Meghan I have two plants of Spice and love their delicate beauty. One great thing about Spice is that it's tolerant of some shade. Right now it's a delicate pink in the middle but in the summer it's pretty well all white. Mine are young so I can't say too much about eventual growth but one especially has gotten a lot taller in the last year. Souvenir de la Malmaison is a must have if your climate can tolerate it. I was lukewarm about this rose until it had been here about a year and the flowers are really beautiful now. In my dry climate it's a no-care rose but that doesn't really mean anything in terms of your garden. Hopefully you'll get advice from others who live closer to you.

One of my favorite roses is Mr. Bluebird, which is a small, beautifully bushy plant with single flowers of a gorgeous purple color. I have six from Rogue Valley Roses and wouldn't mind having more.

Mme. Lambard is another great rose but will get very big. William R. Smith and Alexander Hill Gray both have gorgeous blooms. The latter seems to be a smaller tea. Lavender Dream also has single pink-purple flowers on a large, very healthy bush; it's a hybrid musk I believe.

Good luck and hope you get lots more suggestions.

Ingrid

I was just making my own list from a book called 'Passion for Roses' by Peter Beales. He notes most of the great antique and modern roses and has wonderful photos and descriptions.

I've grown a few antiques that have weathered decades of neglect (I didn't live here for 15 yrs and rented the house out). Buff Beauty you already have, which is extremely hardy and obviously tolerant to black spot because it didn't pick it up from the other 2 roses in my yard.

What about these: the bourbon Zepherine Drouhin, the damask Jacques Cartier, the centefolia Fantin-Latour or the alba, Celestial. Or try a rugosa like Roseraie de l'Hay.

Victry, it's funny you should mention "Passion for Roses". It's been my laptop holder for the past few years since I sit on the couch and it brings the laptop to the right height for me. It really is a very good book, as are his other books.

Ingrid

Ingrid- I'm glad you like Spice. Could you tell me about its fragrance? I am wondering if Souv de la Malmaison would do good in my humid climate. That is one thing that keeps me from getting her. I looked up Mr Bluebird, I didn't know it was an Austin rose. It is a very beautiful rose but I am also afraid that Austin roses wouldn't do well in my climate in a no spray garden. However I have said I wanted to try at least one to see. I love the color of Alexander Hill Gray I have been wanting a more yellow rose like that. I just read on Help Me Find that it prefers dry climates or it balls. So that makes me wonder if humidity is out? Now William R Smith...wow wee that's is pretty! You may have something there!

Victry- I'm not sure if the roses you listed would do well for my zone/climate? I see you live in Atlanta, the roses you listed do you have those? Do they perform well for you? I wonder if they have that book at my library I haven't been in awhile and had checked out every book they had on roses some several times! lol I could use a new one to enable me.

Thank you both for the suggestions I hope they keep coming. ~Meghan

My first rose (tied) to bloom this year: La Marne! Pictures don't usually capture how cheerful, bright and pretty this rose is. She blooms so much, she is a rose I'd never be without. In the hottest summer, she's there looking dainty and bright (a paler pink than the spring, though). No scent, but she's also a no-care rose :)

She can get pretty tall, which I don't see mentioned much. She does it slowly, so she's very easy to keep shorter, too. I'm using one as a short climber, myself.

Meghan, to my knowledge Mr. Bluebird is not an Austin but was bred by Ralph Moore and has a China background. Spice does have a somewhat spicy fragrance although to my nose not terribly strong. The teas as a whole don't smell strongly for me, except Duchesse de Brabant and her sport, Mme. Joseph Schwartz. It sounds as though Alexander Hill Gray is not a good rose for you. W.R. Smith has huge blooms but not as cupped as AHG so that may work better for you. I hope someone will comment about SdlM in regard to how it does in your area.

Meredith, I also have La Marne; it's a fairly new rose for me but already looks extremely healthy. Since I put it in the ground as a band last fall it's always had at least one or two blooms and now has lots of blossoms. I don't want a huge rose where I've planted it so am glad it can be kept pruned.

Ingrid

Well, as usual I recommend 'Mme. Antoine Mari', and will add 'Safrano' or its lemon yellow sport 'Isabella Sprunt'. I must confess that I don't how these would do for disease resistance in your area. They get a bit of mildew, especially the latter two, but never blackspot. Most lovely roses, all three, and tough.
Melissa

Since you are in SC, you can grow the old Teas (not Hybrid Teas), which have wonderful fragrance, and the Tea-noisettes. There are lots to chose from. I wouldn't try rugosas; they do better in colder climates. Have you been to Roses Unlimited in SC? If not, it worth a trip.

Hi Megan,

You might find Amy Padgett's website on her roses useful there (link attached). She lives in Eastern NC, zone 8, and you might well have good experiences in Eastern SC with some of the same roses she likes in her no-spray yard. Specifically, she highly recommends both Souvenir de la Malmaison and Old Blush as favorite roses that are especially easy to grow and good for beginners. Not that you're a beginner, but that ought to be yet another clue that a rose will do well without a lot of fussing over it and spraying.

Your list has so many roses that I either have or want that perhaps some that I happen to like might also appeal to you:

General Gallieni. Needs room. Lovely fragrance to the attractive red blooms with lighter reverse sides. Can take a bit of shade, like many other teas. Grows horizontally like a rambler the first year, but then grows upwards. Evergreen.

General Schablikine. Lovely blooms on an attractive plant that doesn't get as large as many teas do. Blooms that are good for cutting start early and continue into the early winter. Evergreen.

Moonlight, the hybrid musk. Nice flowers, good for cutting, flexible stems. It held onto its leaves all winter, in a colder than average winter, and is doing great/blooming now. Very shade tolerant. It was evergreen here in zone 7.

Ghislaine de Feligonde. If you have the space for it, this is a worry-free rose that's also shade tolerant. I especially like the looks of its foliage; it reminds me slightly of fern foliage. Our new one (planted last fall) hasn't quite opened its buds yet but it's absolutely covered in buds. Very bushy, but also can be used as a short climber. Evergreen.

Crepuscle. We just got this one but everything I can find out about it for NC/SC (and plenty of other warm areas besides) is very positive for use as a short climber for a no-spray yard. Some shade tolerance.

Amazone. We just got this one too. It was found in Bermuda, where there is plenty of humidity, so it should do well in NC/SC. If you read Help Me Find on this one, and you'll want to order it. It's pretty vigorous here thus far. Some shade tolerance.

Spice. Also found in Bermuda, and new here too.

Lion's Fairy Tale. We are taking a chance on this one for no-spray. It's new this spring, but once it came it bowled me over with the beauty of its huge blooms; I'm glad to be taking the chance on it. The plant will stay relatively small and can fit nicely into the front of a large planting.

Gruss An Aachen. Our three did extremely well even in an amount of direct sunlight that's less than ideal. They love to bloom from early to late in the season, and the blooms are luscious. Others in other areas of the east coast report problems with disease. Ours did get a little powdery mildew a few times but hosing it down a few times worked just fine. No very noticeable blackspot problems. Ours came from Chamblees and I don't know whether their particular cultivar is any different from others, but we were thrilled with those roses (until they got Rose Rosette Disease so we had to toss them). We are going to replace them with more Gruss An Aachens. Good shade tolerance. Not quite evergreen in zone 7.

Westside Road Cream Tea. This is a tea rose found in California that grows slowly and doesn't get large. There are lots of uses for small tea roses, so I hope our new plants do well. They came as bands and are still tiny, tiny, tiny at this moment.

Rise 'n' Shine. New here. A heavy bloomer that's a good yellow fading to light yellow; the entire effect is quite attractive.

Rose Rosette. A tiny pure pink rose that looks perfect in every way. (Imagine a tiny version of your Belinda's Dream.) Good for cutting long-lasting blooms.

David Austin's Mortimer Sackler. No-spray here, though we've had to replace them due to RRD. A delicately beautiful pink rose with some fragrance. Can be used as a short climber and it seems a natural for that kind of use; the canes are extremely flexible. Mostly evergreen in zone 7.

Red Cascade. We haven't tried this miniature climber/rambler by Ralph Moore, but I'd like to one of these days if I could find a sunny enough place for it. It looks wonderful to me, though I don't know whether anyone in the Carolinas has tried it. Anyway, Antique Rose Emporium sells it.

Best wishes,
Mary

Here is a link that might be useful: Amy Padgett's roses in eastern NC

Ingrid your right sorry about that! When I first looked up Mr Bluebird it was a link for David Austin Roses but it says he recommends it not that it's his. Well now that I know that I will have take look further into that rose.

Mary- Thanks so much for the link and the suggestions! I will have to sit here with my coffee and look them all up. Some of them I have heard of and some I haven't.

Melissa- thanks I have considered Mme. Antoine Mari before, she's very beautiful. I really like Isabella Sprunt a lot. I really want some yellow roses (I have two apricot but no real yellow). Does she stay that yellow color or does her blooms fade in the sun?

Catsrose- I have never been to Roses Unlimited though almost all my roses are from there and that is where this new order is coming from. I would love to take a trip over there some day though. I just know I would do damage to my checking account though! Shipping helps keep me in check! lol

Thanks again and please if ya got anymore keep um coming by all means. I want to add them end of this week. Hopefully they have any of the ones I finally choose still in stock. Now to look up some of these suggestions.~Meghan

Hello mom of two,

Sadly, Zepherine Drouhin is a BS magnet for me here in Greenville. Crepuscle will get big...more of a climber. I would also recommend General galleini. This rose has blown my mind this year. Gorgeous and no spray here. See link below.

Instead of having your roses shipped...attend the Open House at Roses Unlimited. Its a great time and seeing the roses you select in person is fantastic.

Annual Open House - 2011

Friday: May 6, 2011
Friday & Saturday: May 13 & 14, 2011

Time: 10 am - 4 pm

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures

Meghan,
'Isabella Sprunt' fades to barely-lemon-tinted white in the heat, but I always like her. Mine has grown for years in a terrible spot and has done well. What I particularly like about IS, all her many other virtues aside, is that the lemon yellow has no trace of pink or peach at any time. Not that those are bad things, but pure pale lemon yellow is as rare as it is lovely. 'Safrano' also fades, but is always a beautiful color as well, mixed peach and strawberry ice cream.
I'm glad you have 'Mme. Antoine Mari' in mind as a possibility. What a beauty this rose is, both plant and bloom.
Melissa

Alright I have made my decision...thank you all for your suggestions and thank you Ronda for the info on Roses Unlimited open house....if they have these then my choices are...

#1 'Spice'- I just have always for some reason desired this rose
#2 'Souv de la Malmaison' Everything I have read about this rose tells me I must try her
#3 if they don't have one of those than 'Mme. Antoine Mari' it will be as she is another rose that gets my attention or 'Isabella Sprunt' I need some yellows and she is beautiful

~Meghan

Meghan,

Perhaps I will see you there! I go every year! Be sure to grab a map that tells you how to get to Pat's house from the nursery. If she is having visitors again this year, her garden is a sight to behold and a place where you can see the mature sizes of many varieties. A delight to the senses!

Ronda