Two I can think of, musk and rambler. Both types get big and the musk roses are all very fragrant. Felicite Paramentier is one of the smaller bushes in the class.

Lance

Spinossisima and Species.

I think you are dead on. Felicite Parmentier has a delicacy and perfect refinement about it. It has a lovely weak knee type stench about it.

It is one of the smaller Albas.

It took a trip, best of all, to the royalty table last Spring for our household. It deserved it.

OTOH if you like white 'Armide' (Alba, Vibert, 1818) has done very nicely for us.

For a darker colored Alba KVD is nice although a bit larger.

Here is a link that might be useful: Königin von Dänemark (Alba, Booth, 1826)

Thanks Lance and Mad Gallica. Musk (I assume different from Hybrid Musk?), Rambler (I do have a tree one might like), Species, and Spinossisima will go on the list.

I have "Renee Danielle," classed variously as a "large flowered climber" and "hybrid Wichurana"....would it count as a rambler? It certainly is behaving like one.

Thanks Iowa Jade, good to hear some validation on Felicite :)

Eric

CLASSIC ROSES
Alba: Konigin von Danemark or Great Maiden's Blush
Gallica: Belle de Crecy or Charles de Mills
Damask: Madame Hardy or La Ville de Bruxelles
Centifolia: Fantin-Latour
Moss: General Kleber
China: Comtesse du Cayla
Tea: Lady Hillingdon or Duchesse de Brabant
Noisette: Blush Noisette
Tea-Noisette: Celine Forestier or Duchesse d'Auerstadt
Bourbon: Louise Odier or Madame Isaac Pereire or Souvenir de la Malmaison
Portland: Rose de Rescht
Hybrid Perpetual: Reine des Violettes or Baronne Prevost
Polyantha: Perle d'Or
Hybrid Tea: Double Delight or Tiffany
Floribunda: Europeana
Grandiflora: Gold Medal or Lagerfeld
Miniature: Pink Poodle
Hybrid Musk: Buff Beauty or Lyda Rose
Hybrid Rugosa: Fru Dagmar Hastrup
Hybrid Kordesii: Dortmund
Large Flowered Climber: Sombreuil
Rambler: Veilchenblau
English: Golden Celebration
Landscape: Knockout
Shrub: Belinda's Dream
Species: Rosa primula or Rosa virginiana

Image of Souvenir de la Malmaison by ArchDuke at Hortiplex

Patrick,

I tried ever so very hard last year to get a friend to try Great Maiden's Blush. All she could see is a huge big green tree thingy and she ofted for something that was much smaller and in bloom in the dead of summer.

I will have to try again in the spring this year when she should have problems finding any green through all of the blossoms.

FP is a much smaller alba and a different animal. Botzaris is also smaller than many other Damask roses. Madame Hardy is one of those perfect roses.

Should we only grow the most perfect roses?

FP is more perfect IMHO than GMB. GMB fits more perfectly into my Shock & Awe Campaign. Eric was looking for a smaller Alba.

It still is an interesting question.

Foghorn

Thanks Patrick for putting that list together, it certainly has some possibilities for other classes I don't have yet like the Rugosa or Tea-Noisette.

Foghorn, yes, certainly looking for smaller representatives. My lot is 30' wide X 150' long, so space is always in short supply, I'm ever finding ways to squeeze another rose in here or there. I almost got Madame Hardy instead of Botzaris, but I've got a soft spot for less widely grown or known varieties...seemed like it was the less popular sister of Mme Hardy.

I think if you have the space, then yes, grow the perfect rose for you. If you could grow one Alba, what would it be...I assume it's FMB for Patrick :)

Eric

Eric,

I misread your first post. You are looking for smaller Albas. Please don't get GREAT MAIDEN'S BLUSH. It is a big cultivar. There is a smaller version simply called MAIDEN'S BLUSH. You might want to look that one up, along with FELICITE PARMENTIER. Both Maiden's Blush (not GMB) and Konigin von Danemark can still get big, but are smaller than the typical "tree" Alba. Your best bet is FELICITE PARMENTIER.

Many of the roses on that list (like Dortmund) get big so double check before buying. SOUVENIR DE LA MALMAISON is a short Bourbon that typically stays put at 3 feet tall. IMHO definately worth having.

Patrick

Patrick,

No problem. I still think there are some good suggestions on there. I'll definitely check out sizes (another thing the rose forum is good for). I've had SDLM on order after all the enabling I received here. :)

I think it's going to be Felicite Parmentier. Vintage has got a band, I'd like to get a gallon size...ARE is sold out, Ashdown and RU don't carry it...any vendor suggestions?

Eric

Just found one at Rogue Valley roses. woohoo!

E

Celestial is a beautiful Alba as well.

Also, I don't know that Charles de Mills is a small-mid sized Gallica, as far as I've heard, he spread like mad and will take up quite a large area.

Eric, do you plan to spray these roses? It strikes me that almost all roses on your list (with the exception of Charles de Mills and probably Cecille Brunner) will require spraying in my garden. I don't know how bad is BS pressure in your area, of course. There are plenty of BS resistant roses in these classes, but somehow you choose the ones that are more prone to BS then others.
Healthy Albas for me are: KvD, Semiplena, Celestial, Maxima.
Olga

Hi Olga, I do spray with a fungicide once a week...if I'm good. I'm not sure how high the BS pressure is here. I'm not religous about spraying and might have a leaf or two here and there with BS if I go a couple of weeks without spraying. I suppose I could experiment this year and not spray at all, then see if they all defoliate, then I'd know :)

I know about Charles de Mills' suckering tendencies..I have it own root. I'm fully prepared to dig up suckers and prune him to fit :)

Eric

I had a blackspot problem for the first time ever in my garden last summer. It struck all my Austins, bourbons, climbers, and my hy perp, tea, centifolia, and portland. But there was not a speck of bs on both of my albas--Queen of Denmark and Felicite Parmentier.

Queen of Denmark was my first rose, and my favorite Alba.

I love Patrick's recommended Fru Dagmar Hastrup. Another good one is a new compact rugosa from J&P, 'Wild Spice'. It's like a miniature version of R. rugosa alba-- pretty white single blooms but on a compact rounded small shrub. I've gardened north and south, and up where you are I'd think twice about the noisettes, teas, and Chinas. You can grow eglanteria 'Lord Penzance', Shepherd's Golden Wings, r. rubrifolia 'Carmenetta', r. dupontii and they'll all thrive..something they WON'T do for us down here...!!

Ah Barbara, if I only I were a huge fan of single blooms. I can pretty much try one noisette, MAC, and only a handful of chinas....I'm going to give them a shot :)

I'll look into the recommendations of Fru Dagmar and Wild Spice.

Thanks!

Eric

I recommend Stanwell Perpetual for a Spinossissima. Nice fragrance, constant blooms, winter hardy.
For Albas, I have grown Suaveolens, SemiPlena, Maidens Blush, Madame Plantier, and Felicite Parmentier. By far, the most fragrant and compact is Felicite.

Rugosa with lots of petals? Rosarie de l'Hay, Therese Bugnet. Both will provide some fall foliage color but won't set a lot of hips.

I think that if you choose Felicite Parmentier you will be happy with your selection.

I also agree that Stanwell Perpetual is a very pleasing rose. I love mine. Delicate, lacy, and hardy.

As for a rugosa, RdlH is a very nice rose, but if you want one that is similar but a bit smaller you might look at Dart's Dash. As a bonus, it sets hips the size of crab apples. It too is a favorite of mine.

Rosefolly

I've got Felicite Parmentier on order from Rogue Valley. Barbara, Therese Bugnet looks good to me :)

I like Dart's Dash for the compact size, its blooms look semi-double...less fuller than Therese's.

Thanks for the recommendations and input everybody.

Eric

I can't believe everyone left out eglantines, such as greenmantle.

Alba: 'Maxima'
Pimpinellifolia: 'Red Nelly'/'Single Cherry'
Rugosa: Louise Bugnet
Dag