Maybe 'Pink Gruss an Aachen'?

A French hollyhock with purple bloom. I think it would be lovely. If you are really, really wanted a rose, try something like Melodee Perfume or Heirloom for the color.

Check out Souvenir de la Malmaison. It is bourbon, and it won't clash color wise and doesn't get huge in our neck of the woods. It's also a beautiful rose worthy of show.

Their is a sport of SDLM - Souvenir St Anne or something like that that is very pretty as well, but not as full a bloom.

Our biggest challenge is size. Very few roses will stay under four feet unless you are handy with the clippers.

All are great suggestions. I have a grafted Souvenir de la Malmaison planted in the near vicinity, so I'll probably choose something different, but then again....she IS pretty! I didn't like her initially because of all the brown balls hanging off her that were supposed to be flowers, but since threatening her with the shovel I have had nothing but exquisite blooms, even with thunderstormy weather.

I have a Souvenir de St. Anne's that I just potted up. It is a band from Rogue Valley Roses, so I haven't had any blooms to look at yet.

I was wondering about Comtesse du Cayla. Not sure if the colors of Comtesse would "take away" from Abe Darby.

Sandy

I am not familiar with Comtesse but know it has peach and copper tones. I did receive a rose that a friend rooted for me the other day that would work, Katherine Zeimet. She had it labeled Zelmet - see my other thread. It says the individual blooms aren't worthy of cut roses, but it's a daughter of Marie Pavie Etoile de Mai, which are good roses. It is a white polyantha that will easily stay under four foot. It grows exceptionally well in our climate and has continual bloom.

I believe Abraham Darby has somewhat of a peach tone and Louie is a red with blush center. In order not to clash with either, I would think you'd want to go blush, white, or yellow tone.

Another idea is Bonica. I know it seems a little common, but it does mature into a fine rose and is even listed in The Rose Bible as one of the top fifty. It never gets over four foot. Mine was transplanted this year and is only two foot. It does better if NOT pruned and loves our climate. It has a delightful blush pink bloom that suggest tones simular to New Dawn to me but just in a miniature version. I really think that's a dark as you'll be able to go with those colorful selections that you have.

maybe clotilde de soupbert? Something that will show up against the white but not clash - oh screw it, plant what you want, any color you want! I think all the colors look lovely smushed together anyway!!

Sandy, I have Comtesse du Cayla and I'm not all that thrilled with it. Mine is almost always washed out and doesn't have that orange coloring I was hoping for by the photos I've seen of it in books and online plus I don't care for the foliage. I am diligent about feeding it and its leaves are usually a pale green/almost yellow. :-( I'm almost certain I will replace it with something else this fall...

garden party, is your Bonica own root or were you able to get a grafted one?

Pagan, I love your thinking about smushing whatever colors end up in spots. I think sometimes we worry about coordinating too much, when nature does not. However, I do think a blush or a white to ywllow tone would be best.

I can always move Louis, as I just put him in a few days ago, but my husband liked the idea of red against the white house, and I figured Louis could handle the west side O.K. which is shaded part of the morning, brutal sun all afternoon, and handle getting hit by wind when we are windy.
Seems like the high winds are out of the west most of the time here.

tenor peggy, thanks for the feedback on Comtesse. I had a pretty one in a pot, planted it and wanted to move it. When I picked up the rootball I accidentally dropped the bush and broke it in half, ruining its architecture. I have another in a pot that I just bought, but I have heard many mixed reviews on this rose, so maybe I won't plant it.

Sandy

Sandy,
Mine is own root, but it is doing fine. I had it in a too shady spot last year and it didn't do much. However, I moved it to where it now gets a good 5 hours of sun and it is coming to life. Stuff tends to grow so fast here and often up and over my roses.

I will try to take a photo of it this weekend and post it. It is a small inch and a half bloom, but you get lots of clusters. As well, the form is very nice. It reminds me of Cecile Brunner, but with a larger bloom and a pink blush color. The photos I see are all darker than what I have. I believe our shades in our kind of hot sun are a little paler than other climates experience. Mine looks exactly like the shade of New Dawn.

I don't know what rose, but I would choose something a rich cream color between these two. I don't think I would put Comtesse du Cayla next to Abe Darby.

I had a feeling that Comtesse wasn't quite right. Bonica sounds pretty. I've also thought of getting another Molineux, which does extremely well for me, even on its own roots.

Sandy, do you Kronprincessin Victoria yet? Her size and growth habit are similar to those of her sport parent, SDLM, and her white blooms with a touch of lemonade yellow at the center would make the color transition between Louis Philippe and Abraham Darby about as well as any rose I can think of.

Another relative shorty that might work is Mrs. Oakley Fisher, though I suppose, as an HT, that one would have to be on Fortuniana. Or the tea, General Gallieni, if he doesn't get too tall in your climate.

Too funny...I actually have Louis Phillipe (blue/cherry red) growing almost next to Abraham Darby (peachy pink). I have a Bermuda Anna Olivier (light yellow) growing between the two. This rose has worked for me. Also I have an old Graham Thomas (that I chop into submission) that acts as a buffer a between a section of red roses and a section of pink roses. Light yellow roses are a great mixer.

Garden Party is right. In my yard Abe D. is a peachy pink and planting pink rose next to it only accents the peach color. This would be OK if you were not also working with the red of Louis Phillipe. You could try a lighter peach-pink such as Perle d'Or. I have one growing near my Abe Darby. I grow it in a pot though, so I have no real idea of it's size. I think the color would work though.

I forgot to add to Patricia's suggestion to use purple hollyhocks. It's a good idea, if you expand it to include other purple and or dark blue perennials. They tend to soften the transitions between roses. Hollyhocks don't grow in zone 10 (at least I've never seen them), but there are other plants that serve the same function here. I'm sure that you can find plants that will suffice if you wish to try this idea.

Yes! I was thinking about Kronprincessen Victoria!

Or Glamis Castle?

Gosh, what great suggestions! I have a Mrs. Oakley Fisher in a pot. I'm wondering if because she is an older hybrid tea she just might do O.K. on her own roots. Actually, if a rose can't hack the own root thing, there are plenty of others that can.

Kronprincessin is planted by Cramoisi in another bed. It's a very small baby but looks so pretty with the red. I do have a band of Souvenir de St. Annes, so when it blooms I'll see what I think.

I was discouraged today and was going to plop Louis in a pot until I figured out what to do, but my husband said that he liked him where he was, and that he would be striking against the white house. Right now he is only at the toddler stage-if that. I hope he is a fast grower.

I'm trying to plant STURDY, but pretty roses on the west side of my house, because I've learned the hard way that what goes there will have to have the ability to withstand whatever our hurricaine seasons dish out. It seems the twiggy bushes let most of the wind go through without whipping them around too much.

I put Madame Lombard on the corner of the house near Louis, because the other one I had never had a problem with wind. Probably because she is built like a tank. I like to mix colors, prettier that way IMO, as long as they don't jar each other.

I wonder if Hollyhocks will do well here. I'm planning on researching companion plants so that once all the roses are in place I can tuck a few here and there. If any of you know where I can start my research let me know, hopefully with a place that knows Florida.

It's too bad all you ladies don't live closer. It would be so great if we could actually look at each others gardens.

Sandy

Sandy, Blue Daze and The Black and blue salvia looks amazing with the color of Louis Phillipe. I have a bed in the front of my house with Louis Phillipe roses and blue daze as a low growing perennial in the front.

BTW How large is your Louis Phillipe? Does yours have a little white stripe in the center of the bloom?