Archduke Charles Cramoisi Superieur Hermosa Blush Noisette Lady Hillingdon Madame Lombard Maman Cochet Marie Van Houtte Mrs. B. R. Cant Rosette Delizy

*** In my experience, these are "must-haves."
But you will want input from CemeteryRose (Anita) who is in Sacramento.
I have known Souv de Mme. Leonie Viennot as more or less a once-bloomer, and she is HUGE. But in the Sacramento Cemetery, they've trimmed her into a huge ball.
I would add Niles Cochet, if you can.

Jeri

Wonderful, thank you Jeri! So nice to be able to draw on the experience of others.

Archduke Charles, Blush Noisette, Duchesse de Brabant, Mrs. Dudley Cross, Rosette Delizy, Madame Lombard, Mrs. B.R. Cant, Marie van Houtte.

If you have the space every garden should have a plant of Mutabilis.

Ingrid

And, if you have room for it, Smith's Parish can't be beat for year-round color and freedom from disease rust or mildew.

I'm also becoming pretty impressed with Emmie Gray.

Jeri

Sigh. I was faced with the same problem but never did get the list down to 8!! Three I would never be without-- Mutabilis, Duchesse de Brabant, Monsieur Tillier. And one I wouldn't plant again-- Lady Hillingdon, as she's just not as healthy or vigorous as many other teas (not her fault, she's yellow!) Our climate is very different here-- intense blackspot pressures and we get periodic hard frosts/freezes. I think you'll love Blush Noisette, that one's a no-brainer!! Enjoy your roses.

I love Rosette de Lizzy. The color changes and the bloom form are wonderful. Mine is still tiny, but I understand it can get huge (up to 15) in your area.

Buford, Rosette Delizy (we have the ARE clone) is probably about 18 ft tall here, now.
We've had it for close on 20 years, and it's a head-turner.
A very late Tea Rose, and one that's great for a "first" Tea. (The colors have sort of a modern look.)
I love this rose. It's one I could never, ever, give up.
When the weather is very hot, she goes a bit pastel. But when it cools down, she's deep-colored and very striking.

Jeri

Sammy ^_^ I like that kind of thinking! Unfortunately, my husband was not so inclined to agree with you. That gave me a good chuckle though, I certainly know I would feel GREAT to order 20 roses! I did order 8 roses last Fall so I do have to feed my rose addiction more slowly :)

Well it sounds like Rosette Delizy and Blush Noisette are definites, so that's 2/8 :D Mutabilis we had at the place I used to work, actually they have several very large bushes...they are beautiful and everyone always asked about them. Perhaps I should give that one more thought, but for some reason it never captured me? I'm not sure why, maybe I'm crazy.

Mrs BR Cant, Mme Lombard, Duchesse de Brabant, and Archduke Charles also seem to be getting good feedback.

All of them are good - I also like G. Nabonnand. Bought as a one gallon last spring, then repotted, it has flourished into a lovely bush that I am ready to plant in the ground, and it blooms lots and has very healthy folliage. I really like it! Rosette Delizy is a must.
Judith

Lombard is one of the most-commonly-found roses in your area. That should tip the scales in her favor.

Jeri

I will be serious now. Oklahoma climate is very different from California, but Cramoisi Superieur is absolutely beautiful for me. It usually is in bloom, and is very pretty.
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Duchesse de Brabant is also pretty as are some others. I have some trouble getting Mrs. B.R.Cant to get established, but she is also beautiful.

That is a wonderful list of roses you have there. One china I would like for you to consider is Le Vesuve from ARE. This is one of my very favorites. Very healthy and blooms ALL THE TIME! Also, very pretty bush form. Mrs. B. R. Cant and Duchess De Brabant are 2 of my favorite teas.

Le Vesuve is an excellent suggestion. This strong, healthy rose comes as close to being a true everbloomer as any I've seen.

Of the roses actually on your list: Archduke Charles, Blush Noisette, Gilbert Nabonnand (also an everbloomer), Mrs. B. R. Cant, and Rosette Delizy are all on my short list of favorites. I wouldn't want to be without any of them.

Well, it all depends on what you like - and how much space you have -

If you get a chance to visit the Sacramento cemetery, you can see quite a few of these roses in maturity. We have about half of the teas on your list. Lady Hlllingdon is fabulous here. Madame Lombard is good, too - we have it collected from a variety of locations, under a variety of study names, and every single plant mildews on the same week when the weather cools in the fall! We don't spray, and the plants recover, but be forewarned.

Duchesse de Brabant is a must-have - a little prone to mildew in the spring, but not bad. It blooms most of the year, and the fragrance is wonderful.

You don't have Mons. Tillier on your list - it's the hit of the cemetery collection - a truly incredible, healthy, nonstop blooming rose.

Maman Cochet is lovely - I prefer White Maman Cochet, personally, because I'm a sucker for those rosy-red buds that open to a lemony white. All of the Cochets grow very angularly and really don't respond well to being shortened.

We have been growing Mrs. Dudley Cross and Mrs. B. R. Cant for a couple of years - both are healthy, but Mrs. BRC is far more striking. I'm crazy about Mme Antoine Mari, a lovely, fairly small rose with exquisite blooms. My friend, Barbara, grows Bon Silene, and it's done really well in her garden. Francis Dubreuil has been a weak performer in my garden, and it's probable that it's actually a more modern HT. We have Rubens in the cemetery - nice but not very distinctive.

I don't know Madame Laurette Messimy, but we grow all of the other Chinas, and they are reliable roses. Archduke Charles really touches my heart. Cramoisie Superior is nice, too, but it's not even close to AC in my opinion.

We took out Alberic Barbier from the cemetery because it was such a monster. Truly beautiful glossy green foliage and lovely flowers, a nice rose if you have the space. Souv de Mme Leonie Viennot is another monster - ours is only a huge ball because it collapesed its structure - it mildews some, and I would never grow it in my home garden because I don't have room. If I were to grow one big once blooming climber, I'd go for Belle Portugaise.

You don't have Perle d'Or on your list. It's the best rose, period, in the cemetery garden. It was blooming bravely today, in the cold, windy rain. We do nothing to care for it. It is found everywhere in northern California, for good reason.

Blush Noisette is fine, with a lovely fragrance and almost always in bloom. I find it rather undistinctive, however.

Hope this helps.
Anita

From what I have seen over the years Jeri's list looks perfect. Hermosa would bloom most of the winter in your area and not get black spot in the bargain.

Lance

I actually planted Le Vesuve and Etoile de Lyon last Fall...glad to know Le Vesuve is much loved. They're both settling in nicely, can't wait to see how they progress this year. As for Mons. Tillier, I'm not sure how I missed that one, but it looks like its going to have to be added to the list!

As for room, I took out every scrap of lawn in our 75x75 back garden, from which about 1/2 is available to plant roses in (rest is in shade), so I have lots of room still. There are probably 10 or so smaller sized roses already in, but I have room for several large roses, mid-sized, and always still room for smaller roses as well.

Let me try and condense what suggestions you all have given me thus far...

Archduke Charles
Cramoisi Superieur
Hermosa
Blush Noisette
Lady Hillingdon
Madame Lombard
Maman Cochet
Marie Van Houtte
Mrs. B. R. Cant
Rosette Delizy
Duchesse de Brabant
Mrs Dudley Cross
G Nabonnand
Mme Antoine Mari
Bon Silene

Added suggestions:

Mutabilis
Mons. Tillier
Perle d'Or

Wow its really hard to decide...there are so many wonderful roses out there for one garden to be able to contain them all.

Sammy...I'm feeling that stress now! ^_^

You must have Craomisi Superieur. It's wonderful. Love that list of Teas too. Good luck. You know you're asking the enablers for help here don't you.

Carla

Looking at ARE's site and seeing what's in stock here are my eight for your garden, verdant0green. Though I'd love to have your gift certificate, I definitely don't envy your dilemna. It is so difficult. I would probably wind up adding my own money to the pot, since limiting myself is not fun. So here goes.
LeVesuve - tried to buy the climber last summer from Ashdown, but they ran out.
Mme Antoine Mari - gorgeous and supposed to be fairly small.
Archduke Charles - love the pink & red combo
Maman Cochet
Arethusa - An apricot China; this would be my choice instead of Perl d'Or
Jean Bach Sisley - love the foliage and the fluffy flowers
Marie d'Orleans
Winecup - I'm not a fan of singles mostly, but this one is gorgeous. Flowers look like burgundy velvet. And the maroon new foliage is beautiful.
Gruss an Aachen - Luscious English-looking flowers with a smell that is to die for. Not a Tea or China, but I have 4 of them and want several more. Simply perfect.
Enjoy shopping!
Sherry

Sometimes pretty singles are nice to add in with all the fuller blooming roses. I planted Emmie Grey last year, not thinking I would like her very much (she was supposed to be Spice). She is fast becoming one of my favorites. She has started blooming again already, and blooms very cheery shades of pink to bright pink, almost in a feminine way. I find she performs best in full all day sun. The bush itself has few thorns and is attractive and healthy. She adds some interest in the garden because she is different.

The teas mentioned are also excellent.

Sandy

Hey Sandy! I brought Emmie Grey home from ARE last Fall, and I am HOOKED on this trouble-free, productive rose!

I wanted to compare it with some other red singles -- but she quickly demonstrated her unique nature. She IS different, and while she's not in the ground yet, she's demonstrated that she deserves a GOOD spot.

She seems quite upright. Anyone know her eventual size and habit?

Jeri

I have Mrs Dudley Cross and I am very happy with the form, cleanliness and bloom cycle. However, there is no scent.

I have heard that Marie Van Houtte is almost identical in looks and has a very strong fragrance. This one is on my short list.

ThonotoRose

The blooms of Perle d'Or have proved to be a lot more durable in hot weather than those of my Arethusia, which were thoroughly cooked by noon before the plant was moved to Louis XIV's sun-protected neighborhood. Good thing the two roses look good together. Both apricots are healthy and floriferous, with pleasing growth habits. I'd probably have a hard time choosing between them in a milder summer climate.

I like Gruss an Aachen, but if space limitations forced me to make a choice, I'd hold out for Pink GaA (AKA Irene Watts). The color is better, IMHO.

Marie d'Orleans is a good, generous rose, and quite the little attention grabber. It's the only rose in my collection that my non-gardening dh can identify by name. After 3 years of hearing him laughingly refer to it "that sea urchin rose" or "the bed head rose," it was vaguely unsettling to hear him call it "Marie d'Orleans" last year.

Well this was supremely difficult but I think I've narrowed it down to:

Duchesse de Brabant
Mons. Tillier
Mrs. B.R. Cant
Archduke Charles
Perle d'Or
Mme. Antoine Mari
Rosette Delizy
Mme. Alfred Carriere (oops this one came out of left field, totally forgot its been on my list of wants)

It was hard to cut out so many roses but theres always next time I suppose ^_^

You'll be happy with these roses - Mme Alfred Carriere is one of my all-time favorites - relatively thornless, too (my hands look like hamburger right now from struggling with fiercely armed climbers - there is no way to tie them with gloves on!).
Anita

Your final list is wonderful! I don't think you're going to be disappointed in any of these roses.

Ingrid

That's a wonderful list, and if you had to choose ANOTHER 8 you'd probably go thru the same deliberation again. I think you'll be all smiles when your new roses start to bloom. Enjoy!

Great choices! They'll make wonderful additions to your rose garden.
Sherry

Thank you all for your wonderful help, being able to draw on others' personal experience is invaluable :)