I can't pick a favorite...well ok I guess that would be Edmond Proust. I love High Country Mignonette, and I really love my species roses. Something very charming about them to me.

My most pleasing rose ever:

Golden Celebration... beautiful blooms, healthy plant, lovely fragrance.

Climbing Don Juan.. it has been the picture of health, has a fragrance that is pleasing to me and, puts out a great show of deep red roses

Glamis Castle... it has been bullet proof for me

That's like asking me to pick my favorite child!

Well, this this year has brought some new pleasures. Unquestionably the loveliest flower I have ever grown is Kronprinzessin Viktoria von Preussen. A couple of others have given me unexpected delight. The first full blossoming of an old rescued old rose. The quaint charm of a little mini called Dresden Doll.

Then I have a couple of reliable roses that please me without any special effort and deserve my gratitude - the ever-blooming Hyde Hall planted in a long hedge and the perfect white floribunda Moondance.

Right now Baronne Prevost is thrilling me. One bud cut and brought into the house fills the air with fragrance.

The other rose that makes me happy is Lyda Rose because she'll bloom and bloom in part shade and most roses won't do that for me. Oh, and her "dad" Francis E. Lester is no slouch in the bloom department either.

Rosa Mundi and Alain Blanchard are also wonderful.

Diane

I Love My Kronprincessin Viktoria it's is big over 5 feet and blooms frequently and has one section that's been sporting pink for 5 years now. I also love my Capt Dyel de Graville.

Hi Diane (Fogrose): That's the type of rose I like, that fill the entire room with scent. Honey Bouquet (yellow) below doesn't have a strong scent like Golden Cel., but the bush is so compact and it's a heavy-producer floribunda .... plus heat & drought tolerant, that I want another one.

Hi Labrea: I look up 'Capitaine Dyel de Graville', hardy to zone 5b, deep pink color, a sport of SDML. Amazing color!

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Thu, Jul 11, 13 at 22:36

ratdogheads, I would love to see your hedge of Hyde Hall. Rose hedges aren't used nearly as much as they used to be, perhaps because many people have smaller yards and fewer of them grow roses.

Right now it's difficult for me to think of what my favorite roses are because my garden is such an arid wasteland. It already seems so long since there were friendly blooms all around me. I've noticed it makes a difference in the degree of contentment I feel with my life. Here goes, though:

Le Vesuve: My two bushes probably like the heat more than any other rose here and continue to churn out buds and blooms, although the individual flowers don't last long. But, as long as it's warm there are always more.

La France: An elegant and fragrant rose that I wish were attached to a nicer-looking bush. Still, the flowers alone must be worth it since I bought a second one!

Reve d'Or: I no longer have it but hope to have another one in the fall. I miss the peachy-pink blooms that appear very often on this climber.

Pretty Jessica: Just now coming into its own in its second year with a handful of flowers and blooms in the heat on a disease-free small bush.

Mr. Bluebird: Has had some blackspot issues but I can't resist the color and artless appearance of the blooms, even though this hasn't been the easiest rose for me to grow.

Potter and Moore: Gorgeous, many-petalled blooms in soft pink on a bush that had mildew in the spring; since it's only two years old I'm hoping for improvement. The flowers need none.

Souvenir du President Carnot: I've discussed this rose at length in its own thread. Right now it's not blooming or growing, but I'm willing to give this rose a lot of leeway because of the beauty of its flowers.

Ingrid

Most pleasing roses EVER? I had to think about this one a little bit. Something I've been growing for a while and it has that "staying" power. Three roses come to mind right away. Souv de la Malmaison, Peace and Tiffany Lynn. Others that seem to always end up in my garden. Lady of the Dawn, Hannah Gordon, Stadt den Helder, The Green Rose, Baronne Prevost, Pink Pet, Abraham Darby, Crystalline, Brinessa, Royal Highness, Pierrine and Black Jade. These have stuck around for over 20+ yrs in 3 different gardens. For me they all make great garden roses and I can always count on them for cut roses for the house.

Strawberry

In spite of our very different environments/climates, you and I actually share a few goodies in the garden: Marie Pavie, Marie Daly, and Golden Celebration!

Madame Alfred Carriere, The Prince, and that imposter La Ville de Bruxelles from Heirloom are currently knocking my socks off. What the heck is that thing from Heirloom? It's in a one gallon pot and blooming continuously. (I know. I should cut off the blooms.) It's VERY fragrant. I think Paul suggested an Heirloom-bred HP of some kind?

Carol

Mons. Tillier. It's only a year old but its over 4' tall and blooms its fool head off.
Mary Magdaline. The blooms are a delicate petal pink and on the large side. Lovely.
Madame Alfred Carrier. Her blooms smell sweetly and they look like small peonies. A gentle look for a valuptuous bush.
Edmund Proust looks like its going to be another house eater and Etain makes me swoon.
Jeannie

Hi Jeannie: I check of the size of Madame Alfred Carrier, that's a big one. I came back to roses too late, if not for the trees I planted ... would love to have those big roses you mentioned.

Hi Carol: I checked on La Ville de Bruxelles, that's a hardy damask to zone 4, up to 6-8 feet ... this thread is educational, thank you all for these great OGR's.

Below is Norwich Sweetheart mini-rose, thornless, constant-bloomer, heat-tolerant. The scent is exquisite like Crimson Glory. It died through my zone 5a winter. I really miss it, ordered again, but Burlington Roses was sold out this year. Mini-roses thrived in last year 100 degrees drought and full-sun.

Most pleasing? SDLM, Abe Darby, New Dawn. Wonderful bloom. Abe Darby never seems to stop blooming nor does SDLM. New Dawn gives the enormous flush then blooms here and there, but the flush is enough to make her a classic for me.
kay

I forget to give credit to Comte de Chambord, the most pleasing scent EVER! I never get sick of sniffing this one. It's amazing tough and healthy as own-root ... the bush is compact, and leaves are pretty.

'La Reine' made me smile today. .. ...

Hi Mauvegirl: La Reine is on my buy-list for next year from Burlington Roses. How's the thorns on that one? Thanks for any info.

Here is our Hyde Hall hedge which gives us profuse non stop bloom right up until frost. We've done some nearby excavation and haven't reseeded the lawn...so it's a bit sgraggly and not very photogenic. But this gives you some idea. It's about 23' long and is a boundary hedge. In New England fences between homes are uncommon, so this is a nice way to create some privacy. This was planted last year and the photo was taken in this year in June. By now the new growth is almost at 5', quite upright and very sturdy. DA suggests it will grow 7-8' tall.

That's a gorgeous hedge, and will be spectacular when it's full-grown. It seems you've hit on just the right rose for that purpose.

Beautiful photo, Teresa, love the color and appearance of the blooms. With own-roots it really is a study in patience.

Ingrid

ratdog, I love your Hyde Hall hedge. Please do give us more pictures as it gets taller. I'm trying to imagine what a 6 ft tall hedge of HH would look like. And if it gets to 8 ft, definitely show us that--I'd love to see something like that. HH has intrigued me ever since I first read its description several years ago, but yours are the first pics I 've seen of it.

Kate

Ratdog, I love it!!! What a wonderful hedge.

Hi Ingrid: Thank you for your recommendations for hot climate: Pretty Jessica, Souvenir du President Carnot, Potter and Moore, La France. I looked at your previous threads and saw your heat-tolerant roses of Leonie's Apoline , Levenson-Gower, and SDLM Rouge.

I love your bush-shot of Mr. Bluebird, it's on my buy-list.
I fell in love with "Baby Fauraux", bred my Ralph Moore, similar purple like Mr. Bluebird. Kim is right that multiflora smells different from musk. Baby Fauraux smells spicy, with a bit of cinnamon, very unique.

For my Chicagoland hot summer of 90 to 100 degrees, nothing beat the bouquet picked today, July 13: red Firefighter, one bloom perfumes the entire room.

Pink Francis Blaise: gives 3 times more blooms than Frederic Mistral, better bush beauty and more drought-tolerant, (Pat Henry's fav. at RU). Francis Blaise smells like green apple and myrrh, very good scent.

Romantica Sweet Promise & Liv Tyler, plus white Marie Pavie spray (sweet musk scent), and yellow Calendula ... a perennial that host beneficial green lacewings, which give birth to larvae that eat aphids. Yellow Calendula is a perennial that seed itself in zone 5a, bloom until hard frost.

Strawberryhill, regarding 'La Reine', thorns are minute. Form is upright but not stiff. The foliage is lush and verdant.

La Reine, 1842 bred by Jean Laffay

Thank you, Mauvegirl, for those great pics. of La Reine. I should buy that for $11 at Burlington Roses in CA. I love dark-pink color. Paul Neyron is so fussy here that I rename him "Paul Moron".

Sonia Rykiel, the most pleasing scent that gets me excited, is a piece of cake compared to "Paul Moron". The leaves smell like raspberry-rose. My kid was hungry after school, she sniffed Sonia Rykiel, and said, "Mom, I want to eat this, it smells so good!" I made lunch for her immediately, before she ate my rose.

Strawberry----if it smells good enough to eat it sounds good to me---I'm happy you made lunch in a hurry---LOL

Love the rose hedge---I like anthing that requires very-little care

It is difficult to pick a favorite---this year Lyda Rose is getting ready for another repeat bloom---she is a joy to me because I can see her right outside my kitchen window ---too hot outside for me----
Lyda Rose
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Florence

Thank you, Florence, for those bush-shots of Lyda Rose. Fortunately, Burlington Roses in CA also sells Lyda Rose for $11. That would brighten up that shady spot in my garden.

It's 84 degrees today, here's a bouquet I picked, where Pink Peace out-shines all ... no fading, no frying in full-sun, the scent is stronger than Paul Neyron. The petals are thick, did well in last year drought and 100 degrees heat.

There's an old thread where people discussed Pink Peace and The McCartney Rose. The vote? It's a tie, folks like both. Pink Peace is dark pink, Liv Tyler is apricot-pink, and light pink is Francis Blaise.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Sun, Jul 14, 13 at 13:31

I agree about Mc cartney Rose and Pink Peace----I've had both
Florence

Here's the most pleasing rose in all aspects, thornless Annie L. McDowell, bush & flower beauty, plus lilac/lavender scent that perfumes the entire room. Here in zone 5a we got snow/hail damage in mid-April, so I pruned down to 4 inches, below is 3-months growth. I counted over 25 buds, picture taken today July 15, at 86 degrees and 74% humidity, zero diseases:

Below is Annie in her last flush this summer, zero mulch. Color becomes more lavender once mulched with horse manure (high in iron, plus trace elements).

Here's another rose that's 100% clean today in humid & hot July: Liv Tyler with over 40 blooms/buds ... folks said the same about its disease-resistance. Picture taken today, with one bud smashed when I killed 2 Japanese beetles:

Strawberry, your photos are just luscious in their color and detail. You not only are a rosarian, but an excellent photographer. I'm about out of decent looking blooms right now after weeks of horrid heat. I love your bouquets.
Florence, Lyda Rose is exquisite, like delicate lace. I would love to grow this rose. Diane