On the bright side, you have not been both dazed and confused.

By data and evidence (for roses), do you mean things like this

https://ugatrial.hort.uga.edu/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.showpage/pageID/26/index.htm

?

Yes! I actually just realized several universities have rose resources, including TAMU - there also seem to be on-going rose trials (see NYT's article).

houzz is acting weird ... i have to do it this way ...

==============

where people refer to for good, consistent, "data-driven" advice on roses.

==>>

i dont know what that means ... dig a hole.. insert plant.. preferably roots down.. and see what happens ..

gardening is an art.. NOT a science ... on some level.. you have to wing it and learn ...

on problem you are going to have to deal with wanting such specific info.. will be. that unless the author is within about 3 houses of you.. there will always be info lacking to make a science out of it ... and besides.. if said expert was so close.. crikey.. just go knock on the door and offer to work in their garden for beer or something ...

i might suggest finding a local rose club.. and make some local friends ... or if for no other reason.. get on the calendar for their summer garden tours.. you can learn so much just by observing how it can work locally ...

in my MI .. i used to cut my roses to about 6 inches in fall.. so i could bury them in mulch and put rose cones over them ... and of my collection that went over 120 plants .. ALL of them were mail ordered ... that is not a big deal... and it means any shipping damage is not really relevant ... properly grown ... i could get those 6 inch plants to 4 to 6 feet every season ... just dont think you are going to mail order the 4 to 6 footer ...

sounds like you are on the right track with amending the soil .. i presume to increase water retention ability ... youve probably done enough with that... for now ... though on reread.. im not really sure what you bermed up a foot high.. nor whats below it ... maybe we should talk about that if you wish ...

if i were here.. i would probably order one of each TYPE and see how they do.. and what tickles my fancy ... one hybrid T ... the big gorgeous flowers.. one floribunda... lots of smaller flowers ... one climber.. if you have something you want climbed on .. etc ..

not many roses bloom continuously over the season .. the flowers come in waves ... and there is nothing you can do about that.. but perhaps plant other perennial workhorses that do keep blooming ...

and if you can viist the local joint above.. try doing it in the middle of the week and see if you can make an appointment to visit .. dont walk in there on the busy weekend.. and get irritated you cant get anyones attention ... in these circs.. if i had to drive up to 3 hours to visit a professional garden .. that would be no big deal ...

if you do decide to mail order.. you will receive them in dormancy.. and they need to be planted immediately .. TIMING is of the essence ... the point being.. you cant wait until you see blooming plants that you like.. and then try planting them in mid summer .. you will fail ..

soooo.. just get some mail ordered for the appropriate planting time.. do it .. and spend the rest of the season observing and learning ... and then make new beds in fall for the next order.. next spring .. if any of that is different in TX. i will defer to timing to anyone who knows

TX hort better than i do ..

ken

this is how my usual garden road trips started early any given morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvKs2VLmVnY&ab_channel=JazzJeff

though we were usually that dirty on the rip home... i call it full contact gardening ...

ken

I don't always agree with ken but in this case, I am right there! There is far too much of a mystique associated with growing roses and 99% of it is completely unfounded. Roses are just another type of flowering shrub and rarely require the persnickety attention many attribute to them (unless one is growing them to competition standards). Just give them adequate sun, a decent planting hole and water as needed and let 'em rip!! Thousands of gardeners grow roses successfully with minimal attention after planting.

The exact varieties you start with are really not all that critical. A rose is a rose :-) Just pick out whatever you like that fits your requirements. There are literally 10's of thousands of named varieties so if you want something a bit more exotic, you are compelled to mail order - no nursery carries them all. Otherwise, many retail nurseries bring in their new selectin of bare root roses in late winter or early spring (end of February here) and that is an excellent local source.

You live within a day's drive to your very best local source on roses and rose advise, Antique Rose Emporium. Very nice people, great display garden and fantastic quality plants.

Antique Rose Emporium is the best.

https://antiqueroseemporium.com/

You can learn a lot from their site.

Here are some of my favorites:

Polyantha:

- Clotilde Soupert

- Borderer

Bourbon:

- Kronprincessin Viktoria

- Souvenir De La Malmasison

- Suvenir de St Anne

Tea:

- Mrs. Dudley Cross

- Duchesse De Brabant

- Madame Joseph Schwartz

China:

- Dutcher

- Madame Laurette Messimy

Found

- Spice

Seiko

Give us a color or type of rose and we will have more to go on.

For me Julia Child ( yellow ) is pretty bullet proof as well as Bliss Parfuma ( pale pink )

Chamblee's is another really good Texas rose vendor. They sell a lot of earth kind roses which are great for beginners.

https://www.chambleeroses.com/catalog/roses/earth-kind/

Different regions have very different climates and soils. If for instance a Californian tells you a cultivar is disease-resistant, they are likely thinking in terms of their resident strains of mildew and rust -- generally not problematic for us. Here in CenTX, roses suffer predominantly from various species of Blackspot, of which there are likewise many, and different cultivars might have differing resistance to such. Californians, for instance, don't know from Blackspot.

The *best* advice is to get input from local rosarians.

One of the more popular cultivars here, for years, has been Belinda's Dream, but in other parts of the country, much less so, and in my current garden, I've been underwhelmed, whereas a little East of Austin, I really loved this rose as well...

Do you know if you have caliche soil, black clay, or sandy soil in your neighborhood? Do you intend to spray? Do you have irrigation? These might all affect your selections/options. If you hope to be environmentally friendly, no spray, and with minimal irrigation, that will be a huge factor in your selections.

"Here in CenTX, roses suffer predominantly from various species of Blackspot, of which there are likewise many, and different cultivars might have differing resistance to such. Californians, for instance, don't know from Blackspot."

There of course is only a single species of fungi responsible for blackspot, Diplocarpon rosae, and it is the same whether encountered in Texas or California (yes, roses DO get blackspot in CA) or Georgia or Michigan. Or even the south of France! Plant diseases do not necessarily recognize geographic borders and if conditions are right, they can happen anywhere.

This is just symptomatic of that mystique I was referring to, that somehow roses require this unique regime of care unlike any of another zillion other plants. They do not.

This is a really interesting discussion! When I planted my first roses after buying my house I didn't do much research at all--and they all lost every leaf from blackspot. I considered spraying but I'm too lazy; luckily, I found the book "Roses without Chemicals" and was able to start learning about what roses would be more resilient for my area. (I'm in North Carolina zone 7.) Since then I've replaced them all with disease-resistant varieties and if they don't perform I shovel pruned them. One of them I gave to a friend a 40 minute drive away and it's thriving for her. So weird.

But I don't have to worry about cold-hardiness at all! Or provide winter protection. So there's a whole bunch of advice I can ignore.

You're lucky to live so close to the Antique Rose Emporium! Or at least give them a call for advice, I heard the owner interviewed on the "Rose Chat Podcast" and he seemed 100% cool and knowledgeable.

I have no idea if you have to deal with blackspot or thrips or what in Austin. My brother moved to Austin and his wife said she can't do vegetable gardening in high summer as the plants melt (or something). So maybe you need afternoon shade or your roses will burn? I have no idea!

Kristine gave good advice on starting with Julia Child. An excellent all around David Austin rose, if you want to go that direction, is Boscobel, a medium pink. If you like lavender, I think Love Song is a good choice. The shrub rose Bonica is an excellent rose. Keep it simple to start. Diane

Good suggestions Diane. Those are all great roses.

Climate can make a big difference in how a rose thrives (or doesn't) and I've been really thankful to others on this forum who share so generously of their experiences. I've learned a lot from others in a climate similar to mine.

From what I understood, there were several different fungi that can cause black spot, as well as a strain of bacteria, as explained here https://www.britannica.com/science/black-spot. Maybe this is what people refer to when they mention various causes of black spot? Which can be confusing, as it appears that only one fungus causes black spot in roses.

No fuss roses for me are (I’m also a begginer gardener):

bolero, lovely rose, blooms and blooms, no disease, watch for thrips tho

olivia rose, constant blooms, super healthy

batsheba if you want a climber, just stunning

bliss parfuma, blooms in flushes but amazing healthy and gigantic blooms

mary rose, can get some blackspot end of season but it is a blooming machine

this is my second year garden. i knew nothing about roses before. read a lot here, and learned a lot. to me pests are my main problem, i dont spray and I try my best to be organic. as long as you feed them and water well they will do amazing