Kmama, the flowers can be splendid, if they don't ball or come out malformed. Mme. Ernst Calvat has better flowers in a more appealing shade to my eye. Both are viciously thorny. Both can easily be made into pillar roses on a tripod or stakes and both WILL black spot and rust where those fungi are issues. In warmer, more humid areas, MOST Bourbons and HPs are likely to be disasters. When and where they were germinated and selected, there was a continual rain of sulfur from pollution from high sulfur heating oils/coal and fuels. Once lower sulfur sources were used, the old rose books decried their "degeneration" as evidenced by their "greater susceptibility to disease". Nope, we changed the conditions to ones not as suitable for them. If your area is arid enough to prevent the diseases, go for it, otherwise, get ready to do battle as you WILL experience them. Kim

Try this link. I asked about this rose recently and there were a number of great responses along with beautiful pictures.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesant/msg0310023520727.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Mme Isaac Pereire

It appeared the positive reports came from Wisconsin and Toronto? That should tell you a whole lot about how suitable the thing would be for the San Francisco area. Kim

Yes, I'm going to give up on the bourbon idea and find a rose with a similar color, shape, or strong scent and my DH probably won't care if it's the exact one he saw. LOL

And she was lost to me at "viciously thorny." Not gonna work in my very narrow little garden where my nature-loving children dig under plants to hunt for bugs and touch everything with reckless abandon.

I just saw another Bourbon I love the shape and description, La Reine Victoria, but I'm guessing that bourbons, as a class, are out of the question in my climate, even here the East Bay near Walnut Creek.

Happy spring!

I grow several bourbons in the South Bay. The healthiest of them for me here is Honorine de Brabant, a big sprawling striped rose. Deuil du Dr Raynaud looks and smells very much like Madame Isaac, but gets a lot of powdery mildew. Louise Odier is another nice bourbon, but again, PM, and it doesn't look much like Madame Isaac.

I like HPs. Some of them are healthier for me than the bourbons, and just as fragrant. Unfortunately none of the ones I can recommend are in the color range your husband admired.

You might find a reproduction rose that would meet your requirements, perhaps an Austin or a Meilland Romantica or one of the Poulsen Renaissance series roses. How about Ghita Renaissance. I have not grown it but it looks about the right color and fullness.

Rosefolly

We gave up on Mme. long ago, but find a similar bloom and fragrance in the far more easily-grown Old Town Novato. It's so good here, we're planting a second one.

Jeri

Could it be the fragrance that appealed to your husband? I have heard great praises sung to MIP's perfume, and some people do seem to respond more strongly to a rose's fragrance than to its looks.

MIP and her sister Mme. Ernst Calvat both balled something terrible for me here in the PNW, also both had BS and needed heavy duty chemicals. It was hard to get rid of them, Oh how I miss their perfume, it was so wonderful...Ruth

Maybe I've set myself up for heartbreak, but I have MIP and several other Bourbons in a no-spray garden in south Louisiana, including SDLM and many of her sports, and they've all done well so far this season, some BS but easily shaken off. And the blooms have been splendid. Maybe it's because of the drought this region is experiencing, therefore there's been less moisture/humidity to cause problems. So if we (ever) return to historically normal rainfall levels, that's when the heartbreak starts! But their fragrance alone will have made it worth it. I'm adding Leveson-Gower and climbing SDLM shortly because I've become so enamoured of the Bourbons.

MIP did well the first year.

Then things went straight downhill from there. Blackspot, powdery mildew, winter die-back, balled blooms, gangling/awkward/thorny growth habit. She doesn't like it hot, doesn't like it cold, sure doesn't care for humidity and arid conditions dry out her leaves and blooms. And not very fragrant(at least not to my nose). Diva-delux, prima-donna, great candidate for the pot ghetto, if even there.

Needless to say, I would not recommend.

Dang! Greybird, what you describe is almost like growing Cressida, Sir Clough or even nasty old C.F Meyer here. Yes, I would bet once the humidity levels return (which they have since the earth cooled) to the South East, these are doomed to the recycling or trash burning barrels. I hope all of you close enough to be affected by the flooding are safe, well and happy. Kim

MIP is one of the smallest plants in my no-spray low water garden, growing verrrry slowly but putting out nice size blooms all along. Blooming right now in 90+ degrees. I think she'd be happier with part shade but there's none to be had and she's on the north side haha.

Bourbons are wonderful and I keep buying them. SDLM and her Climbing sibling also grow slowly to keep MIP company. MIP's foliage is just a leetle less pretty than the others but not that bad. No balling at all.

Would I buy her again? probably not but only because my true loves are apricot and yellow roses, always looking for a spot for one more (and Sherry just showed Lilian Austin which would be perfect in MIP's spot).

Denise

I have Mme. Isaac Pereire and Mme. Ernest Calvat. Both are still in pots because they are in my garden on trial, because they are known for disease problems. Last year both roses have been OK, but this year especially Mme. Ernest Calvat had severe blackspot problems. The blooms were balling at times. We had an ususal wet and cold spring this year for Southern California circumstances and I agree with others these roses seem to prefer warmer weather.

If I will keep them in the long run is still open, but the blooms, oh my gosh the blooms. The flower shape is so beautiful and the fragrance is out of this world in both varieties to my nose. So I will give them most likely more time and see how they are doing next year.

Jeri, I definitively will have a closer look at Old Town Novato, because you say it looks and smells similar to Mme. Isaac Pereire. Maybe this rose could be an alternative for me, too.

Christina

Christina, the color's a little different.
The fragrance is very strong, but not quite the same.
But it will fill the same niche in the garden, and I love the depth brought to the bloom by the paler reverse. Altogether a VERY satisfying rose -- tho of course, not in regular commerce.
I'd recommend "Hudson Crimson," which is very similar, if not the same -- but I see it's on Vintage's Custom Propagation list, so not readily available, at present.

Jeri

You might try to find these roses on their own roots. Heirloom Roses in St. Paul, Oregon or High Country Roses in Denver, Colorado specialize in own root roses. I've found that roses grown on their own roots are much more vigorous and disease resistant.

I grow over hundred and fifty roses in my garden and have never had a problem with any diseases. I also use a lot of compost, garden organically, use kelp meal for fertilizer twice a year and have quite a diverse plant culture.

Hope this helps.

MIP flowers almost all year for me. It does have BS and rust, but the flowers are so lovely, and so fragrant, I overlook this. I have let mine grow as a shrub, and it's lanky. I've cut it back this year, and it's producing side growth.

I've seen it on a tripod, and it looked great, and the lack of leaf wouldn't matter so much then, I think. You could certainly espalier it too.

Adam Harbeck prunes his back hard in Spring, and it makes a small pretty shrub.

I think "Old Town Novato" is a better rose, in a similar style.

FOLLOWUP

I pruned my MIPs back to the ground at the end of summer as some canes were getting old and untidy. They have rebounded over autum winter and retained their full 2m+ natural height and starting to turn out lots of buds (yes its winter and yes roses grow year round in Mandurah. If anything MIP slows down over summer). I tried pegging a few canes horizontally but it was a bit redundant as they were so long. I'll just keep them lashed to the pillars from now on.

I guess the moral of the story is don't be afraid of experimenting with (read butchering) your MIPs.

I'm about to have a crack at mine Adam. Thanks for the heads-up :)