In my zone 7 eastern North Carolina garden my summers are long and hot with high humidity. Every Austin rose I have ever tried contracted overwhelming black-spot. This variety was no different. The flowers are fragrant in cooler temperatures, but lost most of their scent in the heat. In most cases I will not judge a rose for black spot resistance until it has been in the ground in the same spot for at least three years. This allows the pathogen to establish itself in the soil and debris around the rose. Roses that appear resistant during the first two years often begin contracting the fungal disease in the third year. Young Lycidas began showing signs of black-spot almost immediately.