Daisy, We are cooler, but rather arid.
Bourbons are AWFUL here.
They're not the boomers they are elsewhere, and they have awful foliage problems.

Jeri In Coastal Southern CA

Bourbons will have intense disease problems in a wet and humid climate. I don't even think about growing these here. Most attempts have been disastrous. 'Gruss an Teplitz' was a horror show here, as was 'Mme. Pierre Oger'. (Both of these were dug out and discarded) 'Mme. Isaac Perriere' does OK here with regular spraying, but isn't an ideal performer. Its not just Blackspot either; they get Mildew like no tomorrow. Definitely a class of roses that needs the right climate to prosper.

Paul

What about Maggie? She does quite well in New Orleans and I know for a fact that it is humid there. Is she the exception?

I don't know if Paul has tried Maggie, but we did.

It was a mizzible thing that muddled along for several years, blooming minimally and not growing much.
Foliage wasn't great, either.
This was frustrating, when I know what it does in warmer climes.
By the time we removed it, it was close to dead on its own.

If I ever live someplace really hot, I will grow Maggie.
Meanwhile she has been replaced by a Found Tea Rose which is quite happy in that prime location.

Jeri

We spray ours, so disease isn't an issue. But, ZD had severe rose midge issues and MIP lost a lot of buds (birds eating them?) last year.

The only Bourbon I have is Mme. Cornelissen. My climate is hot and dry for most of the year, but this is a young band so I have no idea how it will do. It's in an area that has afternoon shade and I see no reason why it wouldn't do well here, since I have no disease issues. That being said, I don't know why the Bourbons might not be given a try in Crete also. I would first try out Souvenir de Malmaison and her relatives (my plant is one of those) since they seem to like heat. You won't know for sure unless you try to grow at least one Bourbon.

Souvenir de la Malmaison does very well here--she likes a rain-free growing season for her thin and very delicate petals.

MIP does well in my sister-in-laws garden, aways inland where disease is not much of a problem due to the low humidity. Also, slightly colder winters there must help. I think they like a little chill in the winter. My 'Louise Odier' never bloomed at all in 8 years here.

How does 'Maggie' perform in Dallas, TX or a similar climate. We definitely have hot, dry summers. I like the looks of 'Maggie' but don't want to deal w/ a lot of blackspot.
thanks

I've had mixed results with my bourbons. Maggie has been great and is one of my favorites; Zephrine D. is a stingy bloomer, but I hang on to it; MIP was disease prone and I was never pleased with its form so it is no longer in my garden, and my SDLM is too young for me to judge. I'm not much help here, I'm afraid.
Molly

I've seen three bourbons do extremely well here ... Souvenir de la Malmaison, Souvenir de St Anne, & Maggie.
Those three completely love it here in the heat.
The rest of the SdlM clan might also do fine here, but I've never seen them growing in any garden here, so I can't say for sure.
If you're going to try a bourbon there in Crete, I'd try Souvenir de St Annes first.
We already know Souvenir de St Anne likes the heat, and her petals would be less likely to ball in humidity & rain than Souvenir de la Malmaison (that's not a problem for SdlM at all in my climate but might be in yours).

Randy

Does anyone of you have experience with Sophie's Perpetual? It is Bourbon, and I was hoping to be able to grow it here.

FJ

Sophie's Perpetual MIGHT be a Bourbon, but it is a Found Rose, so no one really knows.

It's an oddity, but if it likes you, it is exquisitely beautiful.
For me, it was happier in a container than in the ground.
We lost it through an unfortunate accident, but I will get it again one day.

Jeri

I began trying Bourbons here in Italy reluctantly, as I'd had less than impressive results with them in Olympia, Washington: disease and uninspiring growth. But they appear to like the farm. We have winter chill and dry hot summers, cooler at night, and my Bourbons seem to like it. I have 'Louise Odier', 'Honorine de Brabant', 'Zepherine Drouhin', 'Variegata di Bologna'--these have all been in the garden for about three years, in an exceptionally unfriendly position--and more recently, SDLM and 'Souv. de St. Anne's', the former slow, the latter growing and blooming like the Last Trump is about to sound, and it wants to be ready in its glory. These roses were all disease free until our unseasonal late spring deluge of 2008, when ZD got tremendous rust, the first time that disease has ever appeared in the garden. The Bourbons like this climate. I've heard they do need winter chill. Here with our heavy soil they can handle drought, but they need late summer water in order to rebloom.

Melissa

I had ZD, Louise Odier and Reine Victoria in Santa Fe and they all did very well. Here in SW VA they are blackspot magnets. I have ZD on the arbor over the front steps. She is great in her first spring flush and an huge embarrassment the rest of the year.

Here if grown no spray they defoliate from BS. SDLM, Maggie, MIP and many other I tried (more then 20 ). However if you spray once in 3-4 weeks with Banner they are wonderful. I found that with bourbons systemic fungicide stays longe in in their system. For majority of other roses here you have to spray every 2 weeks to keep leaves, BS pressure is very high.
As I move to no spray I gave away Maggie, SDLM and majority of others. But I still keeep Deuil de Dr Reynaud, MIP and Mme d'Enfert. Nothing can beat their fragrance and as I mentioned I spray them once a month.
Olga

Daisy is it dry in Crete in the summer? Here in my Northern California climate which is somewhat Mediteranian bourbons are very happy. I grow many of them successfully. They are so very beautiful. Why not try a few and see how they do.

Thank-you, all of you for your responses.
Crete has a very dry, warm to hot climate in the summer.
No rain at all for three to five months every year.
The winters are cool and wet. Perhaps just the occasional light frost, and or, snowfall.
However the Island of Reunion is tropical. It has much more rainfall year round, and very high humidity. Yet the Bourbon family, which originated there, supposedly doesn't like my drier climate according to the rose suppliers!

I am glad to see from your replies that there are some worth trying, especially SDLM and family. They are some of my favourites.
Daisy

Daisy,
In my part of California we have a dry warm summer and cool sometimes rainy winter, but much less of the cool fog influence Jerijen has. Quite different roses do well for me than do for her. I grow several Bourbons successfully with only a single winter spray. They are Louise Odier, Honorine de Brabant, and Deuil de Dr Reynaud. DeDR gets a fair amount of powdery mildew some years late in the summer, and LO gets that cane dieback that some Bourbons seem to get. HdB doesn't get anything here.

Funny as it seems I had very poor luck with Souvenir de Malmaison. My first (own root) plant proliferated with every rose it ever bore. I culled it and tried again, this time with a grafted plant that may have been virused. That one got some hideous creeping crud disease and I threw it away in horror.

You might also want to consider some of the more disease resistant of the hybrid perpetuals. I was hesitant to try them but they now number among my favorite roses.

Rosefolly

And, see -- I have tried Louise Odier twice, Honorine de Brabant once (unsuccessfully), and SDlM at least three times.
Someone said they got only one bloom in 3 years from Louise Odier -- well, I think I got at least 3 blooms.
But that's just not good enough.

I will just have to enjoy Bourbons in other gardens, in other places.

On the plus side of the ledger, though the plants are still immature, "Single Red China," "Emmie Gray" 'Miss Lowe's Sanguinea,' and "Bengal Fire." are all firing up.
Louis Phillipe is covered with buds. White Pearl In Red Dragons Mouth/Chi Long Han Zhu is still corking along -- all these wonderful red Chinas make up for a lot. Teas are covered with buds up and down the hill, and Yaller Lady Banks is in full bloom.

Jeri

Perhaps one issue is that while the class we call Bourbons came from Reunion, most of the Bourbon roses we have do not? I have quite a few and they are certainly spotty as a class. I cant imagine growing them without some spraying. I have never had problems with mildew though. Some do well and others dont. For do wells that no one has mentioned Sir Joseph Paxton and Prince Napoleon are both French Bourbons that do really well. I also have to say that though we get lots of spring rain balling is not as much an issue with SDLM as I would have expected. There is a hybrid Bourbon I would encourage anyone to try. Mme Lariol de Barny. A long season of bloom and really beautiful.

patricia

Rosefolly,Thanks for suggesting hybrid perpetuals. Ferdinand Pichard is one of my favourites. He grew happily, both in dryer, sunnier, Surrey and in cloudy, wet Cornwall in the U.K.
I have ordered Francis Durbreuil from Peter Beales, as he recommends it for warmer climates and I see he classes that one as a hybrid perpetual.

Jeri, Your description of your roses sound so yummy!
I can almost see your garden in front of me , the way you describe it.

Daisy

Thank-you Patriciae, I think you have hit the nail on the head. It didn't occur to me that most of the Bourbons currently grown were not raised until some time after their debut, and a long way away from Reunion. I think I have middle-age brain death!
I know Mme Lauriol de Barny. I agree she is a beauty.

Daisy,

The rose that's sold as 'Francis Dubreuil' is actually a 1930's-vintage Hybrid Tea Rose: 'Barcelona.'
It DOES need a warmer climate to do well, but I hear from a local exhibitor that it is really at its best when budded.
(Well, THAT isn't surprising! It's a Hybrid Tea Rose! Of COURSE it's better budded!)

I just keep thinking that the Teas might really work well for you, as they do for us.
I'd love to see you try either 'Niles Cochet,' or 'Mme. Berkeley,' both of which are pretty bulletproof.

Jeri

Daisy,

I say try whatever roses speak to your heart. I grow Bourbons in the hot, humid south and a lot of them do very well here. They do get some blackspot but so do the Teas and Chinas that are supposed to be perfect for my climate. You have lots of varied opinions here, and you really won't know how they will do in your garden until you try them for yourself. You'll love Francis D.! Mine is 5 ft x 3 ft own root. I even have an HP or two that does well here, against all odds :-) BTW, you live in a beautiful place.

Carol

Jeri, Your comment implies that, universally, ALL HTs are at their best only if they're budded. Not true. Most HTs may perform better if they are, but some are every bit as good on their own roots.

I did not say that, Jax.

But that particular HT -- Barcelona, which is sold as Francis Dubreuil -- appears to grow bigger and stronger when budded.
AND MANY OF THEM DO.

They were bred with the knowledge that they would be sold budded, after all.

OTOH, I grow Gardens Of The World here, and curse the day they budded it onto virused Dr. Huey Rootstock.
It doesn't need rootstock at all, and would have done fine without any.

Jeri

Barcelona grows just fine here own root.