Over the Moon is a spectacular rose. It has performed wonderfully for us. Of the others you've mentioned, I love Brides Dream, St Patrick, & Ebb Tide. I shoveled pruned Neptune (twice!)-hated it.

Dollsandroses- I don't have Ebb Tide, but it's beautiful in the pictures I've seen. Is it really a dark purple?

Flaurabunda- Do you grow any David Austin roses? I don't, but if I lived in a little warmer zone, I might try a few :)

It really is that deep purple.

I have Ebb Tide & it does quite well in zone 5. It has a lovely lemony, to my nose, smell. I do know another person here in town who has had trouble keeping Perfect Moment overwintered.

Of the ones on your list I have Veteran's Honor, Bride's Dream, St. Patrick, Paradise, Over the Moon, Ebb Tide, and had Neptune and Perfect Moment. Perfect Moment and Neptune both perished after that bad Easter 07 freeze, and I had problems with Perfect Moment wintering over anyway at my other house. Although it is flamboyantly colored, it is not fond of winter.

Neptune did not do all that well for me. It was marginal here. I have seen it elsewhere along the coast and in pictures from others living near the coast somewhere, and to me it looks like it likes a coastal climate with some kind of ocean air influence.

My St. Patrick is only now blooming for the first time this year because it took a hard hit over winter. It doesn't like winter either, but it likes the heat, or so we would be led to believe.

Paradise has done reasonably well for me. It is a nice rose overall and one of my favorite lavenders.

Veteran's Honor is a good, solid red rose. Just don't be surprised if its first flowers after planting are off-color. Sometimes they are pink to begin with, but they come out red later on with plant maturity.

My Over the Moon was just put out this year and hasn't done a lot, but the flowers it has had have been okay. I think it just needs time and cooler weather.

Bride's Dream resembles Royal Highness, its parent. The flowers are almost indistinguishable in appearance. However, Royal Highness is fragrant while Bride's Dream isn't very fragrant. Bride's Dream outblooms Royal Highness normally. Bride's Dream is also less winter-tender.

Ebb Tide is a purple color, but the purple is variable with the weather. In cooler temps it is more purple while in hot weather it is more burgundy to red. This is not unusual for the mauve/purple/lavenders in hot weather. I hope my two cents worth helps.

Thank you all---great advice. I'd love to say that fragrance is important, but I live in a town that is known for its odor. We are home to Staley/Tate & Lyle, a soybean processor. The smell from the factory is legendary, and often it's the only smell my allergy-ridden organs can detect.

I'm all about dramatic or unusual colors, and blooms that stay around for more than 48 hours. To me, even the most beautiful rose is worthless if the bloom's gone after a day or two. I'll certainly take a looksy at Royal Highness, and I'm really reconsidering Neptune at this point.

As far as Austins, I have none currently. I prefers HTs or FLs, and I plant minis & minifloras in between. I am thinking, however, of Jude the Obscure at some point down the road. I've seen so many pictures of it that impress me that it's become tempting!

I love purple (guess I gave that away with the name LOL) but I don't know if Ebb Tide will do well with our cold winters.

This year I decided to try some gallicas...and I grow Hidcote lavender, May Night Salvia and Walker's Low Catmint. They're all very pretty with the pink and white old fashioned roses :)

I have Paradise in a pot. Not much fragrance. BUT...the bush is hardly ever without blooms. I think it took one week off. The rest of the time there's always 2 or 3. Right now there are 5 open with 5 more buds ready to pop. More buds are always on the go. The blooms last a really long time on the bush (I haven't cut any to bring inside). Really pretty rose! This is its first year.

Neptune is another new one and a good one. The flowers last about a week or more (it doesn't get all that hot here). Lovely fragrance. Lovely form. Really like this rose too.

Veteran's Honor is a rose I've had for 2 years. I've only had one flower. It must not like our cooler weather. Not too impressed. :)

I have Paradise Found as a new plant in a pot. It took forever to get its first flush which is happening right now. But there are about 8 flowers on it now with buds just waiting. Don't know if I disturbed the roots too much during potting (probably) or if Paradise is just that much better.

Carol

In my zone 5 garden, Brides's Dream is beautiful and prolific. St. Patrick very susceptible to winter death by zone! Color was kind of a green/yellow. Agree with Canadian rose on her PAradise; have had mine for 3 years and got another one. Beautiful healthy rose. I have grown several Ebb Tides and the color varies tremendously according to climate, etc.
Agree with the Austin suggestion...they do very well in zone 5

Cool! I'm hoping for the very greenish yellow tint on St Patrick. I have a lot of warm colors in my current roses, so I'm looking for a major contrast.

So far I don't have enough roses to make winter protection a daunting task, so I'm okay with a few that need a little extra protection. Talk to me in a couple of years when I have more, and I may change my mind about that statement. :)
---Laura