The biggest red that I grow is Toro, or also known as Uncle Joe. It is huge and won me the "Best in Show" at our local flower show year before last.

I'm familiar with Lake Ariel, and I'm guessing your Mr. Lincoln didn't survive the winter. Wayne County isn't exactly HT land.

But Rose Nutty is growing one not known for unusual hardiness. So it can be done with good practices.

Carolina,

I'm located not far too far from you. I've been growing Duftzauber (aka- Fragrant Charm & Royal William) with good success. I have to trim it back to about 6 inches high in the spring but it bounces back better then ever. It's a strong grower for me and always has a few blooms on it throughout the summer. The blooms are nice and full. It's supposed to be fragrant but mine doesn't seem to be. I haven't had any disease issues with it. It's a great cutting rose as the flower last for well over a week in a vase.

I ordered mine as a bareroot from Palatine Roses several years ago. They have stopped shipping for this season but it may be something to think about for next spring.

Their address is: www.palatineroses.com

Good Luck with your search,
Cherrie

Here is a link that might be useful: Duftzauber at Helpmefind

Hi Cherry and everyone else who replied-
Thanks for your feedback. I will look these roses. I am excited.
My Lincoln survived the winter but I think I got water happy and it drowned.
Thanks a million
Carolina

The largest red flower HT I've seen is Veteran's Honor. There may be some others now, I don't know. My suggestion would be to plant another Mister Lincoln, though. You're not going to get another like that with the fragrance, too.

I bought a potted Oklahoma this year, and it's first flush was unbelieveable! It had four blooms, two opened before the others, and just two blooms would waft old-rose scent across the yard. The blooms were deep, dark red and about six inches across, and this was a baby plant! Now it is getting ready to open it's second flush, and I can't wait.

I can't speak for it's hardiness, as this is my first year with it. But it had hardly any pests or diseases when some of my others were suffering rose slugs and powdery mildew.

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You might want to check out Fire Fighter. Similar to Veterans Honor, but with much better fragrance. Northland Rosarium currently has them on sale so I finally decided to pull the trigger on this one. Been wanting it for a while now.

The description I recently read about Chrysler Imperial says it is a large red. Up to 50 petals per bloom. Can't understand why you don't just plant another Mr. Lincoln. They are so beautiful and smell so wonderful. It's always been one of my favorites.

There are so many nice reds, but two outstanding red HT roses that get little press are Royal William, and Karl Herbst. Royal William is a scarlet red, large flowered showy scented rose. It blooms a lot, nearly continuous. It is quite hardy for a HT for us.

I had a poorly growing Karl Herbst a few years back and the old guy next door got very upset when it bloomed and he saw a lady walking her dog cut the rose off and walk off, because it was such a nice rose. It has many petals. It's red color has a slight pinkish hue. I had grown this Karl Herbst at a previous location and if you get a good quality plant it will be very floriferous, the blooms are high-centered and last two weeks in a vase. It is scented. I am not into petal counting but it probably has 75 or more petals. It is also sold as Red Peace.

Ramblin Red's not a HT, but it has HT type blooms, it's hardy for your zone, it blooms constantly and never has a speck of disease ever. It can get very tall, but I've been keeping mine pruned back:

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Oh, I love this Ramblin Red!!! Can you tell me more about this one? I am looking for something that can be used more like a shrub and it seems by the pics that this could work. I would want to try to keep it trimmed to max of 4 feet if possible. When you said it can get very tall, how tall do you mean?

Can you comment on fragrance, please?

I've heard it can grow 10 feet. I've seen pictures of it covering an arbor. Mine have only been in the ground about 14 months and it had a bit of die-back at the tips. I pruned it harder than I had to to keep it at about 4 feet. In your zone you probably wouldn't have any die back at all.

The fragrance is there but very slight to my nose. I think the best things going for it are its' disease resistance, constant blooms, and hardiness.

There are others on the forum with some very impressive photos of Ramblin Red. A couple I can think of off hand are TwoHuskies and Pappu.

I've had Ramblin' Red for about 4 years. Ramblin' Red has great color, and outstanding hardiness.

It does not in my opinion resemble a hybrid tea rose either in the manner the bush grows, or in the manner it blooms. I am growing my Ramblin' Red as a climber.

It is a vigorous grower. I have a cane that is about 8 feet at present. My Ramblin' Red rambles outward a bit much for my sentiment. I try to grow it up on a trellis but it wants to grow out toward the bottom as much as up. That is I get some low lengthy laterals extending out into the yard, and I want a more upright plant.

Rouge Royale is a nice Romantica. Winter protect!

My Mr. Lincoln died also. I LOVE Olympiad!!!! It has the BIG red blooms, lots of petals, fragrance......aaaaaaaah! It's hardy for your zone.

Of all the 10 red HT's I planted this year, the Veteran's Honor and Mr. Lincoln's were the largest, had the most petals, and smelled the most fragrant. Each has it's on special fragrance too. Veteran's Honor is a heady fruity aroma and Mr. Lincoln has that heavenly deep rose smell that just knocks me out. I love both of them

Weeks has a new one out this year that will be in every nursery that carries Weeks roses come bareroot season (which is most of them). It is called "Legends" after the Oprah Winfrey event of a few years back, and it has truly enormous blooms. Not the best form, and not the best in fragrance, but if you are looking for fill-the-vase-with-one-flower and impress-your-non-rosarian-friends BIG, this is definitely your rose. I've been growing it for a year, and it gets a lot of comments. It's also the only red in my garden that does not mildew, at least so far.

Here is a link that might be useful: A rose with its own website!

For health and hardiness Royal William aka Duftzauber is likely your best bet, large scented blooms and lots of them. Oklahoma is also a wonderful rose, darker red with the most delicious damaskscent, but it will need protection in your zone.

Please consider Ingrid Bergman, if she can survive your winters. She laughs at heat and produces bunches of big red blooms.
Kathy

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I got awfully frustrated up in Ohio with winter losses, and switched to hardier types--shrubs and rugosas. For wonderful season-long color, take a look at Champlain or-- one shade brighter-- Linda Campbell. For HT's, I'd echo Mr. Lincoln; mine survived several winters atop a windswept hill with temps in the -20's (and NO snow cover). Not too shabby down South either-- easily tops 6 feet and flush after huge flush. What a rose!

I don't know a thing about cold-hardiness for these 2 roses, but maybe Helpmefind can assist.

But check out the new for 2009 Rosemania rose "Legends" with its fat, full fruity-fragrance blooms, they describe as "humungus." Also, Tate Rose Nursery sells "Big Ben," perhaps the largest red rose out there. No fragrance, but a beautiful and huge bloom, and true red.

I too have been growing the "Legends" rose for the last year and absolutely love it! BIG red blooms sit atop a completely disease free plant. If I had the space I would plant more of these beauties!

Veterans' Honor is my best all-around dark red HT. Big fragrant blooms and healthy winter hardy bush.
Royal William and Ingrid Bergman are close.
Liebesazuber and Cesar Chavez and Olympiad are good ones as well.
John