fawnridge,
i'm not in your zone, but i'll throw out a couple of observations that hold true regardless here in FLA: 1) fortuniana, and only fortuniana, in your zone. fortuniana spreads its roots very wide and very shallow. keep that in mind when thinking of irrigation. 2) your electric meter is probably electronically monitored. all of them are in central fla. you could check with your utility. 3) full sun and roses can work with lots of water, but they really appreciate a bit of shade. anyone know of good companions for roses in s FLA that could provide a bit of shade? 4) wait until cooler weather to plant your roses. december and january are peak times for blooms, anyway.

Your best best is to contact the Coolidges (rose enthusiasts and nursery) in West Palm and ask spcifically for a cultivar perfect for your situations. 561-684-2421 www.coolroses.com / Geoff & Debbie Coolidge

Fortuniana root stock is best, but there are many "old-fashioned" cultivars that have more or less been lost by general nurseries that have their own roots that do well. That's where Geoff and Debbie will hit it on the head.

If you prune roses in late winter (as you should in FL) to force that needed dormancy, you will have tremendous peak in early April, and again a second little peak in November.

one of the great things, fawnridge, about growing roses is there are so many right ways to grow them, and, in my experience, very few wrong ways to grow them. ask 10 rose growers for their opinions on pruning, fertilizing, and disease control, you'll get 8 different answers, many of them contradictory. the one thing that no one will disagree about -- keep them well irrigated. i'll tell you a quick anecdote: i planted a bunch of roses at my mom's place a few years ago, then set up a drip-hose irrigation system (i don't like them any more, but i used them then) on a timer. i went out of town for a month, and when i came back, i walked into her back yard and immediately noticed that the roses were dead, or nearly so. except one, a knockout on fortuniana. it had grown THREE FEET in the time i had been gone. it was crazy-covered with blooms. i checked, and the soaker hose that was meant to water 10 roses had broken right under this knockout. so, for a period of at least a couple weeks, this rose was getting about an hour of water straight from the end of a hose, three times a week. i don't know how much water that translates into, but a LOT. the roses that had been just planted, on the other hand, were subjected to our very dry may-june conditions. believe or not, every one of them survived, but it took all summer for them to recover completely.

so, i drew two lessons from this: 1) you cannot overwater a rose; 2) roses are VERY tough.

about pruning, there are many competing theories. many sources tell you to never cut back more than 1/3 of the rose. that's nonsense -- depending on the rose, some roses thrive on being severely pruned (my teas do). other roses, esp. hybrid musks and climbers, should never be pruned, aside from nips and tucks to keep them in bounds.

i have enough roses now that i choose to prune them throughout the year. pruning always encourages new growth, and rosa always terminate new growth in buds.

i am myself loathe to prune them much in late winter (tho many people do), because you lose the blooms that come at the very beginning of spring, and these blooms are of VERY high quality. you might get more blooms later in the spring by heavy pruning in late winter, but they won't be as nice. a rule of thumb -- the longer it takes a rose to go from bud to blown, the nicer and larger the bloom will be.

you can see here how the rules are fluid and your practices will produce certain results, while other practices produce other results that are neither better nor worse, just different. roses are my favorite flower in the garden because they respond so clearly to care.

I had roses(teas and florabundas) before I had kids. I couldn't do both. IMO, to do it right, they are high maintenance. ex:I think the sprinkler head could contribute to black spot. I was always watering, spraying or pruning but my house looked like a funeral parlor. You really have to love roses. You have to commit. It can't be a part time love affair.
On the other hand, my brother neglects his old garden rose in Jax and it refuses to die.

Check out Nelson's in Apopka. Wow! There are six of their beauties in my yard now.... actually drove to their place - three trips now...will go again when I have space. They do Florida roses!!

I too am not in your zone, but will offer a few ideas that may prove suitable for your area. Roses are a mixed bag...you need to experiment to find the right one for your garden. Personally, for me not to "shovel prune" them, they need to meet the following criteria: thrive on natural rainfall with no weekly spraying, fertilizing maybe 4x year (or when I remember), and pruning limited to dead-heading and removing dead canes. Through a lot of trial and error, I have found that the least maintenance roses generally fall into the categories of Floribunda, shrub, and old rose varieties.

For example, maintenance on my old Belinda's Dream (full sun with late afternoon shade)consists of dead-heading and pruning long canes to keep it within bounds (6x6). It thrives despite no supplemental watering or spraying. This rose and an Old Blush - same low maintenance - are my favorites. Although I do like Knock-outs, IMO I have found they seem to lose vigor over the years.

For my garden, I have found the best exposure for roses is full AM sun with some shade in the afternoon (probably even more pertinent in your zone). As long as you have very well drained soil, you can't overwater roses as pointed out by other posters. I would be a little concerned with the planting area next to the sprinkler - maybe prone to blackspot. Try a blackspot resistent variety here, such as the Knock Out or even Sunsprite (though it can get over 3 feet).

Roses have a incorrect reputation as being difficult plants to grow. I have found that by chosing carefully, they can be the toughest plant in the garden. Good Luck!

Ricky, I am in your zone, next town up. I have 54 roses. They are like children, with neglect they are brats, with love and time they are a delight. Belinda's Dream is a good suggestion, doesn't require much, nice modern blooms. Cool Roses is also a good suggestion. They really know their stuff, growth patterns, needs of various roses. But beware they have hundreds of gorgeous roses, lots to tempt. Be sure to call before you go. They are often not there. The guy who assists doesn't speak a lot of English. I also agree fortuniana, fortuniana. The only exception are the old roses and the David Austin roses have done well in my garden. I spray every week so it's hard for me to say what would do well without spraying. But even with spraying some of them still get blackspot and insect damage. Those that don't are Mary Magdeline (Austin), pale peach. She is a non stop bloomer too, Fabulous, a white floribunda, Our Lady of Guadalupe(pink floribunda) and Julia Child, yellow floribunda. Each of these are just bloom machines. I prune hard early summer just as the thrips are arriving. I actually prune some throughout the year since things get so big here. I swear by Bayer all in one. I spray it on well watered roses (most put it in the ground, more expensive.) I also feed organics, Mills Magic or it's equivalent, Purely Organic which Jeff and Debbie have at Cool Roses. I've had good luck with Merry Gro roses too. That's it for now. I've learned through the school of hard knocks so if there is anything else be sure to ask.
Nancy

I have better luck with old roses on their own roots than those on fortuniana root stock. Mutablis is a huge rose bush that could go in your larger spot and requires very little care. This baby will bloom and grow no matter what you do or don't do for it. It is a china rose that changes color from peach to pink and at any given time you will have mulitple color blooms.

Okay, thanks everyone, good suggestions. For all who've been asking, "what do you want for your garden?" You now have the answer. I'll swap for roses. See you at Veronika's in September!

And yes, I'll bring plenty of copies of both books!

fawnridge,
i have a healthy, large mutabilis to trade (the cutting is actually from castorp's garden, but i cannot find a spot for it!). i can also start a bunch of OGRs for you -- i cannot believe that lamarne (a great polyantha) won't do well for you. i have lots of others, if you're interested.

i'll be at the orlando swap (in october, right?).

Thank you all so much, same kinda question. I live on the water in Vero Beach with a good shady side yard, but lots of coastal salt from our winds. Little confused on how to get the roses that were started HERE to ensure a better outcome. Also, what do you spray every week on your roses??