On 9 Jun 2003 18:10:31 GMT, (Bill Oliver) wrote:

In article ,
Doug Kanter wrote:

Anyway...I'd go out and find better roses if I were you.


Heh. Well, that was sort of my Darwinistic approach -- I'd buy
roses that were supposed to be hardy and just see how hardy they
were. These are the survivors.

In fact, they are not the hybrid tea roses, but were variously called
Old English or Old Garden or some such when I bought them (at least the
ones I bought -- I don't have a clue about the others). As I said,
they grow well -- they have survived drouth, hard winters, wet, deer,
rabbits, dog pee, and many godchildren -- they just lose their leaves
as the season goes on.

My neighbor here in SE Virginia loves roses and spends a lot of time
on them, but also follows Darwin. She was out there yesterday digging
up a very dramatic dark red rose that performed nicely for a year or
2, and has been declining for 3 or 4 now. She's had very good success
with Rugosa types. A few weeks ago I could see *lovely* sort of
garlands of bloom draping from a large bush. When I commented on this,
she sneered that "root stock" had taken over something more desirable.
Sure were pretty. She pruned heavily, but perhaps the mongrel will
emerge again next spring.

I'm not determined enough to try and grow roses here, but I'd look up
blackspot and the various fungal problems that happen in our (I think
relatively similar) climates. Pruning also can sometimes do wonders, I
hear. Or move to New Mexico. :-)

Good luck with your roses. Give them plenty of air and light, and hope
for the best.