What do you mean by low growing? Are you looking for a ground cover or just a shorter bush?

It is tough, roses here are monsters. The low-vigor Austins ('English Garden', 'The Prince', 'Fair Bianca') have stayed under 3' (1 M) for me. With high humidity you will have to deal with black spot most probably. Perhaps if there are old garden roses available in your country, 'Gruss an Aachen' and 'Irene Watts' aka 'Pink Gruss an Aachen' are reliably under 1 M, and some of the Polyanthas (perhaps 'Katharina Zeimet'?) stay on the short side.

Maybe you should consider some mini roses--like Green Ice (a white with a hint of greenish overtones in certain temperature)--the blooms are small but prolific. The plant itself grows about 1.5 to 2 ft tall and spreads out about 2 ft. It is highly disease-resistant and blooms most of the summer. It is a very nice smaller rose.

Of consider Little Sunset --I got mine at Palatine Nursery (Canada). I've only had it 2 years now, but it is spreading like crazy and putting out buds all over. Sunset colors--quite dramatic. So far, has had almost no BS problems.

If by smaller you mean normal size blooms on--let's say--a 3 ft bush, then try Austin's Pretty Jessica (pink). Or try a floribunda called Easter Basket. Or Austin's Munstead Wood --mine is new, but it is supposed to get 2-3 ft tall--has gorgeous and dramatic dark red-purple blooms--supposed to have good disease-resistance--I sure hope so, cuz I'm really liking my new Munstead Wood.

That should get you started.

Kate

Souvenir de la Malmaison

Thanks for the responses. I actually have been considering Pretty Jessica and Souvenir de la Malmaison after reading good reviews about them on these forums, so I'm glad to see them suggested in response to my question.

Seil, when I say low-growing, I mean a short plant. The rose bushes I already have - Jude the Obscure, Onkaparinga (a local cross between Troilus and Cymbelline) and Mister Lincoln - seem to want to be climbers. Seeing how the climbers I planted seem to want to go beyond being climbers and take over the world, I think a rose bush that is short in anyone else's garden should be medium sized in mine.

Any of the drift roses are wonderful!!! The one that is a true ground cover is the pink, spreading out around 2-3 feet and getting about 18 " to 2' high. The sweet drift (a soft pastel pink similar to the fairy) gets the tallest (around 2-3 feet) and almost that size in circumference. All of the others - coral, apricot, peach (which is a wonderful mix of all the colors) and this years new popcorn which starts out pale yellow and fades to a creamy white) are polite bushes at around 18" to 2' and are never without bloom. They are disease resistant as well. I have over 75 of these wonderful roses and recommend them wholeheartedly.

It is hard to find a short growing rose list. I know what you want a regular rose that does not grow so tall. I heard St. Patrick's rose which is sort of yellow green will take hot weather, and I think it's kind of short at least those I saw at the rose show are. There is just no good list at all of short roses, that are regular and not mini roses or shrub roses. I have a shrub rose, but the flowers are small and the leaves are tiny, this is small scale, not small height. I am in zone 10 also, but my zone 10 has a cold summer and no hot weather.

Look at Peppermint Parfait, available from Rogue Valley. It's like a petite old garden rose. The blooms are large for a mini, it's simply short. It's a healthy and attractive plant, prolific bloomer, with soft pastel coloring.

rross,

What about the Kordes Fairy Tales? I have Kosmos and it is a champ in 9B . About 18 to 24 inches, very disease free, very full with shiny green foliage, and it blooms like crazy for most of the year. I am so crazy about this rose that I have ordered Floral and Elegant for September delivery. It does well in the hottest part of our year.

andreark