I'm not surprised since Palatine has a stellar reputation, but I know how thrilling it is when you see almost instant results which I can see you're getting.

Having lived about 20 miles from San Bernardino when I was a kid I can understand your worries, and we all know it's getting steadily hotter. Is there a reason you're going to leave these roses in pots over the summer? If you absolutely have to, I'd suggest getting the largest pot size possible, placing them where they get only morning sun and putting a thick layer of mulch on the soil. Putting them in the ground, however, would still be the best solution.

Ingrid

Space in the ground I have but deciding where these should go for ever is what I can't decide. I'm also putting in a small fruit tree orchard where I can squeeze the little guys in and had terrible luck with fruit trees in these same containers last summer. The fruit trees get priority for the good spots as they will be permanent. I can always replant the roses though I'd prefer not to if possible.

The peach and nectarine I potted last year survived but barely. I ended up wheeling them over behind a shed where they received morning sun. They are badly defoliated but still hanging on.

Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to get these roses behind the shed before the worst of the heat starts.

For the sake of argument, that picture doesn't necessarily mean the rose is taking root very well (although I'm sure it actually is!): I once thought I had a rose cutting rooting well because it grew a whole set of leaves within about three weeks. But then it started dying and I looked and it hadn't rooted at all! I think all the growth was just from whatever it had stored in the cutting, and it had just used up what it had and gave out!

Looks good. Mine are due to arrive any day. Can't wait!