I'm in a completely different zone than you, but I decided to answer anyway.

I grow Mrs. John Laing, and I recommend her to anyone wanting to dive into hybrid perpetuals. She has lovely flowers, rebloom is pretty good, and her growth habit (for me) is a nice mix of OGR and modern rose tendencies. She's a good way for OGR new-comers (not saying that you are one, BTW) to get their feet wet.

Connie

I've never grown 'Reine Victoria', but I do have her lighter-colored sport, 'Mme Pierre Oger'. Of all the Bourbons I grow, MPO is the most susceptible to BS. I would expect the same to be true of RV, so you might want to consider that if BS is a problem in your area and if you don't spray. It's a spectacular rose, though. When I purchased mine, I was advised that it needs a rich soil to perform really well & I've found that to be true. An annual topdressing of compost really does make a difference with this rose. Also, it's a rose that needs time to build-up structure. For the first several seasons it can have a 'floppy' appearance, so you have to have patience with it. One other thing . . . We had an unusually wet season in 2009 and, for the first time, I learned what people mean when they say that the blooms on this Bourbon don't stand up to rainy weather.

You are Z9 -- but WHERE?
It matters.

Jeri in SoCalif

I have never grown Mrs John Laing, but I grew La Reine Victoria in south east England, which I believe is about zone 8.
I grew her fanned out on a sunny fence, and she grew well, and looked absolutely beautiful when I could keep her clean of blackspot, which wasn't very often!
It seemed, that as soon as I turned my back, the blackspot came back, and it wasn't just a little bit.
It is a shame, because she is a very lovely rose.
If you live in a very dry area, she might be worth trying however.
Daisy

'Mrs. John Laing' is one of my five most favorite pink H.P.s.
It has proven to be healthy in our no-spray garden near San Francisco, California where the conditions favor powdery mildew most often, and blackspot for fewer weeks of the year.
It is a very charming Old Garden Rose, that repeats well in our warm climate.

Luxrosa.

I had 'Reine Victoria' in Washington state. Based on my experiences there with her and on what I've heard elsewhere, I think this rose needs a warm-to-hot, dry summer to do well; otherwise it will get a lot of blackspot and just generally will not thrive. It was a puny, unimpressive plant for me in Waashington. I was just given 'Mme. Pierre Oger' and think she may do better here in Italy, where we have warm dry summers and chilly wet winters, and where Bourbons seem to do fairly well.
Melissa

Jerijen - so sorry, of course you're right. Both California and Florida have zone 9, but they're very different. I am unfortunate enough to live in Florida. I spray my roses with neem oil every week and pick off any leaves that blackspot still manages to settle on.

Connie, thank you for answering! I actually am relatively new to OGRs. I've been focusing on the other classes up until now because I hadn't really seen any OGRs that appealed to me. But it's helpful to know that Mrs. John Laing is a good way to ease into OGRs. :)

Windeaux, Melissa, Daisy - that was very helpful. Thank you so much. We have rainy weather in Florida, so La Reine Victoria might not do very well here. :(

Luxrosa - it sounds like Mrs. John Laing is the one for me! Thank you for your comments. :)

Anyone want to hazard a scent description?

I grow both and it's very difficult to chose one.
Both have old-rose scent but La Reine Victoria is stronger.

I love the round shape of La Reine Victoria and its silver reflection.

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And Mrs John Laing has gorgeous flowers.

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Here is a link that might be useful: A Little Bit of Paradise

La Reine Victoria was a huge favourite of GS Thomas - a good endorsement, I feel. True, the bourbons do tend to get a bit dodgy PM with me) but I love them so I will do a pre-season spray and a last clean up before winter. Also, if they get plenty of ventilation (mine are on a wall) they tend to do better. Dunno about Mrs JL - not keen on HPs as the blooms always look a bit over the top.

I have grown them both and my vote is 'Mrs. John Laing'.
Reine Victoria only lasted 2 seasons here, due to major blackspot issues, lack of vigor, marginally-hardy even with protection, a stingy bloomer and the blooms shattered quickly when it rained. I really wanted to keep it because I had lusted after its photos for so long but it was a 'wimp' in my garden and extremely disease-prone.
Mrs. John Laing, on the other hand, has bloomed the best of all my hybrid perpetuals and the blooms are not affected by the rain or wind, as evidenced by our record-breaking month of June with 28 of 30 days of rain and she still had viable blooms when few others did. It has few thorns, is wonderfully fragrant (to my nose it is the more fragrant of the two but everyone's nose is different) and slightly healthier here. I will be fair in stating that it
blackspots here but not as much as RV. It is one of the very few roses that I still have in my garden that will blackspot (no-spray) but I keep anyway....she is just so darn beautiful, fragrant and great for cutting.
Keep in mind I am zone 4, much colder and a shorter growing season but for me the choice was easy.

Celeste

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I meant to post an additional photo of MJL to illustrate the coloring she has in cool weather and hot weather.
The photo I posted (above) shows her deeper, more vibrant hues in the chill of fall here in zone 4. The following photo will show her more typical coloring in the heat of summer.

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consider me chastised (you taskmaster,jj). I confess to being totally ignorant about HPs and willing to be re-educated. I suppose I have been put off by their size, the pegging business which seems essential for bloom power and what look like enormous flowers. That is a lovely pic, though, celeste. But then, I am still a novice.

Just wanted to mention that for me, 'Mrs. John Laing' doesn't need pegging the way the majority of hybrid perpetuals do to maximize bloom potential. I have two bushes of MJL and keep them pruned somewhat like a floribunda and this rose blooms just fine as an upright bush. I agree with you that some of the HP can be stingy bloomers. In fact, for me most of the ones I grow I consider mainly once-bloomers with the rare and highly unpredictable scattered fall blooms. But I have to say that in my climate, good rebloom is a rare commodity due to my short growing season and I may be more forgiving than others.
Celeste

Hey, tho Campanula -- I have a feeling those roses might be dynamite in your conditions.

I know two people in Great Britain you might refer to.
One is Ann Bird (?current?) President of the RNRS. (Mind, I don't know her WELL. But we've met.) I know she grows Old Roses.
And there is Sean McCann, who loves ALLLL roses.

Jeri

aoibara,
I see you're just recently joined the forum: have you spent a lot of time reading posts from the members who live in Florida? I suspect that in Florida (my native state) neither of these roses is likely to do well for you, mainly on account of disease issues, though I'll be happy to be refuted by others who grow these roses in Florida or under similar conditions. Have you considered Teas and Chinas? Among the antique shrub roses, these classes are often considered to supply the most suitable roses for your climate.
Welome to the forum!
Melissa

Melissa,

I did join recently! I've read some posts on various things, but I'm still learning my way around the site, so no, I haven't looked by others in my state - I didn't realize I could.

As for the Teas and Chinas, I've done some browsing, but I'm somewhat picky about flower shape and bloom behavior. I generally like roses that are high-centered and fully double, but also anything that is cupped or globular, provided it does not explode into a limp and ragged mess at full bloom (I think many of the Austin roses are quite lovely). I'd be happy to hear other recommendations. :)

Thank you!

Reine Victoria is gorgeous but Mme Pierre Oger even more so - the same perfectly spherical shape in the softest translucent silver pink. The fragrance is sweetly evocative and old fashioned and the bush is upright and graceful. But, I would be telling a whopper if I said she was healthy and vigorous. She needs pampering and if your climate is humid, she probably isn't the rose for you. MJL would be high on my list when I come to choose my first HP. My RHS encyclopedia claims she is immensely floriferous, especially in autumn and healthy and vigorous. Have them both.

I love my Reine Victoria. It is only 2 years old and did not really have a Fall Flush this year.

I do spray but the bottom was partially obscured by Geranium Rozanne and a clematis. I did not find it had the horrible blackspot that has been reported. No more than any other rose I have. As I said, I do spray but when I am late in spraying, I do not have a BS mess on my hands.

oh isn't Rozanne a winner? Give your RV time - 3 years seems to be an average length of time for them to get going. Hope this year she is outstanding for you.

Thank you, campanula and redsox! :) I may just get both of them and see how well they do with regular sprayings of neem oil (with the understanding that RV might do horribly). If I do, I'll report back on how they fare in my climate.