One word of advice about DA Roses in the Inland Empire:
The majority of them do not like the intense summer heat that you (and I) get. I'm in Long Beach and a few blocks from the beach. We get very hot here as well the summer, and the 5 or 6 Austin roses I grow are the first ones to (literally) FRY when the temps get above 80*. ( I'm referring to the blooms, not the foliage.) Mine are glorious in the spring and late fall...in the summer, forget it...they're abysmal.
It's important to realize that those roses are bred in England where the climate is vastly different from So. Calif. and they don't have months on end of heat and humidity.
I've experimented with numerous DA roses and the ones that do best where I am are: Pat Austin, The Lady Gardener, Lady Emma Hamilton, Mary Rose, Queen of Sweden and Teasing Georgia. I make sure all of these are shaded from the afternoon sun (from 1:00 p.m. and onward) to lessen the dessicating heat and harsh sunlight.
On the positive side, DA roses DO grow enormously tall and wide in this climate ! If only the blooms were more substantial.
