Are you in Sonoma County? Coastal or inland?

I'll be researching before I get anything.. I have enough large roses already.. I'll be keeping this new garden area under control (she says now). I'll go check out that other thread you mentioned.. TY!

She's a couple of miles from me, Sonoma county, 20 minutes drive from Bodega Bay.

I rarely add fertilizers Sherry so it must be the soil. I do dump compost on plants when I can. One section has poor soil and even though I added compost to each hole as I planted things, some things still need to be dug up and more compost added.

I would recommend:
Rose (Rosa 'Easy Does It')
Rose (Rosa 'Grace')
Rose (Rosa 'Gruss an Aachen')
I also highly recommend Rose (Rosa 'South Africa') eveb though it get big, it's a great looking rose, in and out of bloom. Almost all Kordes roses are good roses.

I know your climate well, Sherry, because I used to spend a lot of time in Capitola. It's very much like our climate in Sebastopol.

I'm above Capitola/Soquel, in the Mtns, and in a canyon.. Although we may not get any colder, the cold sits longer and I get more freeze damage then I did in Los Altos. I lived, for what seems like a nano-second, in Sebastapol in the early '70's when I went to Sonoma State.

'Easy Does it' might be a good replacement for a wimpy grower I've got by the back door.. 'Grace' is awfully nice too. And 'Gruss an Aachen' has always been on my list, but never made it home with me for some reason... Poor thing... "always a bridesmaid"

I had Gruss at my other house and regret leaving it. It stayed small and the blooms are exquisite.

Well that clinches it.. It's going on my list.

Meanwhile, here's a bud of Gilbert de Nabonnond



And a seedling.. Most likely from 'Sunny June' and 'Moonsprite'.. but there are lots of other roses in the area.. I like the hips on 'Sunny June' and likely didn't prune them off before some dropped on the ground..