Have you picked your roses yet? There has been quite a stir here on the Rose Forum about the sale merrygro.com is having. You might check out their website. They give quite a bit of info about each rose, and you can also go to helpmefind.com as they sometimes give information about disease resistance.

I'm in your zone but it's hard to make recommendations. I have some rust, blackspot and mildew usually in June but not too bad this year as June gloom was not as prevalent as in other years.

Have fun picking some new roses. I just got one from Merrygro, and that was a real effort in self-control. I got Elle because it's a smallish bush and apparently very disease resistant.

I'm at the beach and along the Strand they grow roses which are doing great near the ocean. The top performers seem to be Mr. Lincoln, Diana, double delight. I don't know why but white hybrid teas don't do as well. I end up pulling them out. We are remodeling and through the debris and dust my old double delight is blooming. No spray, little water, while out in front the well groomed roses have attracted thrips. Go figure.

Iceberg, a Floribunda rose does beautifully in So. Calfironia as does hedge/landscape rose Cherry Parfait (grandiflora) - I have two Cherry Parfait rose trees that are amazing - heavy and frequent bloom producer, good perfume - looks a lot like Double Delight.. I also like the hybrid tea Brandy and Double Delight. One of my favorite roses is Party Time- it is an amazing rose - it rivals Double Delight as far as beauty and blooms abundantly - it is also a hybrid tea.

I live on the So. California coast and find that feeding with pure worm castings (monthly) really cuts down on disease problems...Neem Oil spray is highly recommended for rust and mildew and works beautifully...I still use insecticidal soap spray sometimes for aphids - this combination keeps my roses virtually disease free.

I buy 40 lb. bags of worm castings at the Orange County Farm Supply in Orange (near the 57 and 22 freeway interchange) about 3 blocks east of the 57 Freeway on the south side of the street. This will save you a lot of money over the expensive worm castings at the nurseries.

The generous addition of pure worm castings helps to create a perfect growing environment for most plants - I use it on my large potted tropicals in my back yard as well.

Hope this helps.