serve as a reminder that sinners have their good qualities and need love too?

Despite the name, it's a great red rose!

Avalon

At a convent don't plant Sexy Rexy, Happy Butt, or Tipsy Imperial Concubine. I don't know about their disease resistance in Florida but the names will get a lot of raised eyebrows.

I would recommend Cramoisi Superieur or Louis Phillip. Every modern rose will have problems with thrips during the warm months. If the nuns want a lovely red, but not the work of spraying (which doesn't help with the thrips for long anyway) stick with the old roses.
Here is Belinda's Dream with thrips (6 months of the year). It fails to impress me during those months.
{{gwi:232463}}

I think the Cracker Rose together which kublakan so kindly recommended will be very good. Kublakan says it grows well in Broward and has excellent scent. I think the nuns will like it. The Elina yellow rose sounds lovely also. I don't think I could take a rose named Don Juan to the nuns, but it can certainly find a place in my own front yard.
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR EXTREMELY KIND HELP AND ADVICE. I am sure one of the nuns has a green thumb and will know exactly how to care for the Cracker rose bush. Now, I just have to find it. (smile) THANKS AGAIN TO ALL. Carolyn in Hollywood, FL

I think that the Cracker rose is Louis Phillipe, if I am not mistaken. Carefree and wonderful scent.

Avalon,

You are correct. Louis Phillipe and the Cracker rose are one and the same.

Carolyn,

Timing is everything and I don't know what kind of schedule you'd like to run on, but let me suggest you purchase your roses from Pop's Nursery on University between Sheridan and Stirling in the months of October and November. The reason is two-fold:

1.) You can call up Pop's Nursery and ask them to place Louis Phillipe and Elina on their order list and they'll order it from their vendor Nelson's Florida Roses. This is wise because each rose will run you $16 at Pops vs. $21+tax directly from Nelson's Roses up in Apopka Florida (the variety selection is worth the drive, but the price is not).

2.) Planting roses in the months of November through early February gives your plants the much needed kick-start that will pay off in the summer months. For example, I've been working on replanting my backyard using raised beds. All the roses that I unearthed in the winter have gone on to be healthy and vigorous. All the plants I have unearthed in the past month (alas, I am only one man in a garden of dozens of roses) have wilted and shriveled up. I have lost many.

Good luck and God bless,

Adrian.