Thanks so much, do you know if nematodes are a problem with them here? They already ate my morning glorys.

I have not heard that you need to use special grafts like fortuniana for roses so, no.

Awesome, just don't want to learn that lesson the hard way....again.

I understand. You are in a good location for finding gardens and nurseries. Wish I had known that when my aunt lived in Holiday (north of Tampa) and in Ocala ("near" Orlando)!

Check what offerings the nurseries have as you should be able to grow many sasanquas and japonicas to cover Fall thru Winter. Maybe try the April Series to see if they bloom late Winter or early Spring over there too.

Then in sunny areas, maybe plant annuals like Zinnias (start them in pots & move into the ground once they have two sets of leaves; you can put them in the same sunny places where Morning Glories had issues). Both Zs and MGs like lots of full sun. Zs need water but not too much of it. I would put mulch once they get a little inches tall or something like that. I would not plant Z's seeds on the ground (got better results starting in small pots). I would also not plant them in the ground and then throw mulch on top of the seeds (got worse results). My Mom is at an assisted living facility here in Tx where they have lots of really nice looking, 3' tall Zinnias.

Alan, it's important that you get some local advice about the nematode issue. They can be very problematic in some Florida areas.

Your local UF/IFA County Extension office will have everything you need to know about what to expect in your particular county. The contact information is found in the link I provided for you.