Reporting for coastal Southern California (Orange County)...

Most everblooming: 'Souvenir de la Malmaison'.

Tied for a close second, perhaps surprisingly, three Floribundas: The 1956 Boerner 'Firecracker', the 1989 LeGrice 'Nimbus', and the 1969 Boerner 'Faberge'.

Tied for third: 'Hermosa', 'Archiduc Charles', 'Safrano', 'Snowbird', Climbing Cramoisi Superieur', 'Winter Magic', 'Cafe Ole'.

After this comes a legion of Teas.

At the far end of the parade--roses which don't know what is this word "blooming" you say--would be 'Camaieux', the season of which is fleeting even for a once-bloomer: the few but beautiful blossoms open very quickly, only last about 2.5 days, and are fragile to boot such that they shatter easily. (For comparison in bloominess of a once-bloomer, 'Duchesse d'Angouleme' is in constant and profuse bloom for about four months.)

Earth Song, Home Run, Quadra and Knock Out whould bloom almost non stop if there were no JBs.
Lori, JBs are terrible this year, just terrible. I have several gallicas completely eaten alive(all leaves).
Olga

One rose that has really been blooming non-stop since early spring is (Paul Barden's) Golden Buddha. It got more sun when a large rose was removed and it has not skipped a beat!

My Golden Budda does not bloom all the time..but I am in PNW and Zone 8. Probably needs more sun..but it does bloom and I have it in a really cool pot and I enjoy it every time it does bloom

well feh! that would be NONE for me. In a good year, might get started late May for a month, then another month in September....which is why the leaves, heps and overall shape and style is of the utmost importance. In fact, two of the best roses I have were bought in one case, purely for the foliage (R.Glauca) and the second one for the heps (R.moyesii). But hey, my beloved deutzias bloom for less, as does the philadelphus and no-one would suggest they were worthless garden plants.

Lux,
Love like that feels truly wonderful - like love.
Thank you for the work and sharing the results.
I'm impressed and awed.
Love from Florida,
Sand

Fantastic, Lux! Thank you for sharing. I'll pre-order a published copy. Personally autographed, of course. Wow, what a wonderful thing to do under such suffering. Best wishes :)

Lux and Jackie, it IS tough to beat Madame Alfred Carriere for length of bloom around here -- thanks for confirming that, Lux. Even today (102 or 103 degrees in Livermore, depending on which end of town you are on), MAC looks totally unruffled. My best ever-bloomer, though, is a climbing China-type with small pink flowers (identity unknown, sent as Parson's Pink, which it obviously isn't at 12 feet tall!), that blooms virtually 11 months of the year -- also confirming your observations, Lux.

Debbie

Lux thanks so much for sharing that labor of love!

I am so excited, because last Fall I planted a Lady Hillingdon (band grown out in one gallon pot for a year), and although we are not quite as hot as you are there, I figure if it was the best blooming for you, it should do great here in the No SF Bay too. It is really helpful to read what you said about it, because of course my bush is so small, and the growth so juvenile, that the huge blooms it produced this Spring all immediately fell over into the dirt, and stayed there. I was getting discouraged (did not follow my mantra to be patient!), but now the bush is getting a little more size and structure, and with your comments I am really looking forward to it blooming some more!

Jackie

One of mine is a China and was mentioned earlier: China Doll (mine's Weeping China Doll). Even better and with prettier blooms: Morey's Pink.

One that is great but I don't know its pedigree is Sweet Pea. In that color range but much larger is Lavender Dream.

Old Grey Cemetery kicks butt for bloominess, too :). And surprisingly to me, I do have an everblooming Bourbon! Coquettes de Blanche (or is it Coquette des Blanches?).

Runners up are The Fairy (who starts late, though), Rural England (a Beales climber), and Baby Blanket. Oh, and another Beales' creation, a small rose called Happy Memories.

We do have winter here, so my everblooming definitely doesn't mean 365. But we get crazy-hot, so yes these do bloom in the heat (although my Bourbons are always in a little shade).

I wish I had had similar positive experiences with my Lady Hillingdon bushes in two different gardens, where they were sparse bushes with flowers that didn't last at all in the sun. However, I really like Cl. Lady Hillingdon which of course has the same beautiful flowers but is much more robust and blooms equally well. This is my second one and it's only a year old so I'm constantly disbudding it, with the hope that it will grow more quickly. When it gets cooler this year I'll probably leave at least a few flowers to enjoy. I'm looking forward to enjoying it for many years.

Ingrid

Wow Lux, thanks for the detailed report! Here in my small garden, Madame Alfred Carriere is in her second year and is usually in bloom. Unfortunately mine has been overtaken with some kind of mildew, which is hard for me to spray as it is grown next to tomatoes, but in spite of that, it still has a few blooms at any given time. I'm very interested in Lady Hillingdon from your report!

Rabbit,

Mme Al can outgrow mildew -- susceptibility to mildew on this rose seems to lessen as she matures. My young ones were sometimes totally covered by PM. Now, you might see a touch here and and there on new growth if the weather favors it. Of course, this is in Livermore (somewhat inland) and not in a really humid area on the coast.

My Lady Hillingdon (bush form) is everything Lux says it is. Has not stopped blooming since she started this spring and always multiple flowers. This, however, was the third try. I put two different plants of her in substandard places the first two times and she did badly. In fact, I jokingly refer to my current Lady Hillingdon as "the ghost of Lady Hillingdon" as it was a re-sprout that I salvaged from the removed second plant (came up one year later!), and it is wonderful.

Debbie

Here at the coast, 'Mme. Alfred Carriere' was a good bloomer, but she really mildewed her way right through the year. She was here for at least 10 years, so her problem was not lack of maturity. I just don't think she's a coastal rose.

Lamarque, however, is disease-free here, and I love the yellow shading which helps to define the white blooms.

Jeri

First of all, I don't spray, I fertilize with an organic fertilizer when the bush is planted, and I only water during drought conditions--and then only once per week! I shovel-prune more often than I really prune.
And now that most of you want to report me to the rose-abuse-authorities, I'll tell you what's been ever-blooming for me.

When I lived in Austin, TX, we had rocky, alkaline soil, zone 8, very little rain. I gardened in beds that were raised 6" above the limestone bedrock, and interplanted the roses with herbs.
These roses had blooms on them at least 11 months per year:
-MADAME ALFRED CARRIERE
-MUTABILIS
-PERLE D'OR
-DUCHER
-MARIE PAVIE

I now live Houston, TX, (on the West side), and I have sandy loam. It's zone 9, and incredibly humid. The roses are planted directly in the ground, and I interplant with bulbs and perennial butterfly plants.
These roses had blooms on them at least 11 months per year:
-DON JUAN
-MUTABILIS
-MARTHA GONZALES

Looking back above, I must note that we've grown Secret Garden Musk Climber for a decade or more -- I've never seen rust on it.
Don't deadhead it, either. It repeats anyway, more or less -- continuously, but for a winter close enough to actually freeze.

Jeri

I am so thrilled to find some mention of antique roses grown in California. I am new to the area. I grew old roses in South-central Texas, where the heat AND humidity are utterly beastly. Since moving to San Diego, I have spent many Saturdays haunting the nurseries, searching for antique roses and coming away empty-handed every time. For those of you who grow the antiques in SoCal, where do you get your plants? In Texas, I was within easy driving distance of the Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham, but not one nursery I have visited yet in California yet knows anything about antiques.

In Texas, I had 18 varieties, about 25 plants, which was about as many as I could squeeze into my small yard. The one that was the best performer for me was Duchess de Brabant. The Duchess's flushes were so frequent and overlapping she was close to everblooming in the growing season. The blooms in summer were stunted by the heat, but they were still lovely and smelled divine. She stopped only when we had our first hard freeze, typically in December, when the "Northers" barreling down through the Great Plains would finally reach us. With advance warning, I could snip the buds immediately before the freeze for potpourri, making enough to share. The Duchess usually set new buds in February, though sometimes a late freeze would require a do-over. The soil there is very heavy clay, with a slimy texture in places, which required a fair amount of amendment to get it healthy. I fed regularly through early October and kept the roses' feet protected with mulch. They required regular watering to survive the heat but only occasional spray for black spot in spite of the humidity. I conserved water by burying the soaker hoses under the mulch, and I watered once a week unless we had rain. That area has been in drought much of the past ten years, though, so judicious watering was required for anything to live, let alone the roses.

I am so thrilled to know there are antique rose people in SoCal! I apologize for rambling on, but I am so eager to hear from someone who loves the antiques instead of the blank looks I've been getting. :)

TeaJae52

there are a couple of roses which retain blooms throughout the season - from May to November or early december, as apart from remontant roses. These tend to be the smaller procumbent roses. The most continous flowering, with absolutely no break at all, would be the little Kordes rose, Sommerwind. Although a very generic pink, it has a grace and delicacy not often seen in these everblooming types - indeed, it is the ONLY rose I have in multiples. The county series from Poulsen (Sommerwind is also known as Sussex) is notable for long blooming flowers, especially the white Kent and deep red, Suffolk (they are probably known under different names in the US - for some reason, they often have numerous aliases).

TeaJae52 - welcome to the Antique Roses Forum! There are lots & lots of folks who post on here who grow antique roses in So Cal. I'll bet there are some near San Diego - if you check out the Heritage Rose Society on line, you may be able to find some.

To answer your main question - I live in the No SF Bay area, and I get most of my old roses by ordering them from catalogues. They show up in the mail, mostly own root in band pots. These are small, but if you pot them up to a one gallon pot and let them grow for about a year, they can be put into the dirt then and will really take off. I order mine from Vintage Gardens, from Heirloom Roses in Oregon, from Rogue Valley Roses in Oregon, and yes, sometimes from the Antique Rose Emporium in Texas. If you get into touch with old rose growers near you they may be able to tell you of any local nurseries that carry them, but I am not aware of any.

Keep posting on here, and ask any questions you want - the folks on this forum are very friendly and helpful, and will give you good advice.

Jackie

Hi TeaJae!

We are also in Southern CA -- tho in Ventura Co., rather than Sandy Eggo Co. But whereabouts in Sandy Eggo are you located? Coastal? Inland?

ALAS! You'll no longer find anything like ARE here in CA -- but you will find enthusiastic OGREs here. There's a local Heritage Roses Group in Sandy Eggo. Our on-line HRG group up here has members from Sandy Eggo all the way up the coast.

Find our local group at: http://www.goldcoastrose.org/
and the National group at the link below.

As Jackie says,most of our roses are either obtained mail order (from ARE and others) OR at some of the Old Rose events here in the state. That's when you have a chance at the really rare things.

The next such event will be held the middle weekend in October, at the Historic Rose Garden in the old Sacramento City Cemetery. (Find information on that at the Cemetery's website, or contact me directly with questions.)

Welcome to California, and I hope to meet you one of these days soon.

Jeri Jennings
Convener, National Heritage Roses Group

Here is a link that might be useful: National Heritage Roses Group

Hi Jackie! Following your recommendations, I went to Rogue Valley Roses, and found a treasure-trove. I am now in a state of indecision/lust/eagerness. :) I am sure the angst will increase as I look into the rest of the websites. Thank you!

Hi Jeri! I am located on the northeast edge of North Park, which is apparently in the USDA Twilight Zone. I have looked it up in several several calculators and have been assigned 9a, 9b, 10a, and 10. :/ I am starting to get an idea of the vast mystery of the micro-climate, not that it is shedding any light on my particular little patch of garden soil. In Texas, I had to be very attuned to the AHS Heat Zones. I am seeing the heat issue in SD is not so critical. I will certainly look into the local Heritage Rose organization you referenced. Thank you so much! I'm really look forward to learning more about antiques in this area.

TeaJae52

Hello TeaJae 52, and a warm welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy living in the San Diego area. I live further inland, in the hills near Escondido, and have been growing antique roses for quite some time, mostly tea roses but also some chinas, Austins and early hybrid teas. I have about 86 roses which is just about all I can handle. If I can be of any help to you, just click on my name and you can contact me via e-mail.

Ingrid

Hi Ingrid! I tried clicking on your name to email you, but found a dead end, unfortunately. There was not a way to contact you through email. However, you really are close! My son and family live in Vista, and I tutor students twice a week at one of the high schools there in Escondido. I would love to hear more about your garden. It sounds absolutely wonderful -- like heaven on earth to a novice like me, who has only been at it 12 years and still well on the left side of the learning curve. :)

This is a wonderful post---Hi TeaJae--welcome to the Forum----Jackie --I love the picture of your rose----
Lux---I so admire what you have accomplished even though in pain--I too have had two spinal surgeries and understand how limiting it can be---Your research is amazing----
The roses that keep blooming even with much neglect--

Lyda Rose
Carefree Beauty
Clair Matin
Nur Mahal
Carefree Delight
I'm not saying these roses look wonderful but they do have blooms---with a little more care they would look great--

Florence-

TeaJae52, I'm not sure why that didn't work since quite a few people have contacted me in that way. I'll look into that.

At the moment I'm afraid my garden is far from heavenly with the heat finally setting in and a resultant loss of bloom and tired foliage. With twelve years of experience you're far from being an amateur, but I don't think any of us ever stop learning.

Ingrid

TeaJae52, I've just looked at my member profile and somehow the e-mail feature had disappeared. I've now restored it and I hope to hear from you!

Ingrid

Updating, my 'Carefree Sunshine' has now been in bloom for 112 consecutive days and still has some large and small buds coming.

Michael, that's a pretty remarkable achievement. Of my roses I think only SdlM and Mutabilis could make that claim. I'm hoping that my Earth Song, when I receive it in October, can make a similar claim once it matures a bit. Belinda's Dream is one other rose that might have come close to this. I have two of BD, and the one that is in a super bad spot, backed by a very hot hillside with large boulders, has not done nearly as well.

Ingrid

None of my OGRs bloom a lot. As a matter of fact this is the first year I've gotten much re-bloom at all on RdV or RdR, probably due to the very early start of our season. And Honorine de Brabant, which usually will re-bloom, hasn't. Go figure?

The few that literally have been in constant bloom are Home Run, Julia Child and Softee. Those 3 have at least one bloom open on them at all times. And I have to say that my new Eyeconic Pink Lemonade has had blooms pretty constantly too and I'm really liking that rose!

yep Seil, on the 3rd flush of blooms for my hulthemias with not a shred of disease. 3rd flush!! for the UK, with our horrid summer, this is remarkable. These roses were first hybridised way back in the 80s - must be fashion as I cannot imagine how hulthemias slipped under the radar for so long. Looking forward to another new one this year - Bright as a Button, by Chris Warner. Wish we could get hold of Jim Sprouls confections in Europe - sigh.

It occurred to me that I have several roses that are almost never NOT in bloom.

"Secret Garden Musk Climber" never stops, unless we prune it.
'Mme. Lombard' pretty much never stops. In "What's Blooming" collections, she is there in every month . . .
"Grandmother's Hat" is almost never not in bloom.
'Louis Phillipe' is pretty much continuous-blooming.
'Gloire des Rosomanes' ("Ragged Robin") rarely stops.
'Lady Ann Kidwell' is continuous-blooming . . .

I'll think of more, later . . .

Jeri

My most continuous bloomers during this long hot, hot, hot summer (I do believe it has been over 100 or close to it nearly every day all summer so far!) are:

Our Lady of Guadalupe--this one wins the prize for continuous bloom
Mystic Beauty --actually this one tapers off and then doesn't bloom for a week, but then takes off again.
Wm Shakespeare 2000--not heavy bloom, but usually has at least several blooms going.

These have a few dribbles of blooms most of the time, but nothing to get impressed about.
Double Knock Out
Elle
Double Delight
Elina
Jubilee Celebration
Home Run

Two Austins seem to be dividing the summer up between them. Lady of Shalott bloomed non-stop til this past week when the heat got to her, I guess--although I see she is already putting out more new growth and starting to form a few buds again. And Molineux has been resting during the past month, but just this past week burst into heavy bloom and looks like he doesn't intend to stop, no matter how hot it gets!

Kate

Nothing blooms much in the summer here but I would have to say that Mrs. BR Cant is my most consistent, prolific bloomer. She's only been in the ground 1 1/2 years or so but she blooms nonstop. I noticed she has a bunch of blooms on her now (they are small and shrivel quickly in the heat now), but that's a great tribute to her, considering our constant heat now. She is a great great rose.

Welcome, TeaJae52! I am an intermittent but longtime poster who lives north of you in coastal Los Angeles, atop a hill in Mar Vista which is inland from Venice Beach. From Mar Vista hill, you can see westward to the ocean and eastward to the skyscrapers of downtown LA...unless there's coastal murk or smog ;).
MAC is a staple in my garden. Yes, it mildewed the first 5-6years, but eventually outgrew it. Perhaps my microclimate is a tad drier than Jeri's in Ventura just up the coast. I've got 3 massive MACs growing against walls and up balconies and just planted a 4th! However, there's one spot it wasn't happy and mildewed continually - planted on the western exposure against the front of my house where it gets morning shade and hit continually by ocean wind and spray. In more sheltered warmer spots, my other 3 MACS behave themselves and flower regularly. But, they must be pruned to stay in bounds - they're very vigorous and easily grow to 25 ft and turn into towering thickets -- birds love to nest in a towering overgrown MAC! So a good one if you've got the room and love birds.
Mutabilis was a nonstop bloomer here and even managed to withstand drying ocean winds. It got too big, but now I've replanted a new one in a better spot.
Looks like 3 times the charm for Lady Hillingdon here. Altho the climber has done well in the past, the shrub's been a challenge to grow in my coastal garden. Noq I've got a new baby ownroot planted in the hottest, driest section, and so far it's growing very well. This spot is the only place Crepuscule ever managed to get bigger than 18 inches, so I'm hoping Lady H will thrive - Crepuscule never seemed very happy except during the hottest months. I saw a lovely Lady Hillingdon shrub years ago at the old Limberlost nursery in Van Nuys, but in my coastal garden, it's not been super happy. Hopefully this new ownroot baby will be the one!

In my temperate garden, no frost and only a couple of days a year over 100 degrees, Sophy's Rose is literally never without a bloom. Right now, middle of a wet winter, it is down to one bud and one bloom, but the new growth is coming quickly.
Lady Hillingdon is stingy but almost constant. I would like her better if the blooms were a eye level, not roof level.
Mutabilis would rarely be without a bloom.
Strangely my MACs are pretty pathetic bloomers.
Yesterday I spotted the first bud on Fortune's Double Yellow, so spring is on the way.

Hurray.

Sue

I wonder what we're doing wrong with Mme Alfred Carriere? We live just E of Austin, and her flushes of blooms are totally straggly and apathetic. Maybe we need... more compost?

In Houston, lovely and amazing Madame Joseph Schwarz bloomed all summer and all winter.

But I don't think we have any everbloomers in our yard up here in Z8. Knockout came closest, followed by:

Green Ice (the redoubtable!)
Belinda's Dream
Mutabilis
Cramoisi Superieur

But we've had snow in 2010 and again in 2011, which knocked out all the roses' winter blooms. And then we had two years of drought and 100+ summers, and that scorched away the summer blooms.

Verdun, Caldwell Pink, Rose de Rescht, and (this year) Oekonomierat Echtermayer, a rose red early HT.

In the rose park nearby with over 1,000 bushes - northwest Chicagoland, alkaline clay soil, 4-seasons (cool/wet spring and fall, hot dry summer, humid late summer, zone 5a winter) - the always blooming ones are Carefree series, Gene Boerner, and Singin'-in-the-Rain. All the above beat Knock-outs.

Hi, I have to note I had a big problem with rust as for Carefree Sunshine and rust is not very common disease in my conditions. Jana

I forgot to mention two more star performers, Potter and Moore and Rosette Delizy, both actively growing and blooming, with beautiful green leaves. Since I started this thread, however, Belinda's Dream and Miss Atwood have slowed down, and Westside Road Cream Tea has again developed these strange blooms which, as soon as they open, are brownish-gray. I've never seen a single other rose do this and I've been growing roses for more than 25 years.

Ingrid

China's and Noisette's are the best here. (Tampa Bay) I still, after all these years, DO NOT Grow enough Teas =/ I'm ordering roses today might have to order some Teas!

Mutabilis
Cramoisi Superieur and the Climbing Sport
Old Blush and the Climbing Sport
Malvern Hills is not everblooming but it usually has at least 1 rose on it.

I see Secret Garden Musk listed - do I have to wait 100 years? Mine has been in the ground for quite sometime. Must not be happy in Florida. I have in in a prime spot dreaming of the day it will take off.

Mutabilis was great here for years and suddenly died I have waited on replacing it, only because I have the yellow sport ordered.

Jeri - I'm surprised your area does not do reclaimed water. I couldn't garden without it in St. Pete! I know one person that says he hates it for roses. I really do not understand how ???

Regards,
Andrew Grover

Andrew, my SGMC is not doing well, either. I moved it because in all day full sun it was growing backwards. It seemed to be much happier for awhile, but now seems to be in a holding pattern with only scattered blooms. Never a heavy flush.

Thanks to Jana for reporting that Carefree Sunshine gets rust in Eastern Europe. That would be a concern for I.S. Pacific Coast growers as well.

My CS is still in bloom, it was the first to start blooming, and it looks like it will make it through the season without missing a single day.

In my North Texas garden;( 100 degree summers including 80 degrees at night and cold northers in the winter that often start in late November) My ever bloomers in order of remmontance are:
1. Belinda"s Dream and 1b. Peach Drift
2. Valentine (a beautiful red floribunda found at ARE
3. Knockouts ( I gave in because they really do bloom from spring to first frost.)
4. Duchese de Brabant
5. Julia Child
6. Ducher
7. The Fairy is just as good as Belinda,s but rated lower because
she does not bloom here until mid June.
8. Lady Hillingdon

Looking forward to the performance of my baby Marie Pavie, Perle d 'Or, Kronprincessin Viktoria, sweet Georgia peach, souvenir de malmaison and Sophy's rose... too early to comment but will re-post for any North Texas gardener. This forum helped me so much when I moved here from Florida by way of England and was afraid of roses in this Texas heat.

I

Looking back over this thread, I believe I forgot to mention good old Julia Child which is almost a constant bloomer.
In another thread a while back, we told about what we thought were the most underrated roses, and this brought back memories of my hedge of Royal Bonica roses that I grew at my previous home. These wonderful roses were constant bloomers for me and much more than a landscape rose. Now I'll be getting one in a few days, and I am really looking forward to growing it here. I hope it's just as successful as it was at my old place. Check out Royal Bonica on HMF. It's almost unknown here in the U.S. Diane

I didn't update in fall, but 'Carefree Sunshine' bloomed every day for over six months last season.

I'd like to add to my original List, Drift roses--- I now have 2 Coral and 2 Red, and they are fantastic, always a show! The usuals are Ducher, Louis Philippe, Spice, Belinda's Dream, Mrs. Cant, Knock-Outs, China Doll, Summer Snow....I am really impressed with those Drift roses,they never stop, and the leaves are such a glossy dark green...sally

I'm in hot dry SW18, zone 9-10. alkaline clay.

I have a variety of rose types in my yard.... I would say Archduke Charles and Valencia (a ht) bloom almost all the time. They're both taking a winter break right now, but I had blooms in Dec and Jan on both. I'm confident they'll be blooming again soon.

Duftendes Weisskirchen, The Faun also bloom a ton. I remember remarking several times over the last year that "Wow, the Faun is in FULL BLOOM again!"

Bermuda's Kathleen blooms a fair amount, too. Though it does take a break to set beautiful hips in the winter.

Though I am looking forward to my few old teas becoming larger in hopes that they will bloom more. I have Anna Jung which is supposedly "rapid rebloom" just planted. and also have Madame Lambard (Lombard)... and Maman Chocet cl finally went in the ground this past fall so I'm looking forward to seeing if it will start wowing me this year.

Also from Paul Barden I have October Moon and Oshun in the ground now... both listed as "strong rebloom" so we'll see!

I know this is counter-intuitive -- but the roses which come closest to being TRULY "Ever-Blooming" in our garden are R. banksia lutea and Fortuniana -- which both scatter bloom constantly here.

Those, and most of the red China Roses.

Jeri