Some Like It HOT

THESE 12 ROSES SAIL THROUGH STEAMY WEATHER-EVEN THAT OF SOUTH FLORIDA

- VICTOR LAZZARI

The famous American nurseryman Michael Dirr once wrote that roses will be a part of our gardens for as long as Americans have gardens at all. But when he wrote those words, was he including South Florida in this prediction for the USA?

That's not a swipe at Dirr. I've studied his work for more than 20 years, and I have only the highest respect for him. But overwhelmingly, most discussions of roses in America focus just on what I call the "everyman" USDA Zones of 3 through 9, leaving South Florida's tropical Zones 10 and 11 in a state of benign neglect. We're the Jan Brady (albeit with a tan) in a nation full of Marcias.

To some degree, the attitude is understandable. When you think of South Florida, roses are probably the last things that come to mind. Sunny beaches? Check. Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive? Check. Overpriced real estate? Huge check. But roses?

"Can you even grow roses in South Florida?" 

I never get upset when coldclimate skeptics throw this question at me, because I asked the same thing when I moved from Maryland to Miami in 2007. Fortunately, the answer is a resounding "yes." Roses grow wonderfully in our sweltering little corner of America, provided you do what gardeners elsewhere do: Find varieties well-suited to local growing conditions by sharing notes with other local gardeners.

And here's why it's time for the rest of America to heed some of our notes.

South Florida is, unfortunately, at the forefront of climate change in virtually every scenario: Extreme heat, wind, storms, droughts, floods. We're the ultimate hold-my-beer moment when it comes to horticulture in the age of extreme weather - and because of this, we've essentially become a vast trial garden for the rest of the country.