Prairie Harvest is a great rose. Really nice fragrance and quick rebloom.
Folksinger, on the other hand, has just been taken out of the garden. The bloom was nonstop, but the flowers fried in the heat. It's too bad, cause I remember liking this one this spring, but if they don't look good in August then they don't stay in my garden.
There are a few others in my garden but they are neither fantastic nor deadbeats. I don't like the spottiness some of them get, I don't like the HT look of most of the flowers, and they aren't fragrant enough for me. Wow, that sounds so negative! But they are still good enough to keep even though I've been getting rid of lots of roses. I really just don't see what the Buck craze is all about.

I love so many of the Bucks it's really hard to pick a favorite. This week, however, Prairie Sunrise is a favorite. It is a beautiful rose at all stages, from bud to full-blown bloom.

{{gwi:302534}}

{{gwi:318132}}

{{gwi:218467}}

Some of the Buck roses have the old-fashioned look, like Prairie Sunrise above. Others have the high pointed hybrid tea form, like Les Sjulin, below.

{{gwi:221547}}

Earth Song is my healthiest Buck; spotfree this year without spraying but has been affected with minimal blackspot in previous years. Malaguena is also very healthy and thrives despite being in a totally neglected area of my garden. Honeysweet is my favorite for color & Aunt Honey for bloom form & habit. Griff's Red & Folksinger are both vigourous & floriferous. I like Griff's Red for its medium red which tends to stay a true red rather than fading to deep pink. Its above average in disease resistance but can get moderate blackspot here. Folksinger has been affected by powdery mildew in prior years but is currently disease-free. Another favorite of mine that isn't mentioned very often is Country Song. The bush stays small (less than 2 ft tall) and is only average in the disease resistance department, but I love the huge blossoms, which are light to medium pink and have a shimmering appearance in the sunlight.

Prairie Sunrise is a stunner! And I love that luminous apricot color. Thank you, Karen.
I really prefer the older shaped blooms to the pointed HTs.
As far as what the "Buck craze" is about, for me, it's disease resistance. If it is really disease resistant, then I am interested. Life and time are both too short to spend huge amounts of time spraying things. Planting, yes; spraying, no. That's the way I feel about it. I'm interested in OGRs and Kordes roses, too, for that reason. This nursery I will be visiting next month lists the Bucks as being no spray there, that's why I asked about them. Thanks for all the great suggestions! Brandy

Country Dancer is amazing. The blooms open and the outter most petals fad to give the rose real depth. Mine is blooming like a 3 yr old rose!! She is covered in blooms even after weeks with NO rain and temps over 102 everyday. I have been working over 50 hrs a week and havent had time to water. Its an amazing rose...I wish I had 2.

BTW...I never spray and she never spots.

:o)

Ronda

{{gwi:318135}}

I don't know that there's a Buck rose craze. Buck's roses have gradually grown in popularity since people have access to better information via the internet and better choice of varieties owing to the proliferation of small own-root nurseries. When I started growing roses 30 years ago, I knew about Buck from reading, but it was years and years before I saw any Buck roses in the catalogs I read and ordered from, except for Carefree Beauty during the single year it was (owing to a strange brief lapse into sanity) AARS.

People here talk up the better Buck roses because they are superior in their combination of hardiness, full repeat, (usually) compact growth, and (in some cases) outstanding disease resistance. The ones with blackspot resistance are extremely valuable in the eastern half of the country, and being about a zone hardier than other modern roses lets them survive in midwestern 4-5 without a lot of extra effort, or lets them become cane-hardy shrubs in zones 6-7a where other modern bush roses are dieback plants.

I have three Bucks all new this year. Country Music hasn't done much, only a few blooms and slow growing.
{{gwi:318136}}

Winter Sunset has bloomed like crazy but they blow quickly. It is growing well but it's had some black spot.
{{gwi:318137}}

Quietness is my favorite. It's bloomed regularly, put on a fair amount of growth and every one is gorgeous.
{{gwi:318138}}

Seil, look again and tell us if the spots on Winter Sunset are black spot or something else-- purpler with smoother margins and taking weeks to kill the leaf, and some large areas of brown dead tissue gradually developing. I've never seen true black spot on WS, but that other stuff is a nuisance.

Nice pics, and I love Quietness too. As you say, every flower is excellent and usually free of blemishes from thrips and petal blight.

Brandy,
I have winter sunset, prairie harvest, april moon and quietness. the blossoms fade on winter s, but they are so lovely in bud and when they first open. They've faded to a cream within two days. they are all resistant for me here in muggy n alabama. They are all only one or two years old, though.
Annie

Prairie Harvest
{{gwi:297728}}

Winter Sunset

{{gwi:318141}}

Thank you, annie, what glowing pics. both are tempting.
I have to set down w/ my plan and seriously consider how many roses and peonies I can put in that space w/o crowding them- and I HAVE to do it, BEFORE I go on my rose buying trip! Brandy

No one has mentioned it:
Prairie Star, a good white with long stems and a nice light scent. Like a hybrid tea, good for cutting. Very hardy and fairly disease free.

My favorite is Distant Drums. Can't grow it though because it gets BS here...

My second favorite is Country Dancer.

{{gwi:318142}}

Does any of you know a good source for Paloma Blanka? By good source I mean that the plant is not infected with RMV. I heard good things about this rose but I was also told that some vendors sell it with RMV.

Almost all of mine are covered here. One of the last posts mentioned my very beautiful Prairie Stars. I have 5 of them in front of the house, and they contribute greatly to a white look that I love. Sadly, they defoliate with black spot. They do not even last as long as Distant Drums.

After our last two harsh springs, I have become a big part of the Buck craze. I love all roses, but I think the Bucks are stronger than some of the other roses. But I love roses.

Country Dancer is pretty, but I need to pay more attention to size. I need to plan on such a small rose. To have a rose like Country Dancer in a bed with larger roses, and not have it landscaped to be highlited, means that it looks dwarfed and out of place. There are always corners or pocket where you can slip a rose in and it looks good, but in my case, I didn't realize how small it would be, and took it out after about 4 or 5 years.

How I wish now I had just put it in a pot.

Sammy

Hm, Country Dancer can easily be 6 x 5 here.

Michael, are you sure you are thinking of Country Dancer? Mine was about 2 feet, and the one or two posted here did not look too tall.

If mine was a "lemon", I will buy another because the size was its main downfall. If anything my zone would be warmer than yours, I think. So our difference should not be a zone thing.

Sammy

Yes, I'm sure. We planted several in a park, and some became 6 x 5 shrubs despite no irrigation after the first season, no deadheading of the huge hips, and maybe one feeding per year. It starts out rather wide and droopy.

Try it again, it's a good one.

I have quite a lot of them. I'd have to say that THIS year my favorites have been:

DORCAS
{{gwi:318143}}

QUIETNESS
{{gwi:318145}}

SPANISH RHAPSODY
{{gwi:318146}}

THAT'S INCREDIBLE
{{gwi:318150}}

I tend to go for the more speckled ones. FRECKLES is another good one, but it didn't put out very many blooms this season, for some reason.

Beth - your pics are gorgeous! Would you mind me asking where you purchased your That's Incredible? I've been looking for one forever and have had no luck. Spanish Rhapsody is also on my buy list for spring. My Prairie Sunset is also a very beautiful bi-color rose; dark red with a yellow eye. Unfortunately the creepy JBs also liked it very much also...

Terryjean, I got THAT'S INCREDIBLE from Sam Kedem Roses the last yr before they quit selling roses. Roses Unlimited carries it under the name "INCREDIBLE."

Here is a link that might be useful: Roses Unlimited

If Country Dancer is tall, it goes to the top of my list.
As we see new Bucks, I hope there are more colors other than pink. Pink is pretty, but I like a variety, and if I am not careful, I can have almost all pink.

Sammy

QUIETNESS --- oops was that too loud? quietness!

Beth, thanks for the nursery source. Is SR or Incredible the most colorful? I love the Country Dancer pic also...it appears to be a dark pink. Too bad winter is coming; I'm just getting started. Where has summer gone?

Terryjean, being own-roots both of those plants are still kinda small, and only just this season beginning to put on some good growth. But between all the blooms they've had so far over the last couple yrs, and looking over older pics, they both have very similar coloring at different times. I think TI might fade faster than SR tho.

Several folks here have recommended 'Golden Unicorn' -- & with good reason. However, it's not such a great choice for coastal NC. It's very healthy here, grows large, has lovely foliage & produces lots of flowers, but the blooms blow VERY quickly in our heat. Consequently, the plant is in constant need of deadheading & is a real eyesore if you don't deal with it frequently. I assume that it's much more satisfactory in more temperate climates.

Gorgeous photos, Beth, as always. I love "Incredible" a lot.

A lot of very lovely roses. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with the Bucks's rose 'Barn Dance'. Saw it in the Heirloom Catalog tonight and it caught my eye.

Kate

Windeaux, Which Bucks did you find good for coastal NC?

Thank you, windeaux, for that feedback on Golden Unicorn.
I second Ceterum's question, which Bucks have done well for you here?
Prairie Sunrise is at the top of my list of Buck's (Karen's pics above really confirmed it). Also on my list are Sunbonnet Sue and Wild Ginger, but I would love a hardy red rose. From what's been posted, Prairie Valor is not that hardy. Brandy

Golden Unicorn seems pretty active for me.

Carla

Roseleaf recommended Griff's Red from Piedmont NC.

Prairie Valor has no blackspot resistance.

Brandy & Ceterum -- I don't grow many Bucks (due to lack of garden space, primarily), so I can't give very good guidance. Here's my take on the ones I have:

Paloma Blanca does very well for me. I tend to avoid white roses, but got this one because Donny at Roseland Nursery told me it is her favorite white. PB produces masses of blooms in huge clusters. Because it's so prolific, it benefits from a bit of disbudding if you have the time. (Ceterum, you asked earlier about RMV & Paloma Blanca . . . I've seen no sign of it. You might contact Donny to ask if she's noticed a problem -- I've found her always to be very up-front about such matters.)

Distant Drums is the only Buck I'm aware of that has David Austin parentage (& it shows). It's a vigorous plant with very good flower production. I don't think of it as a BS magnet, but I find it to need periodic spraying to look its best here in coastal NC. The best thing about this rose is the unique & constantly changing color of the blooms (which, in my experience, is enhanced if the bush gets afternoon shade). Incidentally, I find this rose to be a lovely foil for blue/lavender perennials.

Recent additions (now in their second year) are Quietness and Folksinger. I recommend both of these, altho Folksinger has been rather slow to establish (probably because its location in my garden is less than ideal).

New for me this year is Blue Skies, which appears to be more HT-like than the typical Buck. I got this one because someone on this forum from New Orleans (Mike, I think) had good things to say. So far, it's has healthy foliage and has grown like gang-busters. The color & flower form are superb, but it has little (if any) fragrance (odd for a lavender). Rambling, not very informative post . . . Sorry I can't give more definitive opinions re Bucks in our sometimes difficult growing area.

Brandy, this is not a Buck rose, BUT if you're wanting a red, very disease resistant, constant blooming red rose, think about Valentine. It's done wonderfully for me in a very hot sunny spot. Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: Valentine, cluster flowered floribunda

You realize, windreaux, that Roseland is exactly the nursery I was referring to? They seem to have quite a selection of roses. I have already ordered the climbers for the back of the bed- Fields of the Wood, Reve d'Or and Red Cascade (from Countryside). I already have Ginger Syllabub, and hope to put it there too. And, for a red, I ordered Dusky Maiden. If I remember right, I would have to order Valentine- I think from Vintage (not sure). I might go w/ Griff's Red. Seems difficult to find a red that is disease resistant and fragrant... I don't plan to order any more roses this fall. This trip better do it for me for now.
I am enjoying all the responses to this thread. Thanks all, Brandy

Nope, good ol' Chamblees carries Valentine. But it's not fragrant, at least not to me. Have fun on your buying trip. Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: Valentine at Chamblees

I also grow Valentine and love it. I have purchased Valentine from both Chamblees & The Antique Rose Emporium. As Annie says, it's not fragrant, but it is wonderful.

Randy

A red HT that several in the South have found to have considerable blackspot resistance is Dame de Coeur. I haven't grown it.

My newly planted Mountain Music just bloomed this a.m. and it is gorgeous. Light pink with yellow eyes. I'll have DH take a pic later and upload. So far no BS problems and I understande it's one of the smaller Bucks; great to tuck in a corner or in front of the border.

{{gwi:318151}}

Folksinger is a great bloomer and prolific. Lightly scented and fades to white.

Barbara

Windeaux, would you be wiling to send me a few cuttings of Paloma Blanca" If yours is from Donny, it is most probably RMV free. A dear GW friend sent me a few cuttings but I lost it in this g horrid weather. Maybe a few hardwood cutting i the winter would root for me. (either we can exchange cuttings or I would pay for shipping if you are willing to consider it)

I agree that Folksinger is great, I didn't have to spray it once. Serendipity is another one that is healthy (most of the time), great bloomer and and interesting color. Quietness is still a baby (last winter rabbit made it disappear but it came back from its root) - and so far l like what I see.

Tops go to Honeysweet, although Earthsong, Carefree Beauty, Prairie Sunrise and Quietness.

If you go from the Honeysweet photo set to the main page of the photo sets on my Flickr! site, you'll need to scroll down to see the various rose varieties (including all of the above).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpwchi/sets/72157594268932994/show/

Here is a link that might be useful: Honeysweet

"Distant Drums" is my favorite, for its' distinct coloring.
people always notice this one, when it's in bloom in our largish rose garden. The cooler weather this Halloween week has intensified its' lilac-violet hues.

"Golden Unicorn" fades too much in our part of California to be much of interest during summer. From the photos it appears as if "Honeysweet" would have been a better choice to avoid sun bleaching.

"Hawkeye Belle" is a splendid rose, with a light and sweet honeysuckle fragrance. I've seen one bush, left unpruned for several years attain a height of over 8' tall.

It is great that this thread is still going! Prairie Sunrise is on my list- but only if the weather begins to be more normal. I ordered quite a few roses this fall, and I don't want to watch them die.
Griff's Red, Prairie Harvest, and Gentle Persuasion also look promising. I have ordered quite a few reds, and will have to get a few cream and apricot colors to provide good contrast.
(I know everyone keeps talking about DD, but it is one of the few roses that I have actually seen, and I just did not care for it- to me, the color combination was strange.) Brandy

I'll agree to Quietness
{{gwi:218471}}
I have Winter Sunset and Country Music too but Quietness out performs both of them and it's just sooo darn lovely.

No one mentions Applejack - how is it, apart from size?

Hands Down..it's "DISTANT DRUM" !!!

For Geo - Applejack: Large arching shrub rose, cane hardy, disease free with no spray, good rebloom and apple scented foliage. I have mine in an area that is planted with several albas and it fits right in.

I never posted on this thread originally because I could never choose my "favorite" Buck rose. I love so many for so many different reasons! They're not all hardy and they're not all disease resistant...but the one thing I've learned from this forum is that to find out if they do well in your own garden you've got to try them. What one does in Texas does not translate to Michigan and visa versa. Anyway, FWIW here is a list of my best:

Chorale
Distant Drums
Dorcas
Earth Song
Elias
Golden Princess
Grace Note
Hi, Neighbor
Honeysweet
Iobelle
Les Sjulin
Mountain Music
Paloma Blanca
Pipe Dreams
Prairie Star
Prairie Sunrise
Quietness
Spanish Rhapsody
Square Dancer
Sunbonnet Sue
Wild Ginger

See? I couldn't even narrow it down to top 5! I'm hopeless, LOL.

Anne

Here is a link that might be useful: My Buck rose photos

thanks, Anne; I'm glad I'll be getting Applejack, now.

It will be on the side, behind "Erfurt", which will be behind "English Miss", which will be behind "Snow Pavement" (near the pavement-very small joke), in a sort of off white to pinkish procession.