Larry, I wish I could tell you I've found any with some sort of mildew resistance, but I really haven't. IF you call Grandmother's Hat an HP, then there is one. Even when surrounded by mildew here in the inland areas of So California, she's unaffected. If mildew is an issue for you, the HPs and Bourbons are probably NOT classes you'll enjoy because they seem inherently prone to the fungal issues. I'm wondering, also, if it's that cool and damp where you are, would those heavy petal count balls of papery petals ever open for you? Kim

In 3 local no spray gardens within 10 miles east of san francsico, CA(where conditions are mild/ moderate for b.s. and severe for p.m.. these are the most disease resistant H.P.s and show p.m. either rarely, or or only a light covering of p.m. for a few months out of the year.
None of the roses on the no spray list ever defoliate from any disease, which would lessen bloom production.
Also, all of the H.P.s listed in the no spray list below,show very little blackspot or rust, here.

No-spray list of H.P.s for conditons which cause severe p.m. and mild to moderate blackspot and where rust is more rarely seen than the other two diseases.
Pink Hybrid Perpetuals;
1. Arrillaga' huge spirally shaped satiny roses. Very impressive when in bloom, an eye-catcher for those who are drawn to pink roses.
2. Mrs. John Laing' kinda a bland color where I live where the lilac hues rarely show, but healthy and lovely.
3. Barrone Prevost'
4. Grandmothers Hat' there seems to be a large fan club for this rose locally.
5.'Mme. Boll'
6. Marchesa Boccella (though shows a bit of blackspot in warmer weather but never enough to defoliate, here)

7. Comtesse Cecile du Chabrillant' darling smaller pink blooms, very disease resistant, here. Not as showy as the larger blooming H.P.s but very dear to my heart, size isn't everything.
   8. Pauls' Early Blush' stunning at the front of a border, blooms before any of the other H.P.s in spring, in a garden with dozens of roses of that class. very large pale pink blossoms. Graceful.

dark pink
Ulrich Brunner fils' great pegged.

Red
Souvenir du Dr. Jamain' even in mid-December my plant shows among the most healthiest foliage in my garden, though in wet springs it can have a light covering of p.m. with no hurt done to it. Heartbreakingly beautiful and in my eyes a very special rose.
I've not grown ' Alfred Colomb' but I've heard it is resistant to disease.

Mauve
'Reine des Violettes' I can't imagine a collection of H.P.s without this special rose.

white
Frau Karl Druski' Or as I like to call her 'Snowqueen' which I've read was her original name. Very healthy in my garden most of the year, and only shows blackspot after November rolled around, which doesn't bother me much as the leaves will fall off shortly onto slowly decaying large size wood chip mulch.
Comparative rose cultivars:
' Mystery H.P. #2' compared to the roses above, under the same conditions, Mystery H.P. #2 is partially defolited from disease, and riddled with blackspot most of the year and moderatly covereed with p.m. Rarely blooms because of this.
Sydonie is rather heavily covered with p.m. during most of the year but thrives and blooms normally in spite of this and does not defoliate.

Best wishes for beautiful roses,
Luxrosa

I can vouch for Ulrich Brunner fils. If he gets it, it's not memorable and, believe me, I have roses out there that get PM in a very memorable way. Altogether he seems a pretty healthy bush here in Livermore (overlooking the virus, of course!).
-- Debbie

Hi Larry,

My area doesn't have marine influence, so I don't know if what is disease-free for me would be for you, but I love my hybrid perpetuals and have seen very little mildew on them. However, I see lots of mildew on other classes I grow, particularly teas and chinas. The worst rose I have for mildew is Dr. Huey--his leaves are always puckered and basted in a chalky-white film. Dreadfully ugly thing as it also rusts.

I went to Eurodesert earlier this year and toured the extensive, and very impressive, hybrid perpetual beds there. It's even hotter and drier there than at my house. I looked at the foliage quite a bit, and yes I saw some with mildew but nowhere near what I was expecting from negative reports on the class on the web. Very little mildew really. One that had none at all, was Francois Premier. I bought that mother plant. It has remained absolutely clean-leaved since I brought it home in May. Not only no mildew, but also not a trace of rust or blackspot (not that I usually see this in my garden--with a few notable exceptions). Another I bought was the found rose "Glendora". It depends on who you talk to whether it is a hybrid perpetual or not. Clean-leaved here and at Eurodesert. Shade tolerant too. I also liked Symphony and purchased it too (although Cliff Orent believes it is misidentified and isn't the real Symphony). It had a small amount of mildew at Eurodesert. None here. I have Reine des Violettes (from Greenmantle) this year. It has been completely disease-free for me. However, I have noted that many people on this forum from California have complained that this rose is very chlorotic and otherwise unhealthy for them so take that into consideration. One of my other big favorites from Eurodesert is Comtesse O'Gorman. She had a minor amount of mildew at Eurodesert and shows a minor amount here. I have her in a partially shaded spot. The flowers on this rose are among the most beautiful I've ever seen, a truly gorgeous red, and they remind me of peonies. Very, very fragrant. Has beautiful fall color on the leaves right now.

I could go on. Hybrid perpetuals have been a very rewarding class for me to grow, quite easy and trouble-free. They seem to love garden conditions here but YMMV!

Melissa

1. Arrillaga' mildews in our coastal area of SoCal

2. Mrs. John Laing' didn't mildew badly here, but rusted to an astonishing degree.

3. Baronne Prevost -- I would not call her "FREE" of mildew here, but there is so little of it, and so rarely, that even I don't complain. Moreover, she is a dependable bloomer, and good in a vase.

4. Grandmothers Hat' Like Kim, I don't KNOW that this is a Hybrid Perpetual. On VERY rare occasions, I have seen small touches of mildew on plants growing under the shade of a massive avocado tree. She is otherwise completely free of disease here. We grow many many plants of different clones of this rose, and love it in every form.

5. Reine des Violettes -- I never, EVER saw her rust or mildew, even tho my plant was definitely virused.

6. General Jacqueminot -- Rusted to a level difficult to believe.

7. Souv du Docteur Jamain -- Mildewed sometimes, bloomed sparingly -- BUT my plant was badly root-galled. That MIGHT have made a difference.

8. Paul Neyron -- definitely mildews, but its RUST is far worse.

Jeri

Grown in fifteen gallon cans at Limberlost Roses in Van Nuys, Ca by the Van Nuys airport, there were NO HPs which did not mildew. Most rusted and all black spotted. La Reine was one of the worst offenders. Mrs. F.W. Sanford, Mrs. John Laing, Souv. de Dr. Jamain, Neyron, Arrillaga and many others were quite bad for mildew there. They were never allowed to dry out so it wasn't a watering issue. We kept those roses very well hydrated and all were fed time release food in a very high quality potting soil. There were very few Old Roses available from anyone who sold wholesale we didn't stock and sell. Jeri can vouch for the width of the selection.

HPs in the Study Plot at The Huntington weren't much better. Those were all in the ground with a very deep, wood chip mulch. They were grown on drip for many years and received more than half days sun.

I loved the HPs from very early on. Who wouldn't? Huge, very double, often very fragrant blooms in usually rich colors. Everest was gorgeous with its enormous, off white flowers, but it mildewed as badly as every Druschki I've ever grown.

It seems location is also the factor here. If you get high heat with some humidity, expect the problems. If you remain milder without the extreme temperature swings, even with humidity, you might not. If you get HOT with no humidity, you're likely to be OK. The San Fernando Valley and San Marino both can get rather hot and both experience a fair amount of fog with heavy dews. Kim

Oh Lord yes. I forgot poor 'La Reine.'

The reason I maintain that "Barbara's Pasture Rose" is NOT La Reine in any form is that it neither rusts nor mildews here -- which every clone of La Reine we ever grew did.

Jeri

ha, i have nothing of this class in my garden and, it seems like I am not missing out at all - although I have planted the doc (du Jamain) for several clients). I weakened this year, and ordered Souvenir de Claudius Denoyel this season (is this an HP?) so we will see.

Not even close to your zone but I do live on the water and my only HP is Reine des Violettes. Poor dear is planted right in front of a lilac which are notoriously mildewy plants. She will get some mildew but not nearly as bad as she black spots for me.

You might be a bit safer, campanula, Denoyel is a Cl. HT. I'm not sure how mildew works in your climate and humidity, but this has more resistant foliage in my climate, so it may be OK for you. We'll see. Happy Holidays! Kim