For me, Comte de Chambord is one of the better Portland roses. It blooms regularly, has good color and fragrance, and generally survives our winters and springs. That said, it must be sprayed regularly for blackspot. No escape here. I do not grow Sombreuil so I can't say much although it may get rather large.

Sorry to say this, but I just shovel prunned both of these roses in my garden. CdC gets ugly crude on his leaves even when sprayed every two weeks with BM/MZ. Jacques Cartier is supposed to be a better rose and is almost identical, but I only know this second hand. Sombreuil, after 5 years, was a poor bloomer and never overwinterd well. He always got canker on most of his canes. I usually had to chop him down to about 6 inches. I do not winter protect. YMMV.

But hey, you may have a different experience.

Barbara

Wendy, drop me a note. One of our (new) CRs has grown Sombreuil for a few years. I'll ask her.

Diane, you have mail :) And THANK YOU so much in advance. What is "CR" stand for?

Yikes, Barbara, after reading your review I got pretty discouraged. I hope and pray mine do well for me. Time and lots of TLC will tell.

I do spray my roses regularly, so that won't be a problem. Hey, I grow lots of Austins, so I kind of "have to" spray.

the bustopher, thanks so much for your input. You gave me hope. :)

---
Wendy

Consulting Rosarian.

Thanks again, Diane. Now I'm blushing because I feel I should have known that abbreviation.

---
Wendy

My sombruelli is doing pretty well I've had it about 5 years. For me it only has 2-3 flushes a year and is better than average for BS. I didn't spray it the second year and it didn't get BS until August, around here spraying starts the first week in May. I get no winter kill. Mine is about 10' wide and about 12' high and grows facing east against our shed.

'Sombreuil' has been a tough and reliable rose for me in coastal zone 6 for the last 8 years. Last winter it had no die back at all. It makes a rather stiff and thorny plant that is hard to train along a low fence. I have it on a 4' picket fence and it is just too low. In my zone it would be much better as a pillar or trellised against a wall.

The flowers are very double and come is sprays that open over an extended period. It blooms several times throughout the summer and the constant new growth ensures that even if it drops some leaves there are always new ones on the way. I have this rose in a very prominent place as it is a favorite.

'Compte de Chamborde' is one of the most charming of the OGRs and deserves a place in any garden devoted to them. My fourteen year old own root plant is still small with thin wiry canes to a couple of feet, but it does acceptably well in a mixed border of iris, catmint, and daylilies and is at its most charming when surrounded by the tiny daisy like flowers of feverfew.

{{gwi:245207}}

I think you did great Wendy. Enjoy them.

Carla

OMG palustris, your CdC with feverfew is just stunning! Dennis, palustris, and Carla, you all just put a HUGE smile on my face, thank you so much.

I planted my Comte de Chambord in a bed with Araham Darby to the far right, CdC to the far left, The Prince in the mid front, white Salvia, and Delphinium. Sombreuil is next to Heritage, and next to that is Zephirine Drouhin (sp.??) This year I built a HUGE trellis, which comfortably holds 3 climbers. The trellis is 14' long, 8' high, and has sections in the middle, so that I can (hopefully) train each climber up and along the trellis. I know patience is the key, especially since that particular bed is only in its second year.

Thanks again, all. Your input is so much appreciated. :)

---
Wendy

I bought the same two from my Home Depot. CdeC is doing well, I like it. The "Sombreuil" is doing well too.....only its not Sombreuil. It appears to be a yellow floribunda, probably Sunsprite or Sunflare. So hope you get the actual roses you bought.....The yellow is pretty........but I wanted Sombreuil.
Judith

Good luck with your new roses--A couple of years ago I bought The MacCartney rose from HD and it has been wonderful---I've also had some failures but it is worth a try.

Good Luck,
Florence

Oh-ooh Judith, I sure hope I have Sombreuil because the spot she's in was designated for a white climber. Time will tell, and I'll keep you all posted.

Florence, thank you for the good-luck wishes. So far both of them seem happy enough, they continue to get more growth on them, and will be sprayed this evening along with the rest of my roses (it's that time of the month, lol)

---
Wendy

jersey, CdC is a must have. It has color and fragrance to die for. Yes, it must be sprayed and the leaves get a little cruddy looking...but WHO CARES when it puts out blooms like that.

I also have Sombreiul and it's lovely. I am not sure which version you have, it's probably the same as mine (really Colonial White). Mine is a climber also, it gets very large and wild, so train it early. The blooms are thick and white, like cream velvet. It also has a wonderful fragrance. It has better disease resistance than CdC, but I still spray.

Oh, and once I had those roses in my arms, I totally forgot about the touch-up paint. Go figure.
* * *
yes roses do damage short term memory.