Hi Muscovy,

It's too bad (or quite wonderful) that you already have Semi Plena in another spot since that rose fits your requirements perfectly. He's a favorite of mine and has the nicest foliage, I think. If you're after foliage, I'd steer away from Queen of Denmark, a magnificent rose in her own way. Her blooms are positively gorgeous scent-wise and form-wise, but her foliage is coarser and more damask-like. I've found that the fluffier albas have spent blooms which tend to cling more than the singles and semis do. You might try lovely Celeste. She's inclined to drop spent petals and she has finer foliage. Sweet scent, too. Carol

Some possibles to compare. At bottom right is Chloris, above that is Celestial, with Great Maiden's Blush at top center. In a small pot to the upper left is Mme Plantier, with Felicite Parmentier at middle left, and some species type Albas in a little bucket in the middle (for color reference).

If you really want bluish, Alba type foliage, I'd say that Celestial's the right rose for the job, though you might need two or three of them to cover that wide an area very quickly, it's neither very big or very recumbent by nature. GMB shows some damask influence in its leaflets, but tends to be bigger than Celestial, and mine is willing to arch and sprawl a bit. The other three non-species roses aren't pure enough Albas to have the sort of foliage you describe, and Chloris suckers aggressively. I love all of them, but think of the class as a marketing label for whitish once-bloomers with foliated sepals, and a fragrance more reminiscent of Canina than Damask. No guarantee that they're close relatives though, and their foliage reflects that.

I was thinking about 'Chloris', just because it gets so big and tall. ffff is right that it suckers, but if it's in grass and gets mowed around you can control that. 'Chloris' has few thorns and I've always found it very healthy. 'Celestial' is a beautiful color and fragrance, but is a smaller growing and somewhat fussier rose than other Albas in my garden. Have you thought about 'Alba Maxima'? This is a big tall beauty, with thorns. Not a rose for a place where rust is a problem, but otherwise good. I don't recall whether it holds on to old blooms or not.
Melissa

Hi again folks, thanks for some great answers and comparisons :) Ffff - did you set that photo up just for me? Thankyou! You are right though - my fave foliage of that lot is definitely Celestial. Or the little species rose with tiny leaves, which I love. I'm putting in a blueberry hedge next to this gate, so I think the blue-ish foliage will work really nicely.

Carol, I haven't planted Alba semi plena yet (it's Autumn here, time for our bare-root orders for winter, so I've got semi plena and Felicite Parmentier on order!). So I could put semi-plena in that spot, and choose another alba for the other position I had in mind. The other spot is slightly less visible but closer to the house, so I could even put Mme Plantier or Alba maxima there, and it wouldn't matter so much if they had the 'brown paper bag ' effect.

I don't know if we get rust here, I'm brand new to roses and only have Kathleen Harrop, New Dawn, and some standards planted by the previous owner. All have been very healthy, a teensy tiny bit of PM on Kathleen Harrop, but I haven't noticed any BS or rust on anything. But I've ordered about 30 roses this year, a bit of everything (except HT's), so I'll soon find out what works and what doesn't.

Celestial looks lovely, if a bit small. But I'm very tempted by her foliage and perfume. Very tempted indeed.

Alba maxima is really lovely too, but it does seem to hang onto spent blooms a bit.

I was wondering if anyone can weigh in on Princesse de Lamballe, Mme Legras de St. Germain, or even Pompon Blanc Parfait (might be too small and bush-like though).

Mme Plantier has a very different growth habit than other albas I've grown - long flexible canes that beg to be trained on a structure. Your gate, perhaps? Lots of them though, so it is lots of work ongoing. Of course you could just let it heap up.

I believe I've read that it may be more noisette than alba.

Rosefolly

'Mme. Plantier' does hang on to its blooms. It's the only fault of an otherwise perfect rose (I don't count being huge and once flowering as faults). The fragrance wafts, and is wonderful. Given MPs habit and dimensions it would be extremely happy and right for the situation you describe.

Mme Legras also hangs onto its blooms. Rain can make the flowers look messy. It is thornless and has an amazing scent though. The foliage is not very blue/gray.

To me Celeste and Alba Maxima are the ones that have the most blue/gray foliage like Semi Plena. Celeste can get pretty tall. A nearby friend has one that is 8 feet plus, which is very tall for my climate.

Ahhh I want them all! I need to do a wander around the garden and look for spots for them all, if it ever stops raining. Not the best garden-wandering weather here this week.

I think it might be a toss-up between Celestial and Chloris, although the growth habit of Mme. Plantier sounds great, and the thornlessness of Mme Legras is also appealing...

You guys are really helping, and also really NOT helping! Hahaha. Thankyou!

Chloris is a very very vertical plant if you give it the sun it wants whereas Mme. Plantier is a much wider floppier plant.

The Vintage website shows Chloris' growth type perfectly: http://vintagegardens.com/roses.aspx?cat_id=1

I'd offer to go take leaves off my albas for color comparisons but the leaves are all so new that they won't be true. Maybe there'd be interest later in the season?

~Anika

This post was edited by gothiclibrarian on Tue, Apr 29, 14 at 12:56

Hmm, ok then. Perhaps I will put Semi Plena there and put Mme Legras or Mme Plantier in Semi Plena's old spot.

Do Mme Plantier's blooms spoil in the rain?

Muscovy, I believe that others have struggled with balled, soggy blooms, but I have not had much trouble--even in Portland, OR. I currently have a young Armide/Plantier and have grown Madame in the past as well. I cut off a few blooms here and there due to browning from rain. Madame's petals must be thick enough to shed most of what rain we receive at her bloom time. The same is true for me of other fluffy albas. Teas, on the other hand, ick! Carol in the Wetlands

I just thought I would pop back in to let everyone know that I'm going to plant Semi Plena on the gate, because I think it has the right foliage and growth habit.

I have no doubt more Albas will be coming to live in my garden in the near future, thanks to your posts.

Thankyou to everyone who replied. It's not easy to find mature specimens around here so your advice is much appreciated.

Princess de Lamballe is a favourite of mine and does well in some shade. She grows tall and then bends over at the top. The flowers are tidy and stay a little longer than other Albas.
I have sent budwood to palatine and they are now selling it.

Mme Plantier's small, abundant foliage is not blueish but dark green, and the spent flowers do hang on the plant. However, they stand the rain OK. You can buzz the plant with hedge clippers when the flowers are mostly spent. One plant could spread 12'. She is very spot resistant and hardy.

Oh, that photo of Princesse de Lamballe is so beautiful. I do love her so.

Michael G, thanks for the tip about the hedge clippers! I love the Madame's little button eye, so I think she might be coming to stay with me next year.

What about Sally Holmes? It's a repeat rambler. I just planted two of them to climb on two 12' towers.

Thanks Summerseve, I do like Sally Holmes very much, but I can't detect much fragrance from her. It's all about the fragrance for me!

Hoping Lynnette will see this How tall is your Lamballe and what's sort of shade do you have her in?

I'm desperate to replace a Mme. Hardy with a great big Alba...and oh, isn't she lovely...(I adore my Mme. but her plant is just not big enough for her current situation.)

Cheers!
~Anika

I've seen Princess de Lamballe at about 6 ft maybe a bit more at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens it's been there for years and the foliage is a beautiful blue green. I't gets morning sun & some afternoon sun but after 3 it's in shade.
White with a slight blush yum!

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