Glutton For Punishment

My lack of common sense has driven me to the nursery again for a fresh batch of roses to kill. While I've managed to nurse my two hybrid teas back from the dead, I suspect they will both succumb to the heat of May/June like all the others I've owned previously. Whether I plant them on the north side of the house, under a tree, in a pot, it doesn't seem to matter. Almost overnight they go from lively to lethargic when the temps hit triple digits.

Rationalization is telling me it's because they're hybrid teas, the pussies of the rose world. Unless you're a master gardener, have endless time to pamper them, or a combination of the two, they just hate the low deserts of Arizona, particularly my back yard. Save for the two I have at the moment (at the moment), I have made my peace with hybrids and moved onto two other varieties with which to torture.

Floribundas supposedly have a good reputation in these parts as being hard(er) to kill. I've bought a few of those, including this Hot Cocoa variety, which smells like cinnamon (to me), when blooming. Rated to Zone 11, you're lead to believe that this plant and Keith Richards will be the only two things still standing, come the Apocalypse. So far, so good, but then it's only 90 degrees out.





Here's a Grandiflora, called a Sunsprite. Similar to a hybrid tea, but heartier (what isn't). It's blooms were looking nice until we hit 90, and they immediately fell off shortly thereafter. Perhaps not a good sign, but the foliage is still looking good. Very nice smelling rose.





Another Floribunda, named an Angel Face. It's face is currently being eaten off by swarms of aphids. I have treated the plant repeatedly with spray that's supposed to get rid of these things, but so far the results have been mixed. This was the only nice bloom before they got a hold of it. Again, foliage still looks good, but that's about it.




I also bought a Queen Elizabeth (Grandiflora), and have two Knock Out roses and a China Tea rose that I bought back in the fall. They are all still doing well. I'm told that like the Hot Cocoa, the Knock Out roses can withstand the blast furnace come summer, but time will tell. Emily will hate me for leaving the responsibility of taking care of these plants while I'm gone on business in June, and I cringe to think of what will come of everything if we all go to St. Louis for a road trip in July. Life would be pretty boring if we didn't have something to worry about, no?