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maele_gw

Which roses can take full unrelenting sun?

maele
14 years ago

I am trying to plan my yard and there is a lot of it that has 6+ hours of afternoon sun that fades or crisps most roses once the temps start climbing. Keeping my roses only in the morning sun severely limits my available space for them. So far, Iceberg, St. Patrick, Ruby Meidiland are holding up ok, although RB has minuscule blooms, so maybe that is due to stress. The next best ones are Queen Elizabeth (doesn't wilt but color fades), Angel Face (same as QE), and Cinco de Mayo (same story). Sexy Rexy keeps her color but turns crispy. All the rest just look sad and will have to go in the morning sun area.

So what do I do with all that afternoon sun area? I just can't give up trying to fill it with roses! Should I plant more St. Patricks or is there an even better hot weather rose you know about? Can any Austins hold up to heat? Thank you.

Comments (19)

  • dublinbay z6 (KS)
    14 years ago

    I used to have a Crimson Bouquet (gorgeous red) that seemed to love the sun, and the popular Double Delight seems to do well in full sun. I also planted a Cherry Parfait (floribunda--blooms look a bit like Double Delight) because I was told it liked the sun, but I haven't had it long enough to verify that from my own personal experience.

    I do have some newer roses in a place that gets only the hot afternoon sun: Elina and Peter Mayle (both hybrid teas) and Mrs. John Laing (hybrid perpetual). They have big fat blooms and great fragrance also. However, the final verdict isn't in on them yet, but they made it through last summer with no serious signs of burning. Of course, I tend to water them a bit more than some of my other roses.

    I don't remember any fading on any of the above roses.

    I just planted a Chrysler Imperial. I seem to remember that posters claimed it likes the sun and doesn't fade. At least, given where I planted it, it better withstand the sun, cuz it is going to get a lot--which is why I think it was recommended to me.

    Hope that gets you started.

    Kate

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    14 years ago

    You are sure it is not a cultural problem? In other words, I am wondering: how old are the roses? Young recently planted roses toast pretty quickly, while established ones hold up better. Is the soil well mulched to hold in moisture and keep the roots cooler? Are you far inland where it gets very hot?

    Most of mine are in sun from sunrise to sunset without crisping, but I'm not that far inland. Much farther inland than Jeri with her cool coastal conditions, though. Tucson Rose Society, tucsonrose.org, had a good list of suggestion for hot areas, as I remember. Can't get much hotter and sunnier than Tucson.

  • peachiekean
    14 years ago

    Check with Kathynorcal. Her roses thrive in Sacramento.

  • mike_in_new_orleans
    14 years ago

    I second what Hoovb says about paying attention to cultural practices. But certainly, some roses won't like too much heat.
    In addition to the ones you mentioned are handling it ok, I'd add hybrid teas Marilyn Monroe (apricot), Dame de Coeur (rich red), Tiffany (pink blend), Louise Estes (pink blend), and like Kate suggested--Chrysler Imperial (Red)does very well for me. I also want to plug the largish mini Linville (white with pink blush). It seems to hold up well to our July and August heat. Some, especially delicate white and pastels, seem to crisp easily for me in that heat. But like was already said, mature plants with established root systems will tolerate the heat better than young ones.
    Mike

  • pocajun
    14 years ago

    Valencia does excellent in the hot sun and as a bonus the size of its blooms stay big all Summer where as most other roses have some reduced size in Summer. Good luck.

    Patrick

  • lesdvs9
    14 years ago

    I'm between Fresno & Bakersfield and my best performers once it hits the 100's are floribundas, minis and mini floras. Heat doesn't bother them like it does the HT's, they just keep blooming. One lavender browns on the edges at that hot but the rest keep blooming pretty nicely. I'm looking to see how well the newest grandiflora will do, but it's also a light lavender. Almost everything I have is out in full sun, a few roses on the edges near fences get some relief in late afternoon, but most don't.
    Leslie

  • texaslynn
    14 years ago

    I'm not sure what varieties of roses or what colors you are prefering but here's what does well for my southern exposure planted roses:

    Caldwell Pink (lavendery found rose)
    Mrs. B.R. Cant (rosey tea)
    Carefree Beauty (bright pink shrub rose)
    Martha Gonzales (red china)
    Red Cascade (weeping miniature or climber)
    Hansa (purple rugosa)

    These have been growing in total full sun, cooking in the heat and humidity here, for several years and doing well. They are also the roses that I don't have to spray!

    Lynn

  • odyssey3
    14 years ago

    All the old teas take the heat very well in my garden. I'd particularly recommend Georgetown Tea for non-stop bloom even when it is sweltering outside.

  • Jeannie Cochell
    14 years ago

    All roses look like crappola in our brand of hot, unrelenting sunlight but some will tolerate it better than others. Your local public rose gardens are a great place to get an idea of which roses tolerate sunny conditions in your area... and I'm not being tongue-in-cheek about what constitutes 'hot', either. There are hot-dry, hot-damp, hot-day/cool-night, hot-burn,hot-occasionally, hot-windy and hot-for months on end types of heat. Phoenix will see 100+ days of 100+ temps.

    A lot of Austin roses seem to do well in our heat, maybe because they have a lot of petals to begin with or maybe because we aren't expecting hybrid-tea type blooms from them. Prospero, Molineaux and Golden Celebration do very well. Tamora goes dormant and the jury is still out on Christopher Marlowe and some others that are still youngsters.

    Mauves and dark pinks don't seem to do well in heat unless you like the color of dark purple crispy critters.

    Veterans Honor bush does well but the flowers turn pink. Ingrid Bergman does much better, as does Black Magic, for red HT's.

    One thing you might remember is that a rose receiving morning-into-afternoon sun seems to fare better than one that doesn't receive sun until mid-to-late morning.

    Many low desert rosarians erect some type of shade structure to protect afternoon exposure only roses. We also mulch heavy and water in the evenings to cool down the temperature. Biggest thing is to adjust your perception. Roses, people and food never look great after sitting in 100F temps for a few hours...

  • maele
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Yep I agree with moroeaz, it is hot-dry here, and that is not the same as other heat. For example, the sun is hot even in 70 something temps, so stuff burns from it even if it is not burning hot. Thank you for the suggestions, I'm pretty excited to try some of them, and surprised specifically about Prospero and Chrysler Imperial, who knew?
    Good point about cultural practices, my recently repotted roses are already looking better. A lot of the terrible looking roses I've seen around are in unkept beds with dry hard-looking soil and sprinkler runoff, and I definitely won't be doing that. Now I won't be so nervous, with time most of them will probably do ok anyway.

  • dallasguy
    14 years ago

    I think a good choice for your situation would be Belinda's Dream. It balls in the cool wet spring but once summer hits it thrives in our 100+ temps. Maggie and Duchess de Brabant are a few others that do well in the summer for me.

  • hosenemesis
    14 years ago

    Double Delight burns at the edges in my hot inland garden.

    Henry Fonda, St. Pats, Marilyn Monroe, and to my surprise, Julia Child do well. Yeah, there's a lot of yellow here.

    Renee

  • Jeannie Cochell
    14 years ago

    LOL, 70F is sweater weather here. Roses will flourish and it's too cold to swim. We call it 'winter' and it lasts about 2 weeks.

    Phx has now logged 14 straight days of 100F. Even the President got a taste of our 'hot' when he spoke at ASU graduation last week.

  • Martina DeLuca
    14 years ago

    This is good info. A question I've been wanting to ask, so I can add more roses.

    In my garden, Gingersnap does great in full sun, as well as, Night Owl, Brilliant Pink Iceberg, Intrigue, Love, Double Delight, and Ebb Tide.

  • maele
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thank you, more to try!

  • maele
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Yep, my newer buds are doing fine but are a lot smaller than in spring. But some of the roses have to be moved to morning sun only this weekend. From now on, no more of these delicate princesses allowed in my garden!
    Thank you for your suggestions, I will definitely put them to good use next time I must have new roses (which is all the time).

  • desertmama_bhc
    14 years ago

    I'm with Moroseaz ! I live in Bullhead City Arizona, where the bumper stickers say "Bullhead City - wind chill factor: 105F" !

    I use shade cloth for my "babies", as well as planting them in half-barrels (to be able to move them around); they currently "live" in light shade...temps are now 100 plus...dry, dry heat(single digit humidity)until late summer monsoon season:temps will still be around 100, but with NASTY humidity ! but very little actual rain drops ! When and if it DOES "rain", I run out to the street and play "connect the dots" and do a happy dance !

    In winter (which lasts about 2-4 weeks, like Moroseaz said)they are moved to full sun areas... I have chosen to switch, not fight the climate ! It's taken me nearly twenty years to reach this stage, but I'm finally crying "uncle" ! Much less stressful in my old age !

    My ammunition is now limited to shade cloths, light shade, lots of mulch, epsom salts, society garlic, water, water, water, and then MORE water ! oh yeah, and a wide brimmed straw hat (for me) !

    One more thing, I water all my plants in early evening (still light out)which is much more comfortable for us all ! I don't worry about wet leaves, they're dry before I can turn off the water spigot ! Overnight lows around 70F (sweater weather like Moroseaz said !)

  • strawchicago z5
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Agree with the above posters that Angel Face, Veteran's Honor, and Honey Bouquet can take 100 F full-sun in my zone 5 & heavy alkaline clay. Honey Bouquet is the perfect yellow that doesn't fade to white (like Julia Child), plus bush is compact & doesn't consume much water as own-root. But it died in my zone 5 winter. If I'm in a warmer zone, I would grow Honey Bouquet again, the scent is pure-honey, so delightful. Plus it lasts 5 days in a vase. Since it's a floribunda, it's NOT hardy in my zone 5:


    I have many yellows: Strike it Rich, Golden Cel., Teasing Georgia, CPM, Tchaikovsky, Golden Fairytale, Moonlight Romantica, Prairie Harvest, Arthur Bell ... and I like Honey Bouquet's blooms the most since it doesn't fade to white, plus doesn't consume much water (own-root is small like a mini-rose). I posted a bush-shot in HMF years ago:


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