My rose garden is in Islamabad, Pakistan. The climate of Islamabad is like zone 9b in US, with a major difference of monsoon rains that typically last from mid July to end Aug. This thread is dedicated to photos of my roses taken from 15 May to date. This is the hottest part of the year when the temperatures during day stay between 100 to 108*F on normal days and on very hot days, they touch 115*F which is quite hot. During night, temps drop down to 70 to 85*F. It generally rains once a week that brings the temp down for a while.

Few roses go into a survival mode during this period however many keep growing well if the soil is kept moist all the time and some shade is provided. The bloom size, shade and fragrance is seriously affected in most cases though there are few cultivars that are not affected much. On many rose cultivars, blooms just fry out in few hours, however, few roses retain the shape of blooms for whole day or even two days.

My garden is 100% organic with no chemical spray or even a synthetic fertilizer ever used. I feed my roses with a home made compost that is high in N, K and Ca and low in P and Mg. Contains trace elements like Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, Bo etc. I mostly use fruit / vegetable peels, used black tea bags / leaves and egg shells etc in my compost. High Ca content in the compost has helped my roses to grow well this summers better than ever before and their ability to take high heat has enhanced. During hot summers, I ensure that my rose pits, beds and pots have a layer of leaves / grass clippings so that the ground is not exposed to high temps. The top 2-3 inch layer in all pots and beds is of homemade compost. I use natural river soil with lot of compost as the main potting medium. I have around 75 roses in pots and over 50 in ground. All my pots are clay pots now as I had very bad experience with plastic pots last year and many of my roses either dehydrated or had a retarded growth and were vulnerable to diseases and pests.

Please note that the photos that I post are the best but there are many worst ugly looking photos with fried blooms too. I will prefer not to post the ugly looking photos though I will make a comment to that affect. Here we go.......



August Luise is in 14" pot. Blooms size is still good (like 3.5") and fragrance, though less than spring, is still nice. Blooms last the whole day which is a good bloom life in this temperature. Bush is growing strong. My Augusta Luise does well in neutral or slightly alkaline pH. In spring, blooms size was 5" and fragrance was strong. The bush gets around 6-8 hrs sun up to midday.


Belle Epoque is in a 16" pot, under a tree where it gets 7-8 hours sun with intervals of shade. Blooms size is ok, (2.5 to 3") and fragrance is mild. Bush is growing well. Blooms size was 4.5" in spring and fragrance was strong.


Black Prince is in a 18" pot in full sun. Bloom shade is lighter as compared to cooler months but fragrance is still quite strong, specially in early morning hours. Bush is growing well. A wonderful rose for hot climate. Blooms last 8-10 hours.

stay tuned........

Bronze Star bush is in first year and is in ground. Shade is much lighter as compared to spring and there is just a hint of fragrance that was quite strong in spring. Bush is growing well.


Burgundy Iceberg has performed well in heat and is always blooming. Bloom size has reduced drastically though and now, sometimes it looks like a miniature rose bloom (1-2"). Has now fragrance now but had a moderate fragrance in spring. Bush is doing great this year after I ensured a neutral to slightly alkaline soil pH. No black spot or any pests. Last year, with an acidic soil pH, the bush remained infested with black spot and mildew and the growth was slow.


Condesa de Sastago is in a 14" pot and in full sun. Had just a few blooms during hot summers that had no fragrance. Blooms fried within 2-3 hours. Will shift the pot in partial shade and see its performance.
Chartreuse de Parme had just a few blooms in hot period but they were reasonable size (3.5") and lasted two days. Had a mild fragrance in heat. The bush is in a 16" pot.
Chippendale passed through a rough mildew attack in spring but is healthy now after I gave it a wood ash treatment which raised the pH level. Some fragrance in the morning and bloom size has drastically reduced (1.5 - 2 ").

stay tuned..........

CPM bush is in the ground in full sun and has performed outstandingly in hot summers. There is always at least one bloom cluster on the bush and blooms last at least one day. Fragrance is reduced but still very noticeable tea fragrance. Have a look at photo #2 & 3. They are of the same cluster, one taken in morning and the other in the evening. I was surprised to see the shade changing to pink by evening...... may be some extraordinary phosphorus intake that day???


Crimson Glory Cl, two bushes in 14" pots. Haven't bloomed much during last one months. Blooms fry out quickly however fragrance is still quite noticeable. Had large size highly fragrant blooms in spring. I can see few buds forming up on one of the bush.
My own root Double Delight bushes, both in full sun in 14" pots, are merely surviving with one odd bloom every now and then. Moderate fragrance, bloom size is almost half of what it was in spring (around 2.5" now). Blooms fryout in 4-5 hours.


Deep Secret, in a 14" pot in part shade (2 hrs morning sun only) is not doing that well. Blooms are unimpressive with little fragrance. Most of my locally purchased roses are on centifolia root stock and are growing well. This one is on multiflora root stock and is not doing that well.

stay tuned......

You're certainly doing all the right things for your roses, Khalid. Mine turn dry and crispy when the temperature rises above 90. We have virtually no humidity here, and although I water every day when it gets that hot, it sometimes feels as though there isn't enough water in the world to keep the rose blooms looking nice. Our summers aren't as hot as they were 20 or 30 years ago here, however. When I moved here 32 years ago, I seriously considered giving up on everything but succulents.

Very interesting!

Gorgeous photos of Crown Princess Margareta. I'm surprised how well it performs in heat, definitely one I need to try!

zuzu, thanks for your comments. Yes, one needs lot of water for roses and this is one flip side of growing roses in hot areas. But then, we have the advantage of 10 growing months also.

Neal: Some of my DA roses have performed well in heat, just give them slight shade and they are good to go. Others include The Prince, Glamis Castle, St Swithun, The Dark Lady and L.D.Braithwaite.



Small size blooms with low petal count and no fragrance. Bush is growing vigorously .


Lot of blooms on Ebb Tide. Size is small and fragrance is less as compared to cooler months but the bush is blooming non-stop even in this heat. Very impressive.


Evelyn May hasn't been blooming very often after main flush in spring. Just a few odd blooms. Bush however is quite large and is 7 ft high at the moment. Short bloom life
Fragrant Charm has been unimpressive on multiflora root stock. Just a few bloom this year. Size and fragrance was very good in summers but just a mediocre now. Short bloom life


One of the better performers in high heat. In 14" pot. Bloom size is relatively small (3 to 3.5") and fragrance is less too but is quite noticeable, specially in the morning. Bloom life is very good and blooms last for 2 days or more. Very majestic....

Friesia (Sunsprite), in a 18" pot. Keeps blooming but bloom size is small and fragrance is moderate.
Gruss an Teplitz is always blooming, almost whole year non stop. During this period, blooms are small but lots of them....
Golden Celebration has reasonable size but not like spring. Fragrance is moderate.


Growing well in a 14" pot in full sun. Bloom size is small with low petal count and just a hint of fragrance.



If kept in part shade, Lady Emma retains a fine scent. Great to sniff early morning..

Beautiful blooms Khalid, I sure am enjoying your photos!

Thanks Suzanne. Few more photos taken in past few days....




Maria Shriver has a wonderful fragrance but in high temps, blooms are small and fry out quickly.
Mary Rose did very well in springs but as the temps shot up, it blooms sparingly. Not performing that well in hot temps.
Mirandy has a heavenly fragrance even on hot days. This is the first bloom on the cutting planted in Feb this year. A fairly big first bloom.


Oklahoma has a reduced fragrance but bloom size is still good (3.5"). Bush is growing very well in full sun. Blooms last for 2 days in full sun.


PAOK bush is growing well. Blooms profusely but small size with mild fragrance. Blooms fry out in 2-3 hours only.

Papa Meilland didn't do that well at the start of summers but is picking up well now. Nice size and some fragrance. Blooms last whole day.


Pat Austin is doing well in partial shade (2 hours morning sun). Fragrance is delightful but blooms fry out by mid day


Paul Neyron is another good performer in high heat. Good size (3.5") and strong fragrance. Bush is in full sun. Blooms last two days.

RiB has small blooms with nice spicy fragrance early morning. Fry out within few hours.
Rouge Royale has nice fragrance early morning. Blooms last whole day.


Scentimental is a nonstop bloomer but size is small, almost no fragrance and blooms fry out by mid day. Blooms have more red in hot summers but as it gets cooler, white stripes will be prominent.


Secret has good bloom life but almost no fragrance. Bush is growing well in full sun. Third photo is of third day in full sun.

Sheila's Perfume had gorgeous blooms in spring but behaved like a miniature rose when temps shot up. They still look very beautiful to you in the photos but blooms are small with just a hint of fragrance. Bush has been suffering with iron deficiency which I have tried to address. It's hard to maintain a correct pH in pots.


Even in hot summers, shocking blue retains nice spicy fragrance on medium sized bloom. Bush is doing great in a 14" pot.


St Swithun is a fairly good performer in high temps. Fragrance is nice in the morning but no fragrance during day. Bloom size is medium but the shade is very light pink now as compared to spring when it was darker.
Spirit of Freedom was planted in a 18" pot on 26 Jan this year. Didn't bloom in spring though the bush grew well. Now it's blooming, bloom size is medium with a nice shade. There is no detectable fragrance.

Calif_Sue said:Beautiful blooms Khalid, I sure am enjoying your photos!

Your roses have me drooling! I don't grow them because of our heat, but I may have to try again.

One of the better DA roses for high temps. If provided part shade, it will keep blooming continuously with a very nice old rose fragrance.


The Alnwick Rose produced small size blooms with mild fragrance every now and then during hot summers. Bush is growing well.
The Painter has reduced bloom size with some fragrance but it is continuously blooming


Along with Crown Princess Margareta, The Prince is the best DA rose in my garden. Photos say it all, what else one can expect from a rose bush in 110*F. Fragrance is amongst the strongest in my garden nowadays.

Karen: Thanks for your comments. The highest temp we had this summer was 115*F. It crossed 110*F many times and generally stayed between 104 to 110. If kept moist during day, roses do perform even in this high heat though the bloom size reduces and fragrance is very low.


Tipu Sultan is another locally bred rose by breeder Ibrahim Changa. Strong old rose sweet fragrance. The shade was deep fuchsia pink in spring (as visible in the last photo) but in summers it has a deep pink shade. Healthy bush.


The McCartney Rose is a top performer in high heat. Photos tell you how well the bush is growing. Fragrance is not as strong but it's good enough, specially in the morning.


Tom Brown is producing miniature size blooms with no fragrance. It is however blooming all the time. Planning to shift it in full shade.
Tradescent bloomed only once during summer. Blooms were medium size, fragrant and lasted two days which is a very good bloom life in this heat.

Khalid, I am finding your posts very interesting - and beautiful! How old are your rose bushes? They all look so healthy; you must have to prune them quite strongly to keep them an appropriate size for their pots. What season is best for pruning in your climate?

Porkpal: Thanks for your comments. I shifted in my current house in late 2014 and planted first batch of rose bushes in Jan 2015 and then next batch in Jan 2016. I have close to 75 bushes in pots (mostly 14 to 18" pots) and over 50 in ground as well. There is no more space in the ground so any additions will have to go to pots. Local rose nurseries graft roses in monsoon, mostly on centifolia root stock and they are available for sale as medium size bushes in Dec to Feb, ie after 6-7 months. Roses grow very fast in my climate. These young bushes are supplied with soil around roots and wrapped in hay. They have to be planted within two weeks and for once, they go dormant, shed all leaves and then regrow them by springs, ie, Mar / Apr. So the roses planted in Jan 2015 were grafted in July 2014 and those in Jan 2016 in July 2105. In addition, I am carrying few old roses in large size pots (5-10 years old) and than, there are many David Austin, Kordes and Tantau roses that I imported from UK and Germany. These roses are on multiflora root stock mostly. Many old varieties from these breeders are available from local nurseries but new varieties have to be imported. So collecting latest varieties is quite a hardwork.

We prune our roses in winters here though I feel there is no real need of pruning the roses in Islamabad as they don't go dormant in the real sense due to mild winters (min temp -3*C). Actually, if not pruned, they keep blooming in winters. However, pruning makes the bush more vigorous for next season. I do pruning of my rose in Dec and Jan.

best regards

Violette Parfumee (Melody Perfume) has low petal count in hot temps and fragrance is also moderate. Shade is light purple / violet. In spring bloom had darker shade, more petals and very strong fragrance.


I lost my Westerland bush last year. It was a brilliant performer in high heat. I was lucky to save a cutting and that cutting is now a small bush. Bloom size is till small but it will improve by end of this year I am hopeful. A wonderful performer in hot climate. The other day I saw Sharlene's outstanding Westerland bush and hope my bush also grows like that.....


William Morris is another good performer. Bloom size gets small and fragrance is less but it keeps blooming if given partial shade.


Winchester Cathedral bush is doing great but there are fewer blooms. Fragrance is mild, smells like crushed almonds.

I find it very interesting to hear how roses are grown in different climates and various parts of the world. Thank you for the thorough reply to my questions.

I very much appreciate your excellent record keeping! This thread is a valuable resource full of great information!