The Much Maligned Fair Bianca
Molineux
10 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (37)
jacqueline9CA
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agokittymoonbeam
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
fair bianca
Comments (8)Hi - mad gallica, thanks - you replied to this over in NE gardening too. I'm going to post the same question about other options as I posted there, so it may seem familiar! :-) Hmmm, I did all this reading and found all good things about Fair Bianca, now am suddenly reading (here and elsewhere) not so great things about Fair Bianca. Ugh. What I'd like is a fairly compact rose with a good, strong fragrance for my front steps. It needs to have some shade tolerance. I'd prefer white, but a light pink might be ok too. My favorite roses have that cabbage rose style flower, but I like other old garden looks too (don't really love the HT pointy florist type rose flower). I'd like one with a continual or strong repeat bloom too. I know, I'm not asking much, am I? :-) Any suggestions??...See MoreFair Bianca...Jeri?
Comments (43)I think David Austin's best white has to be ROSE-MARIE, the white sport of HERITAGE. It is a good bloomer, vigorous, and forms a graceful shrub. The vase life of the bloom is shorter and the color is more of a creamy white, but still a very beautiful bloom. BTW, if you are going to get any vase life out of the rose you must cut the bloom while it is still in bud. Don't worry if the bud hasn't cracked yet. As long as one or two sepals are down you should be fine. I didn't like GLAMIS CASTLE because the myrrh fragrance was obnoxious (the blooms also shatter easily). As you folks have guessed "myrrh" can vary quite a bit. With Fair Bianca the fragrance is acceptable because of a subtle vanilla-like base note, which is why the rose marries so well with the annual Heliotrope. Tamora has a delicious myrrh fragrance because of a fruity top note. CLAIR AUSTIN is the hot new English white right now but I haven't had a chance to grow it yet. I'm dying to try BOULE DE NEIGE, a white Bourbon hybridized by Francois Lacharme in 1867. I have its pinkish-white sister COQUETTE DES BLANCHES growing in my mother's zone 7b garden and it is an exceptionally beautiful plant. The blooms are small but are blessed with perfect OGR flower form and appear in lovely sprays on a graceful (and healthy) shrub. CdB has a very strong, sweet fragrance that must be smelled to be believed. Of course no white rose can compare in beauty to the classic Damask MADAME HARDY (1832). I've searched my whole life as a rosarian for a repeat blooming substitute and have yet to find it. That is why I like Fair Bianca so much. The bloom is similar. Alas the fragrance isn't as fine, the chartreuse button eye doesn't have as much visual punch as Mme. Hardy's emerald green pip, and the plant ... well it's a joke to even try comparing the two for vigor and graceful growth habit. SOMBREUIL is a gorgeous white climber but the blooms are more of a flattened rosette verses Mme. Hardy's silky white quartered perfection. Sigh......See MoreFair Bianca - Would not be without it.
Comments (12)I will try to answer all of your questions. totoro, I have not had a problem with Blackspot, but we do spray fungicides. Here in our overly humid climate, we would not have any leaves if we didn't Lisa Adams, Thanks for your kind words. Yes my Fair Bianca is in a container. Last spring I ordered two more own root plants of Fair Bianca from Roses Unlimited and they are in a 3 gallon pot and are doing fantastically well. I would not try to grow it in my roses beds because it stays so small. Monarda, I said it is hard to grow but not because it dies suddenly. It's just that is does not grow much and I don't get alot of new basils to keep it going. After a few years, it becomes a "one can wonder" but it still blooms. jo_pyeweed, I have had some bushes of Fair Bianca grafted and some on own roots. Last spring I ordered two more own root plants of Fair Bianca from Roses Unlimited and they are in a 3 gallon pot and are doing fantastically well, probably better than the grafted ones every did. Thanks to all who have posted such wonderful compliments. Suebelle...See MoreDavid Austin’s Fair Bianca
Comments (8)I do not grow Fair Bianca and I hope someone who does comments here soon. I do however grow a good variety of David Austin roses and very very few are blackspot resistant enough in the south to be grown no spray. I specially love white roses and I am always looking for healthy ones. I am pretty certain I do not have her because the reviews have not been stellar. The best “near whites” Austins I grow no spray are Desdemona and Lichfield Angel and Claire Austin. I also grow tranquility which gets more blackspot that the other two but it is very vigorous and makes good blooms for cutting. I do not have a good picture of Claire because it was new this year, but it stayed very very clean. Desdemona Tranquility Lichfield Angel is excellent Fair Bianca does look gorgeous and I hope someone else can give you some good news. If you end up trying it please let me know how she does for you....See Moremonarda_gw
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoportlandmysteryrose
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agomendocino_rose
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agohoovb zone 9 sunset 23
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoUser
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agomonarda_gw
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agohoovb zone 9 sunset 23
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopatricianat
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agomonarda_gw
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoUser
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoratdogheads z5b NH
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agobuford
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agogiovannarosa
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agohoovb zone 9 sunset 23
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMolineux
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agojerijen
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoboncrow66
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agomichaelg
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agohoovb zone 9 sunset 23
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agokittymoonbeam
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agobuford
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agokittymoonbeam
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agomonarda_gw
5 years agosarahshadowood
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agomonarda_gw
3 years agoA Les
3 years agoAnn9BNCalif
3 years agoUser
3 years agoA Les
3 years agoAnn9BNCalif
3 years agoLarissa McMahon
2 years agosummersrhythm_z6a
2 years agovickysgarden
2 years ago
Related Stories
FRUIT TREESHow to Grow Your Own Persimmons
Sturdy and easy to care for, these trees offer bright fruit through winter — and keeping them in bounds is no sweat
Full StoryGARDENING AND LANDSCAPINGGrow a Lush Privacy Screen
No need to wait forever for patio privacy the green way. These 10 ideas will get your screening up and running in no time
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNSmall Garden? You Can Still Do Bamboo
Forget luck. Having bamboo that thrives on a wee plot just takes planning, picking the right variety, and keeping runners in check
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: A Victorian Cottage in Sydney Opens Up
Colors, not walls, now define spaces in this once-dreary home — and the new airy garden overlook helps too
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNUsing White Marble: Hot Debate Over a Classic Beauty
Do you love perfection or patina? Here's how to see if marble's right for you
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNAlternatives to Granite Countertops, Part II
Still looking for a new kind of countertop? Try sodalite, zinc, limestone, onyx and more
Full StoryFURNITURE12 Occasional Chairs for All Occasions
Stylish Extra Seating You Won't Want to Stash in the Closet
Full StoryMOVINGRelocating Help: 8 Tips for a Happier Long-Distance Move
Trash bags, houseplants and a good cry all have their role when it comes to this major life change
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNHouzz Quiz: What Kitchen Countertop Is Right For You?
The options for kitchen countertops can seem endless. Take our quiz to help you narrow down your selection
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: See How a Garden Author Brings Nature to the City
Garden designer and author Baylor Chapman shows her love of nature in her San Francisco apartment and deck
Full StorySponsored
Ann9BNCalif