Linda,

Although I am in zone 9 also, my climate is much different than yours. I live along the coast and rarely get temps. above 85 or below 45. Typically we are in the 60's and 70's.

I have been growing roses organically for about six years now and have found that there are many roses that you will find that grow beautifully in this area and are very fragrant. I wouldn't worry too much about the gophers. They seem to leave the rose bushes alone.

Apricot Nectar is a very fragrant rose and seems to be easy to grow with few problems for me. I grow mainly the David Austin roses that are known for their fragrance and long bloom cycles for english roses. If you like Apricot Nector you might try Abraham Darby, Evelyn, Tamora, Perdita or Sharifa Asma, which some people swear is the most fragrant of all of them. They are all in the pinkish peach color tones and absolutely to-die-for blossoms ( if you like old fashioned roses).

My new favorite hybrid tea is Marilyn Monroe. If you can picture a satin gown that she would wear, I swear that is what the petals look like. And it is so robust and tough for a hybrid tea. And it has a beautful fragrance, of course. Who would expect less?

Good luck!

Oklahoma is a great, fragrant dark red. Gemini is good, Fragrant Cloud
is a favorite... Others are:

Neptune
Marilyn Monroe
Royal William

Try searching the Ashdown Roses site for cutting roses, that should
give you some good hints.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ashdown Roses

Linda,
I'm new to this zone 9 too (came from coastal zone 10). So far, all my roses are doing real well and around my area people grow just about all the hybrid teas you can imagine. Particularly Brandy, Bewitched, Tropicana, etc. I'm growing mostly Austins and they are doing real well. All are very fragrant. You'll be pleased at the vigor your roses will have in this zone. Good luck.
Mary

Hello Linda! I am in zone 9, too! I agree that Abraham Darby is a wonderful smelling rose. It is a beautiful old fashioned-looking rose, too. It grows quite well in my garden. It is in between blooms right now, but it will be in full bloom again soon. :)

I also have Gertrude Jekyll, but it's been stingy with its blooms. However, I must admit they smell wonderful! Perhaps more fragrant than my Abraham Darby. This is finally starting to bud again, so I'm hoping to see its beautiful pink petals again. You may notice that the flower will fall apart during the hot summer months, too. However, I think the roses are worth having.

I have been using compost, worm castings, and alfalfa on my roses, and they seem to be doing well. I noticed that the two roses that I hadn't placed any compost has really clay soil. I also use the Cornell Formula (baking soda, horticultural oil, soap, water mixture...you can do search for the exact formula in the forum) and the 50/50 milk water spray to help prevent powdery mildew and black spot. Someone had posted this really neat site regarding roses. I think he talked about roses in Southern California, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Paul Barden Old Garden Roses and Beyond