La Reine has been a winner in my garden, wonderful blooms to it.

It does have reliable repeat bloom, but does not produce as many blooms as it does in June.

Reine des Violettes has been a good rose as well, slow to mature.

Here are a few pics of La Reine from June.

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I've got a list of less than stellar HPs in a bed that I had hoped would be a riotous mass of massive HPs. They've had six to ten years, and some are now being replaced with Maggie (a bourbon) and noisettes.
Some that have pleased me
Dr. Andry: big and wonderful self supporting blooming in strong colors even in the heat of summer.
Arillaga: another big wonder, featuring pale pink breathtaking blooms.
Baronne Prevost: Smaller, bushier, continues to be very productive.
Paul Neyron: diva. Cannot tolerate any fungal problems at all on the canes, will canker if the the day of the the month is divisible by 2, 3 or 5 or is odd numbered. A challenge that will be replaced because I'm getting tired of the aggravation.
Ards Rover: from Lynchburg VA, a time tested proven rose for the east. I may have the same rose from my part of the world where it thrives without any care.
Frau Karl Drushki: another survivor for the white corner you'd love to have.

(My list of not so great is about 15 bushes which might do better with the right fertilizer program, afternoon shade and abundant water.)

Thanks Krista and Ann for your suggestions. I have never grown La Reine and know nothing about Dr. Andry.

From my list of flops in my prior post I omitted Baronne Prevost, a two time loser for me. that one baffles me, as it enjoys a strong reputation. I had the same result with two plants growing in two very different spots in my garden--weak growth and then decline. Wonder if there are better and worse clones of BP in commerce.

I'm willing to take the blame for many of the failures. Most of my HPs were planted intentionally in places where they would get afternoon shade. Now I wonder if I provided too little sun. Also, clearly, I did not water them enough, because I don't water any of my roses once they are established. We get regular rainfall in a normal summer; and besides, I detest watering. Life is just too short. It may just be however that many HPs, like many HTs, simply must be watered once or twice/week.

Anyway, I know that the HPs are a big and diverse group. Now that I am starting over in rose gardening, having moved recently, I am looking for a few good HTs, with vigor being the highest priority.

James - My HPs get about 6 or 7 hours a day, and many are on their own roots. I have perhaps 20 or so and they got one large feeding of my "organic mix fertilizer" in April. They bloomed beautifully and sent out 10-12' canes during the sulmmer. I only watered them once or twice during the summer drought. However, I am uncertain if they get any water from my septic field which ran at one time under that part of the property. I also sprayed them with fungicide and merit 3 or 4 times and kept them reasonably foliated most of the growing season. They are well established plants and respond well to good treatment just as you will give to your HTs. Since you are thinking about HTs, you will have to give both classes about the same treatment for a good result IMHO. Note that most of them did not repeat bloom significantly except Barone Prevost, Mrs John Lange and Cl Frau Karl Druschki. I got a few blooms on some others, but very insignificant. (Most of mine are not the shrubby low growing types)

Now the winter chore will be to criss cross and peg some of the large long canes in the double row for next spring, a challenging but joyful winter chore. Best, Nick

I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone with lack of success in this group of roses. I have yet to get a HP to do anything of note.

Robert

I have two HPs, Barone Prevost and Frau Karl Druschki and these two are persuading me to try more HPs. Both are on their own roots and live on the west side of the property. No morning sun. I feed an organic fertilizer about twice a season and the soil is more damp where they are than in other parts of the property. They do have a tendency toward blackspot, probably because of the moisture in the soil so I do have to spray. They are both very different.

Barone Provest is close to 10 ft. tall now and almost as wide, blooms very heavily in the spring and almost constantly thereafter with not so heavy clusters. This rose is so bushy and heavy I need to keep it staked with a 30" rebar to keep the wind from uprooting it in the soft soil.

Frau Karl Druschki is also close to 10 ft. tall and almost as wide. It is a much airier bush, not nearly as bushy and often has it's first flush devestated by thrips. Once I get the thrips under control (usually not until the flush is destroyed), it blooms continously and nicely. FKD also suffers more from winter kill than the BP. Both need extensive spring pruning, FDK from winter kill and BP from just being a monster and needing thinned out. I think the blooms hold better in a vase than the Barone too. FKD holds a special place for me, as it was the first "antique" rose I acquired, being mislabled as the tiny polyantha "Anne Marie de Montravel". I was just getting into roses at the time and surely didn't know any better. But I became aware that the rose was mislabled when it continued to grow and got these plate sized flowers on it. I now have both in my garden.

There is a tiny difference between the two. AMDM is about 2' high with about the same spread, the blooms resemble the miniature Popcorn but looser and more flouncy. It's one of the most disease resistant and strongest roses (for it's size) in my garden and is never without a full head of flowers.

I always look at the HPs thinking I want to get a couple more but in the end, seem to have more room for the polys. But then again, some of them get almost as big in my garden.

James:
I grew two RdV in Montgomery County, PA and I wasn't happy with them. No rebloom and very ugly plants. I had them there a few years and gave them to a friend in NJ who has had much better luck than I did. I bought them from Wayside years ago and have heard there is more than one "type" of RdV. I think it has to do with them having thorns or not. Good luck!

'Alfred Colomb' is probably the best performing HP in my zone 6 garden. It is in a mixed bed of shrubs and perennials so gets fertilizer in the spring and water only in drought. It loses some foliage as the summer progresses but new growth keeps it relatively green. It has large, double, deep red flowers mostly in the spring and forms a shrub about 4' in this garden bed with competition from other plants. There is occasional repeat, but in general given the cultivation practice in my gardens (competition from other plants, spring fertilizing, little water and no spray), it does pretty well.

I have received three different roses under the name "Baronne Prevost." The one from Vintage Gardens matches the plant in Elizabeth Park so that's the one I am considering true to name (also taking into account VG's reputation for integrity). Again it is in a mixed border where it emerges from daylilies, catmint and sedum to offer its large fragrant and beautiful rich pink flowers to the nose. I consider 'Baronne Prevost' to be among the most beautiful flowers in the garden. It is a gawky shrub about 5' with little foliage during the summer except for new growth. I don't care as the flowers and repeat bloom make it well worth the garden space.

'Caroline de Sansal' is the hardiest HP in my experience with only 'Souvenir du Dr. Jamain' coming close in my zone 4 garden. Both are over ten years old. She has very pretty double light pink flowers with no repeat for me. She does sucker around, fortunately, so continually renews herself in a slightly different location. She can grow to about 4' in zone 4, but does not make much of a shrub.

'John Hopper' is well worth growing. He makes a very upright plant to 3' with deep pink flowers of the classic old rose type. I have three, with two in pots now. I intend to plant the three close together to make a more full presentation in the landscape. He is a reliable and hardy plant with similar disease characteristics to the other HPs.

palustris,
Thanks for the reminder on John Hopper. I saw one growing in a private garden in Bucks County, about 40 mi north of me, several years ago. It was an older specimen and appeared to be healthy. That is worth a try.

Your suggestion that there as many as 3 plants being traded as Baronne Prevost does not surprise me. I cannot reconcile my miserable experience with two plants carrying that label with the accolades the plant routinely receives. I'll check with Vintage about their plant.

Not familiar with Alfred Colomb. Will have to read up on that one.

Upon rereading anntn's post above, I see that she has had good luck with Arrilaga. That is one I tried without success several years ago. But I may need to give that one another try. My plant was not in good shape from the day I received it.

I grow mine without spray and quite a few have failed due to blackspot issues. But I still have:
Enfant de France (beautiful, repeat, healthy), Souvenir de Dr. Jamain (protect from afternoon sun, some blackspot, climber, poor repeat), Souvenir de Alphonse Lavallee (worse blackspot than Dr. J, ok in sun or shade, climber, I may eventually shovel prune), RdV (make sure you have the right clone, I tried 3 that were mislabeled until I got a winner), Sidonie (could be a Portland, wonderful bushy rose with good health & repeat), and Surpassing Beauty (a climber, does not repeat well, incredible scent, some blackspot).

I got RdV from Pickering and it was very vigorous and completely thornless. I really liked it a lot. It would lose slightly more than half its leaves to blackspot, probably mostly because the new growth outpaced the blackspot.

I have started to go in for Bourbons over HPs, as in general they have had better repeat in my experience. Still, RdV is really nice to have around if you have the room.

I don't share your climate, but I decided to test Hybrid Perpetuals in my garden two or three years ago. I planted Paul Neyron, Reine des Violettes, & Archiduchesse Elisabeth d'Autriche.

Reine des Violettes is the one that captured my imagination. It is a glorious plant to me in every way, and I'll have it always.

Randy

I bought Paul Neyron as a very small, own root plant one day when I was visiting Roses Unlimited. I didn't have great expectations for it but bought it anyway. I admit I have been very pleasantly surprised by that little plant's performance. This year it is about five feet tall and bloomed beautifully. It is healthy and happy...very little blackspot...go figure.

I also have an RdV...in probably a bad spot but it continues to be unimpressive and a BS magnet.

Carole