Rina Hugo? Rudely healthy and five by five feet in Northbridge. Not terribly fragrant but very long lasting in a vase. The lady whose plant I'm referring to used to use it to create the small bouquets for her local Starbuck's and other small businesses. Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: Rina Hugo

Eugene de B. is puny and hard to grow for most people, but I don't know about inland California. For me it was winter tender, very susceptible to black spot and canker, and hardly made it to 18". Also be warned that the flowers are small, although the color and fragrance are unusual and good.

Prospero is a great little rose, but it opens a dark true red before turning purple. Munstead Wood has the color you want; it's only available from DA currently. Tess of the D'urbervilles is cherry red in the sun, but dark raspberry in the house if cut early. It's more a climber than a shrub for me.

Eugene de Beauharnais is a gorgeous rose. In Newhall the flowers crisped quickly due to climate, color and petal texture. Rust was occasionally an issue as was mildew. I have it here in Encino and so far, it's just complaining it doesn't like the heat. But, I owe someone a budded plant of it on Fortuniana, so I have to keep it around until I can accomplish that. If he improves by the time I do my deed, he may stick around longer, if not, he'll be "auction fodder". Kim

Aimee: I like my Wise Portia (old Austin) a zillion times more than William Shakespeare. Here's why:

1) Wise Portia gives me the most blooms among my 10 baby Austins. Now it's only 2 1/2 months old band, but gave me at least 20 flowers.

2) Bonica's Encyclopedia or Roses wrote this about Wise Portia: Exceedingly long lasting cut-flower, excellent repeat, strong fragrance, but prone to black spot. We have more than 40" of rain per year, but mine doesn't have any black spot. It should do fine for dry CA.

3) Wise Portia's fragrance beats William Shakespeare. Its bloom is bigger, and I love the color change. In 80's temp., it's bright mauve (purple). At cooler temp. it changes to deep red raspberry. It is a MUST for any flower arrangement.

There is a sport of the old tea rose Maman Cochet which is pale pink/cream in the center, surrounded by raspberry outer petals. It is called Niles Cochet. From a distance, the effect is very raspberry. It loves hot weather and lots of sun. There is a very good picture of an entire bush of it on HMF, so you can see the overall look.

I got mine from a neglected bush in the back of an empty Victorian cottage in my neighborhood. It was Spring, and even with no care for years and years, the original bush was a nice round shape and was covered in bloom. That one was about 6 ft high by 4-5 feet wide, so it is not one of those house eating teas. I would recommend that you consider it. Mine starts blooming in April and does not stop until Dec.

Jackie

Fisherman's Friend?

Healthy for me, but disease is seldom and issue for me so I can't comment on how it might fare for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fisherman's Friend at HMF

Just thought of another one that is much more vibrant in my garden than in the pictures at HMF:

Rosemary Rose

Here is a link that might be useful: Rosemary Rose at HMF

STEPHEN'S BIG PURPLE or (same rose) BIG PURPLE.

Lovely fragrance. Tons of blooms. Really healthy (YMMV). It's in my top 3 roses tied with Betty White and Paradise Found. When I look out my window - it just sings purple/raspberry. I always want to have this rose!!!

Carol

SBP is gorgeous, but it stops flowering like Rhapsody in Blue does in my heat. It's also another which is terribly susceptible to alkaline driven chlorosis. Not damning the rose, simply offered as information to permit an informed choice. Kim

I love my two new Ascots, both planted bare root in March this year. They are vigorous, very healthy looking, and have bloomed quite a lot this season. I also have two Stephens Big Purple planted not far from one Ascot, and I think the Ascot rose's color is far more beautiful, a slightly muted purplish red, than SBP, which is more neon magenta in color. Ascot has more of an old fashioned cup shape, which I like.

Nanacoll, where did you find Ascot? I looked it up at HelpMeFind and there are no sources listed on this side of the pond.

Susan

Hi landperson,
Ascot is available from Palatine on multiflora rootstock. I've ordered quite a few roses from them over the last several years, and some have given me a little trouble from the multiflora in my alkaline soil. This seems to have been remedied by using granular fertilizer for acid loving plants on those roses already in the ground. New roses this year were planted with a mixture of soil and bagged garden soil for acid loving plants. I've had no problems with older roses or new ones on the multiflora since making these changes. I mention all of this because you are in Cal and possibly have alkaline soil, too. Diane

Diane, that's a good call on acidifying the soil for multiflora stock. As long as you pretty much treat that plant as if it was a Camellia or Azalea (other than sun), it should work. That's what I've always had to do to get the more chlorotic violet toned roses to perform. Things such as Reine des Violettes, International Herald Tribune, etc. Kim

'Rina Hugo' was an excellent rose here with superior rust resistance and productivity. Drawback was zero fragrance.

Yup, she gave that up to provide a week+ life in a vase. Kim

It can be variable in color, sometimes with dark magenta hues,sometimes with dark pink/violet overtones, but it always has a raspberry color weaving through. The bush is twiggy, but healthy. Fragrance? Divine! Like an expensive perfume. This is the bewitching rose, 'Young Lycidas'.

Juliet

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There's a new one about to come out that I'm rather excited about: Twilight Zone, which can be ordered now for spring delivery.

I haven't seen it yet in person, but I like the parentage alot and am expecting good things.

Here is a link that might be useful: Twilight Zone

Thanks, Diane. If you are a member at HMF, you might consider adding it (Palatine) to the list of nurseries selling Ascot. Someone else might well be as smitten as I was when they see the pictures and want one.

Unfortunately (?) since I am a stickler for own-root roses, I will forgo the pleasure of Ascot's company for the present.

Susan

Actually Susan, if you are in Santa Rosa (which is what is shown for you on HMF), that is zone 9, and I'd say the chances are better than even that most anything would grow better grafted than on its own roots there. That has been my experience in SoCal anyway. Go ahead and give the roses you want a try, even if they are grafted. The "sticklers" for own roots tend to be those folks who get a winter kill on above ground canes. That's unlikely in Santa Rosa, and I think you'll appreciate the extra vigor you can get from a grafted plant.

Thanks everyone! I'm leaning toward Munstead Wood or Siren's Keep, I think, mainly due to color and those two not having something (as far as I'm aware of) to disqualify them.
I like that Siren's Keep has a deeper colored center, that's interesting. But I might like the petal shape of Munstead Wood better. (Siren's Keep looks a bit like a raspberry James Galway...?)

I like the style of Old Port, too...

I'll obsess about it a bit more. Thanks for the advice!

Take a look at Braveheart. It is a Clements shrub with some Austin in its heredity (Dark Lady). See if you can locate the picture I contributed to HMF--the color is about right there, except it is richer (I have trouble getting my reds to come out right.) At least one of the other pictures there is much too bright red.

I really like my Braveheart--it has some disease-resistance and a good re-bloom rate. A good bloomer generally speaking.

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: Braveheart at HMF

aimeekitty,

In searching for any prior recommendations on fragrant reds by hoovb, I ran across this thread from last year which I completely missed then. I'm as happy about it as about the purple picture thread in the gallery.
Anyway, did you choose one or more? Did you get them? How are they doing?
Thanks,
Chris

Thank you, Chris, for renewing this thread. I re-read over the info, and I'm glad that Kim Rupert informed us that Stephen Big Purple doesn't like alkaline soil. Old Port is almost thornless, Burlington Roses has it available this September.

Thank you, Diane (Idaho), for info. about fertilizer for acid-plants on roses. I used it this spring for all my roses, plus soil acidifier (slow-released sulfur). Christopher Marlow doesn't get the sulfur and is still chlorotic, other Austins are dark green, including Easy Elegance GMB the multiflora developed from Minnesota. My azaleas and rhododrendrons have more blooms this spring from both the sulfur and organic acid fertilizer.

Hi Strawberryhill,
I have two Stephen's Big Purple bushes on multiflora and they are doing fine in my alkaline soil, much better than certain others on multiflora that still show some chlorosis early in the season. In fact, SBP has never been chlorotic at all. Oddly, the most chlorotic rose in my garden for the past two years is Frederic Mistral grafted on Dr Huey. I love this rose, but I've about had it with the yellow leaves, thrips galore, and late blooming due, I guess, to chlorosis.
Back to this thread's topic--I think Ascot is almost raspberry with its dark red blooms that have a slight undertone of purple. It's not quite as bright as what I think of as raspberry. It has been a great rose so far, and it's on multiflora, too, but with no chlorosis. Diane

Ahhhh...seeing the photos of Young Lycidas here have me very excited. I ordered 4 roses from David Austin's Collection C. I was set on my first 3, but unsure of #4, and finally decided on Young Lycidas. I'm so happy with my decision.

I just planted Intrigue, so it's new for me. It has a handful of blooms which right now completely fit the raspberry heading slightly purple color. I love it so far.

Young Lycidas is one of the best roses in the gardens here. A great Austin for my climate here in Orange County canyon country - about 14 miles inland from Laguna Beach.

A rose called Roseberry Blanket is a very cute, very tough groundcover rose with an excellent bright fuchsia-light red color. It also gets great little red hips in the fall.

A climber I took a shot on from J&P is also one of my favorites due to this color: High Society. I don't know about alkalinity with these, but I'll vouch for their overall health and great colors! High Society isn't very vigorous, but it doesn't have any health problems; she just seems to grow a bit slowly.

Also check out the single rose 'Greetings'. It's another favorite of mine with similar colors, tending toward the dark-purple-red (in a modern way) in enough shade, and more pink-fuchsia in the sun.