No. Leave it be. I think it's beautiful. I've been trying to identify one, some suggest it is that, but after seeing yours, I don't think so. But mine smells heavenly, first year blooms for mine and something wasn't right about it plus could use more sun.

We all want repeat bloomers now, but there is nothing quite like a gorgeous once bloomer in the spring. Generally, I think they are more care free.

I'd recommend two I rooted if I knew what they are, both have a strong scent. In time I think they will be huge fountains of flowers. The only problem is they sucker which is fine, but how do you plant perennials for color later around roses that sucker?

There's always Harison :-). Nothing in this world quite like it despite those horrid thorns that cover the base of the canes.

The catalogs suggest that Chuck has scent, but I haven't noticed much. (I bought this plant commercially as Charles de Mills.)

Anyway, it kind of sounds like you think I want to get rid of Chuck. I don't want *rid* of him. He grows beautifully and is no trouble at all. This is a great rose for my yard.

I want more to keep this one company, different ones. Scented ones?

Your Charles de Mills is uncommonly good looking. I can see why you'd want more like him. Do you also grow Fantin Latour?

Randy

Gotta love the Gallicas.

I'd recommend Belle de Crecy. Great fragrance. And Hippolyte gets to be a monster, with multiple shades of reddish-purple blooms which fade to a deep, dusty purple. Not a lot of smell on Hippolyte (a little) but, like Chuck, very easy to care for and blooms for weeks.

What zone are you in?

I'm in a colder 6, Allegheny Mountains in PA. Generally zone 6 things work fine but some years we get no snow cover and endless wind and then things die and die and die.

I successfully grow Charles de Mills, The Fairy (polyantha), two modern rugosas (one sort of purple, the other pink), New Dawn (healthy bugger, innit?), and an unknown *very* fragrant light pink once-blooming rose I got free from a plant swap. It didn't come with a name, though. (Anyone wants to take a stab at the unknown, it's over in "Name That Rose" with pictures and extensive description.)

In the alive-but-not-thriving department, I have Stanwell Perpetual and Madame Plantier, neither of whom is happy. I'm thinking about moving 'em around to better spots. Stan blooms a couple of times a year but he's about a foot tall, never has been taller in five years. He's supposed to be bigger than that. Madame Plantier is about a foot tall right now, has been bigger, was frozen clean to the ground last winter but came back. She's eight years old.

I love my Charles too. Other Gallica roses that have been recommended for my area are 'Belle sans Flatterie' - flesh pink, very double and very fragrant. 'Dutchesse de Montebello' which is a medium upright growing bush with double perfectly formed fragrant pink blooms, and 'Orpheline de Juilet' which is a medium tidy bush with double large purple red blooms. I plan to add one of these next to my garden.

Although our zone is 7b, where I live close to a mountain, it is certainly more like zone 6. My 'Charles de Mills' seems to come through even the worst of winter unscathed. Thanks to Olga, I think I have learned how to prune him so he looks better and his blooms show off better without laying on the ground.

The three I mention have been recommended to me by a great rosarian from Vancouver Island.

You need to get cozy with Charlie's brothers and sisters. The gallicas are such a happy bunch. I really really recommend the book on gallicas by Suzy Verrier, it lists all of 'em and has some nice pictures of some of the plants. If I was allowed to tear out my parent's lawn, I would have already.

Duchesse de Montebello is really charming white-flesh pink blend (an irregularity in a crimson-purple dominated class) but she's one of the gallica maybe china hybrids and seems to get a tiny bit of blackspot here in Maryland (maybe, I had too much vinegar in my anti-animal spray and it might have burned the leaves), but so far nothing serious at all, still a strong plant, if anything it's a minor cosmetic thing. Unfurled it's leaves here early this year too, highly curious. Might be the china blood showing it's face.

Cardinal de Richelieu apparently does get blackspot problems here in Maryland, which is a shame since I share that fellows birthday and the grape juice color is supposedly enchanting. It might do better for you a bit farther north, I have yet to try it and probably won't.

Tuscany Superb is a trooper, second summer here and while it's been deer pruned twice, sacrificing bloom, it's put a beautiful effort in bulking up. Not a spec of disease. A great deal of the gallicas are close to bulletproof like this.

Here's a page on Paul Barden's website with nice profiles of standout gallica family members. Also, it's not mentioned there, but Jenny Duval is another good one, and as stubborn as Napoleon, apparently. Paul's own gallica hybrid Marianne is a very neat apricot-cream blend that's a color breakthrough for the class. I think reports say it's quite healthy, and he likens it to an apricot Charles de Mills. Probably wonderful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Paul Barden's Listing of Gallicas

Gallicas are a class you can pretty much pick by pretty pictures. The biggest problem with the class in general is that they can get rambunctous and try to take over the world. There is more than one reason they are called Napoleonic. If you have space, or don't mind thickets, they are quite nice. If you are having trouble with Madame Plantier, though I'd stay away from Duchess de Montebello. They are both noisette hybrids which brings in cluster flowering and a bit more tenderness.

Do you know about the early yellow once bloomer?

BTW, your Stanwell Perpetual is simply behaving like every other Stanwell Perpetual I've ever seen.

Just a comment about the fragrance of CdM and Hippolyte. Both for me are very fragrant. And as mentioned H properly supported is an 8' monster blooming along the stems. And appears to be a long blooming once bloomer although I've never checked it with calendar dates, etc.

Belle de Crecy is doing extremely well for me, as is Ispahan. Belle Sans Flatterie has grown in the yard for 40+ years without a bit of care, and one hedge of it grows in the shade of a large tree.

I'm suprised Mme. Plantier froze to the ground. Any chance you have Mme. Hardy, who is reputed to be not very hardy? Mme. Plantier does well for me (planted with Great Maiden's Blush and Ispahan). I am also a zone 6A/5B.

I agree with Mad Gallica on this, just pick them out by the pretty pictures. All the true gallicas should be a breeze for you. Also, check out some of the centifolias, they're fantastic and fragrant.

--Ron

Hippolyte is a good recommendation. Here's a picture of mine this spring. {{gwi:285287}}

And here is another good one, Polareis which can be purchased from Suzie Verrier among other retailers. It's pink and white, which doesn't show up well in my picture, but it is very pretty.
{{gwi:285288}}

Ispahan was mentioned above and, from what I've read and seen in photograph, it's not only a beautiful shrub with pretty flowers, but it has the longest flowering period of all the damasks, at least six weeks. I don't know how the gallicas compare with that, but it seems quite a long blooming period. I'd certainly be inclined to try it if I grew once-bloomers and lived in a cooler climate. I am trying Autumn Damask (Quatre Saisons) because I'm fascinated by this ancient rose and want to see how much it will bloom in my climate. Perhaps also a rose for you to try if you haven't already?

Ingrid

That Hippolyte shown above is beautiful.

Châpeau de Napoléon is supposed to have a very long bloom period of about 6 weeks & should make a nice looking, fragrant shrub. The buds are very interesting, if you've not looked at them before. I am anxious for mine to mature. Henri Martin is another in the moss class. He has long canes that seem to want to self peg, and bloom all along the canes.

I really love gllicas. I have 30+ different ones. Just can't have enough of them.
My favorites are:

Tuscany Superb
Beau Narcisse
Ypsilante
Alika
Oielet Flamand (sp?)
Charles de Mills
The Bishop
Alice Vena
Rosa Mundi
Complicata
Duc de Guiche
Belle sans Flatterie
Belle Isis

Olga

mexicanhat,
Chapeau de Napoleon IS a beautiful rose, and healthy and scented as well. I mean, it would be well worth having even if it didn't have the fascinating sepals. It does well on its own roots. My current plant is grafted, and I've been trying to root it, so far without success. You'll like it.
Melissa

Maybe this will help.

Belle Sans Flatterie with Duc de Guiche

{{gwi:285289}}

and Cameaiux
{{gwi:285290}}

Barbara

Wow... Thank you all for all the wonderful (enabling) suggestions! The advice of others was how I wound up with Charles de Mills in the first place. So many people said such nice things about him...

The yard is up for a remodel this fall anyway, so here's what I'll be trying...

Belle de Crecy and Belle sans Flatterie -- I couldn't pick which I liked better and I have room for both.

Fantin Latour (So pretty!) and Ispahan also got the nod -- so many reviewers said nice things about both of these (I googled, beyond reading what was here) that they sold me on 'em. They're not gallicas, but I'm willing to give 'em a whirl anyway and see how they do.

You won't be sorry about Ispahan, but give it LOTS of room. If you peg it (which I recommend), plan on a 10' diameter. This is a powerfully fragrant rose that starts blooming as CdM is finishing and it does, indeed, go on for 6 weeks. I've had two and neither has ever had any serious disease/insect issues.

To start the bloom season earlier, do consider Harison's Yellow. Another very large plant with a long bloom season that starts around the same time as the big alliums. The fragrance is odd (not bad, just odd), recognizably roselike but completely different from the gallica scent.

Belle Sans Flatterie will also take up as much space as you allow her. Mine two are about 4-5' tall x 8' long each, and that's on very restricted water in dry clay competing with big tree roots & (dry) lawn.

This class with Mosses is my most favorite-I have a few...I was just at Sangerhausen a few days ago photographing Gallicas-there are no bad gallicas...one thing.. I also visited Schulteis in Bad Nauheim and talked with Christian Schulteis and he was very adamant about prunning your gallicas for a better shape and more bloom-he prunes in the very early spring to encourage laterals..the results were breathtaking. The new Director of Sangerhausen is putting in lots of new once blooming OGR beds and they are prunning more heavily as well.
What gorgeous things they were.

patricia

I LOVE follow-ups! Maybe you could repost some pics if you have a chance. If you have space and correct conditions have you considered the Chestnut Rose?