My own-root plant has been vigorous. It has been cane-hardy or perhaps tip-hardy at +5F, which is as cold as the plant has suffered. I don't know how it would do with severe pruning following winter damage. The habit is rather tea-rose-like with many branches, so it might prefer minimum pruning. However, I'd expect you would still get flowers. It has been a heavy bloomer for me and the fragrance is outstanding.

My Francis Dubreuil was own root from Chamblees back in '09 and hasn't looked back since. Like Michael says, it's at least cane hardy in my zone 5 and I wouldn't call it winter tender or weak at all. Mine has faced the occasional -20 without problem once established. It is basically trouble free for me and puts out those lovely blooms even in the part sun I have it in. And Ohhh, the scent! Toe curling wonderfulness even for my sadly deficient rose nose.

As for size, mine stays about chest height - between 4-5 feet with the usual spring tip pruning. It seems to bush nicely without much help from me, and I highly recommend it.

Cynthia

It's always been a weak grower out here (and mildewed, in my climate, even when we sprayed) -- tho one ARS type said that, budded to Fort, it grew easily 5 ft. tall and bloomed like mad.

Jeri

Thank you Michaelg, Nippstress and jerijen for your input on this rose! It is interesting to see how it performs in such different climates. Especially since I would think Jeri's climate is mild enough to grow any rose like a weed! :-)

Nippstress, would you mind talking more about your own root roses, especially HTs/moderns/etc.? Which ones have performed best for you, which ones have been duds, and how do you protect them during the winter? You can feel free to send me an email through "My Page" above or reply here or start a new thread. You seem to have success with a lot of roses considered only marginally hardy and I wonder if we might have similar microclimates.

My climate is quite different from yours, and I'm glad others can vouch for 'Barcelona's hardiness since I have no experience in this regard. But I wanted to say that I've had this rose, own root, growing in a hot, dry, hostile area, and it has hung on, grown, and bloomed. I just transferred it to a better site, taking cuttings in the process, and have great hopes for it. It is a very tough rose, and just as fragrant as other posters say here.

Ispahan, my experience with Francis Dubreuil obviously will be no help to you in terms of climate hardiness. What I can do, however, is echo Nippstress and vouch for the vigor of a FD from Chamblee's. I got mine from them five years ago, and it's been a fabulously healthy rose. I was concerned at first because others on the Forum described it as a weak grower. (The word "puny" was mentioned more than once. Oh dear.)
Nope. Not even close. Mine is at about 4.5 feet and reblooms often. Perfectly happy in a large pot, it is generally the first rose to bloom in the early spring. What I have discovered, however, is that in our dry summer heat it likes a bit of afternoon shade. I have an awning over nearby French doors that does just the trick. Microclimate is what you make it.

Kay

Yes, afternoon shade would be a good idea. The flowers crisp quickly in hot sun.

It's impressive to hear that this rose has been cane-hardy in Nebraska.

On the subject of hardiness, this is a Kordes rose. I know it's been misidentified as a Tea and with that possibly an assumption of tenderness has stuck to 'Barcelona' as well. But one would think that a German breeder would tend to breed hardy roses.
By the way, the description of 'Barcelona' on HMF could use some updating, judging by what you folks are saying on this thread. Care to add some input there? You can send a message to the HMF people with information about how big your plants get and in what zones you grow it. It's this kind of input that makes HelpMeFind such a valuable resource.

Francis Dubreuil flowers, crisped within ten minutes of sun in my garden!
Daisy

Ispahan - thanks for the encouragement to post about my experiences with hardiness and winter protection in zone 5. I guess I'm a good test location for toughness in zone 5, given all of our ups and downs all year. I'll start a new thread, actually several threads, in the Roses forum since you'd asked about HTs and other moderns. Once I checked back through my records, I found quite a few HTs and Floris that are reliably cane hardy in my zone 5 yard, and it'll be interesting to see if that carries through for others of you in zone 5 or folks like Michael in zone 6 mountains.

I'll wait till fall to post something about my strategies for winter protection in cold zones, since it's largely too late to worry about it now and it'd get lost by the time folks wanted to remember it.

I did take Melissa's advice too and posted a comment for Barcelona with the information I mentioned here. I'd be happy to send that in an email to the HMF folks as well, including my other personal hardiness observations, but I couldn't find an email on the site even with a premium membership. I do have the intent to contribute to that site since I rely on it all the time, but time gets away (I started posting my garden last fall and only got through the A and B on my list).

Cynthia

Cynthia,
I think I've posted my observations in the "Comments" section for a given variety. The HMF folks read these comments and will update a rose's description using gardener input. I just checked the comments on 'Francis Dubreuil' and saw that there is in fact a discussion of FD's hardiness rating there.

Hi Melissa

Thanks for the extra information on HMF and how their system works. Lyn was very prompt at responding to this new zone information from my comment, which boggles my mind due to the sheer volume of information they have to manage on that site. It makes sense that they wouldn't have an email but monitor the comments, otherwise they'd be inundated! Kudos to Lyn and all the Help Me Find folks! This is a rose gold mine and well worth the Premium membership to keep that resource available to all of us!

Cynthia

HMF is an amazing resource and it is always the first one I turn to when researching a new rose.

Nippstress, I am sure your information about Barcelona/Francis will inspire a large amount of colder climate gardeners (myself included) to give it a try.

Thanks again,
Ispahan

I know that Nippstress and onederw have spoken highly of Chamblee's clone of this rose, but has anyone tried the one from Antique Rose Emporium? I have received some big lusty plants from them in the past, and now I wonder if a 2 gallon Francis Dubreuil/Barcelona for ARE might have a better chance of establishing for me over Chamblee's (admittedly large) 1 gallon plants?