Hi Cotton ....
Afternoon shade is GREAT for roses growing in a hot / dry climate. I wish I had more shade ...
5 to 6 hours of sunlight is sufficient for a rose. In a hot and dry climate shade slows down the water lost through the foliage.
One of the most important life lessons a garden teaches us is patience. We do the best we can to mitigate the variables that make it hard for plants to grow and then wait to see if it worked.
You may have thought you worked hard digging your rose holes. You did, but waiting for the rose to grow roots is going to be even harder ...
Yes, I do recommend that you put your shade structure around the roses during the heat of the day. If you have a hose that reaches that far, you can even wet down the sheet or whatever covering you use ... assuming you have time. Providing that extra humidity sends a signal to the rose that it can keep on putting most of its plant energy into growing roots.
I looked up your weather history and your temps should hit the high 90s and low 100s about mid-May.
Your roses
will have more roots by then, but I suspect you will see them wilting all season long and will need your shade structure all season long if seeing them in that condition bothers you a lot.
In my mountain climate temps drop by about 50 degrees at night. My roses completely re-hydrate over night. The only time I have tented my roses was when I transplanted a rose when the daily temps were in the high 90s. (I
had to transplant the rose at the wrong time because the deer were eating it to the ground .... araggghhh.)
Yes, a wind break will help. Wind dries out the foliage, the canes and the blooms.
Whenever I plant a rose, I consider it an experiment. There are so many variables that can impact a rose. You will be learning about roses forever. No one knows it all.
Smiles,
Lyn
