One of these days, I'm going to have to send you guys pictures of what our summer desert heat does to beautiful roses. It's depressing. Mine are just now coming back from the summer heat. Some are starting to look nice again. Basically Hybrid teas either shoot hips, or look like single petaled roses. I'm telling you...it's really depressing!! Thank God for all the Austin roses I have, they look like Austins all year round.

Alan

I would never have expected an English rose to tolerate extreme heat.

That's because it's dry heat, I guess. Humid heat at Arizona temperatures might make them ball up and mildew.

In general, though, I think the Austin roses are downright remarkable. They have the fancy appearance of a temperamental rose without any of the temperamental behavior. They appear to grow equally well on their own roots or grafted and they sail through a vast variety of climates and gardening conditions without any major problems.

Alan - I know what it looks like. Which is why I haven't posted many parades this year compared to last year.. the drought and heat have just murdered them. I'm getting blooms now because I finally broke down and have been watering like a spigot. My water bill is going to be ridiculous, but I'm tired of my roses not blooming! We have had less than 1/2" of rain in the since Aug 1. As I look out the window, I see big poofy fat rain clouds building. Rain here? No. We don't even get that rain that evaporates before it hits (can NEVER remember what kind of rain.. starts with a V.. like viseral or something like that). Nothing. As I look out, I see trees that have already lost all their leaves, not due to autumn chills, but due to lack of water. It just sucks.

PPal - I think the reason why some roses survive in climates they shouldn't is kind of like that old Looney Tune cartoon when Bugs & Elmer are youngsters and Bugs tells Elmer that he can't run off a cliff, he'll fall due to the law of gravity and Elmer explains that it doesn't work that way, he hasn't learned about the Law of Gravity yet, so it's OK. http://www.brainfuel.tv/bugs-b...

Mines not a lack of water. They get plenty of that. The foliage is very lush, green and non-diseased. It's just the blooms that so, "Oh Mary! Turn off the heat!!!"

Alan

I could do a blackspot parade...