I have Red Intuition that is a red on red stripe and it holds up well in my heat and humidity. As a matter of fact it thrives on it! When looking for a rose that holds up in very high heat look for ones that have thicker petals. They seem to stand up better in high temperatures.

In this heat, most roses would appreciate some late afternoon shade if you can arrange it.

Do not get Scentimental--lovely bloom that falls to pieces before the day is over. Can't imagine what it would do in our triple-digit heat this summer.

Good luck -- searching is sometimes half the fun!

Kate

Without a doubt, Scentimental, George Burns, Cabana, and Tropical Sunset are among the most vigorous roses I've seen - striped or not. Scentimental gets a bad knock about blowing fast, but truly, I think the bush outgrows its blooms. If you manage to cut a bloom once it's barely open, Scentimental will last in the vase as long as many roses.

George Burns will hang on the bush forever, but it's not as vigorous (only a little less so than Scentimental). My two Scentimentals are approaching 6-7 feet right now, while the Georges remain at about 5. Cabana remains about 6 feet, but is a blooming fool - almost as much as Scentimental. None of these lose their stripes in heat. Although, George Burns' is supposedly known for its yellow highlights, but that will disappear quickly in the heat. It ends up being a "frillier" version of Scentimental, but with blooms that last a lot longer on the bush.

The finest of all of them, though, (IMHO) is Tropical Sunset. Mine is about 8 feet right now, and blooms stand on top of 3-4 foot stems, easy. Orange and yellow striped, the blooms are mostly orange and retain the orange coloring for many days before finally fading into an pink-orange. Scentimental will tend to fill up with red, George Burns loses its yellow, and Cabana will slowly blend into pinkish-white, but Tropical Sunset never loses its stripes or coloring, even in 100+ temps here in Georgia.

I have two Rock and Roll's, but I hesitate to pass judgment on them, yet - they're only two years old. Vigor is there with the best of them. Blooming is strong and repeats quickly, but the flowers so far are on the smallish side and as you say, the stripes quickly blend into a deep red. However, the red is very close to a velvet texture found in the best red hybrid teas, and the fragrance is very strong and consistent.

I'm going to hold back until next year before I make definitive statements on Rock and Roll.

P.S. I also grow Fourth of July, but that's a climber.

I am also partial to the Radiance clan, which grows luxuriantly in the warmer climates; the striped one is Careless Love.

Jeri

My Tropical Sunset is a baby this year, but I've never had a plant as immature as this one make me yell, "Holy Zebras, Batman!"

tropicalgardener@gmail.com