Lavender: Sheila's perfume is a vigorous rose, it might work for your hot & dry climate. To be healthy, there are 2 criteria: 1) Vigorous & big root-system, like those that get 6 feet tall .. Lagerfeld and Sheila's perfume are in this category.

2) Roots produce less acid, so leaves don't become acidic, to prevent fungal infection (mildew, rust, and blackspot) in wet weather. The problem with roots producing less acid? Roots can't feed itself, roots can't break down the hard-mineral in soil, so the rose can't produce bloom via acid-phosphatase (the secretion of acid to utilize phosphorus in soil). The solution is to douse the roots in SOLUBLE fertilizer, which needs to be done constantly in sandy/loamy ... that leaches out quickly.

But Sheila's Perfume is black-spot prone, means roots produce plenty of acid and blooms easily, thus IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR HOT & DRY CLIMATE, or alkaline clay like mine.

With own-roots, there are 2 ways to avoid disappointment: 1) If it's vigorous enough to have deep root to withstand drought, heat, and cold 2) if it's bred in the same soil and climate as the grower. Dr.Huey-rootstock was bred in California solves that problem, but with own-roots, it's much harder to find roses which were bred in similar soil and climate.

For own-roots, it's safer to go by whoever with SAME soil and climate's experience, rather than by the look alone. For that reason, I canceled pretty Louis Clements, and asked RU nursery for Sheila's perfume or Sutter's Gold. Louis Clements (bred in rainy & cool Oregon) died on a few California folks, but Sheila's perfume and Sutter's Gold can hand hot & dry. My summer is hotter than my 3 sisters in California, and Louis Clements most likely die in my summer heat, and in my extreme cold winter -20 F below zero. It's interesting that KBW from hot Pakistan (up to 113 F) and I have the same favorite roses ... roses that can survive extreme hot & dry have a better chance of surviving extreme cold winter.