If you do not want to spray twice a week, plant double knockout roses. If you do not mind spraying with a fungicide, I recommend the roses at Lowes in the pots. You have to be diligent on spraying and fertilizing. The results will be very rewarding.

Here is a link to a UT publication that should give you some good answers. UT has done some big-time research on the best, disease-resistant roses for this part of the country. I think there is also some newer data available, but I'll have to look for links for that. Here's what I found so far....

Here is a link that might be useful: No-Spray Roses for the Southeastern United States

Here's link to the Tennessee Rose Society. Click on their "Our Favorite Roses" tab.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tennessee Rose Society

Here is a sister publication from the UT work. I'm not really sure which brochure is newer (maybe it says somewhere on the brochures, but I don't see it).

Here is a link that might be useful: No-Spray Roses for the Southeastern United States 2

thanks. I will be looking on these websites. i live in upper middle tn (overton co)Some places say Im in zone 6 and some say zone 7. Does anyone know for sure which one Im in?

Rebecca,
You are in zone 6b

The USDA official zone for your area (not your particular yard/planting-site) is 6b. The Arborday hardiness zone for your area (not your particular yard/planting-site) is 7. The USDA map is pretty conservative for most areas I've looked at in Tennessee. The Arborday map might be closer to reality.

BUT, don't assume you are limited to things that will only grow in those zones. Most yards have at least three or four microclimates which vary by at least one zone from the average for your area. AND, remember, you haven't given something a fair try if you haven't killed at least two or three of them, trying to get them to survive (-:

Thanks for the advice. I've killed three different hydrangeas here. Does anybody grow them or have any advice?

Most hydrangeas should be pretty easy to grow in our climate if they have the right conditions (amount of light, moisture, drainage). What type(s) of hydrangeas have you tried, and what conditions were they planted in?

I have a rose bush I got at Lowes. It was labeled "Pinata climbing rose". It does have the color-changing flowers it's supposed to have, but doesn't climb. I planted it on a fence so it could run both ways from the corner. Now I think it's 4 years old, still a bush 4 ft high at most. After blossoms fade I prune back only to the closest 5-part leaf. I keep waiting for a vigorous branch to take off, nothing so far. It get's fed 3 times a year, not after July 15th or so. Very little winter-kill branch tips. Any clues?

Rockguy,
You are treating a climbing rose as if it were a Hybrid Tea.
I'll assume that the soil is good and deep. Very shallow top soil will keep a rose from growing long canes.

What makes a climbing rose (speaking of modern climbers like your Pinata) climb is that you take a long cane, as long as you can get it, and after the tip blooms you tie the cane down so that all the leaf axils will sprout secondary stems. Those stems are where your next blooms will emerge. (By pruning it HT style, to the first five leaf, you've removed four or five laterals.)

Your climber needs to put on leaves and stems and those will build up the rose underground. For this year, just let it be and tie it 'down' to encourage the laterals.

Hi, Rebeccah. I am in Blount County. I have had a very good experience with two "Creprescule" roses that I am growing on each side of an arbor. "Creprescule" is a Noisette rose that is peach-colored (the yellow side of peach )and I have seen it described as a "mannerly climber". I don't spray or use fertilizers, but apply compost to the roots once or twice a year. They have been stunning every year in the spring and then again in the fall. My hope is to propogate them so that I can share them at the East TN Plant Swap - I will try in the fall and report back! (I have not had success with rose propogation attempts in the past.) If I can ever figure out how to properly post photos on garden web, I will do so as I know that I find photos to be so helpful.

In the meantime, this year I am hoping to try "Lamarque" (also a Noisette), "Rise-n-Shine", and "Souvenir de la Malmaison" (a Bourbon, I think). I will let you all know how these do as well.