How refreshing to hear you all accepting "other" roses into your old rose gardens! Harry I love your exuberant garden! (I NEED that Mandarin honeysuckle, tell me where you found it!) peplill, that Kordes 'Grandmaster' is incredible. I've never heard of it but it reminds me of something, I can't remember what just now. Olga, I've admitted to having a Knockout and a Blushing Knockout and, yes, they have their place and function. As a sidenote, I've wanted to SP KO for two years now and my DH has persuaded me to think otherwise. His logic is how can you want to dig out the most disease resistant, insect resistant, floriferous, most densly foliated, and hardiest rose in our garden? That's when I give it another chance until I can figure out another rose that has the same qualifications I can replace it with (when he's on a business trip!) Blushing KO is a more pleasing pink with bluish green foliage, better to blend with other roses so it stays. I also have Carefree Sunshine (thank you Jean!) which is new to me last year but is turning out to be sensational. It is a soft butter yellow and just as disease resistant as the KOs. Of course, most of the hybrid musks qualify, lots of shrubs, oh, Sally Holmes definitely, and rugosa hybrids, there are just too many to mention. I haven't had much luck with the floribundas I've tried, something about the wavy petal form that doesn't match, or color, or stiffness, I don't know what it is. Think about bloom form, color, and fragrance and try to match them to the antiques you love. It's fun! My new love - Autumn Sunset with goldflame honeysuckle

'Souvenir de Victor Landeau' is a long-caned Bourbon like 'Mme Isaac Pereire' and 'Deuil de Dr. Reynaud' and has similar blooms, but it doesn't seem as though it will have quite the same habit. If you recall Vintage Gardens' illustrations for Bourbons, SdVL is #4, while the other two I mentioned are #3 (see link at end of post). Another difference I noticed is that even in NJ and without using fungicides, SdVL gets little (if any) noticeable blackspot until well into Autumn. Mine came as a band from Vintage Gardens in Spring 2012, and was finally planted in the garden in Summer 2013. It didn't bloom until its second year (2013), and when it did, it had two flushes in late Spring, paused during the heat of Summer, and had another couple of flushes from late August onward. August 2012 -- four months after coming as a band, potted in a 2-gal container. No blooms yet, but ntice how clean the leaves are. Leafing out April 2013. First blooms late May 2013 (the next wave were more fully double). Mid June 2013 -- second wave of blooms is on its way (note the buds), and perfect foliage. Mid September 2013 -- planted, not blooming, but still has relatively clean foliage. SdVL is the big sprawling thing just to the right of center (note the white tag at its base). April 2014 -- leafed out, SdVL is the sprawling rose in the center of the right-half of the pic. Early and Late May 2014 -- getting ready to bloom, SdVL spreads almost the entire width of these pics. Late May 2014 -- buds forming. First opening bloom, May 29, 2014. Two days later... June 2, 2014 -- first wave of first flush (if you look closely, you'll see lots more unopened buds). I have another long-caned Bourbon, more in the MIP and DdDR style. My original MIP died, and Linda at Long Ago Roses recommended 'Mme de Sevigne' as a possible alternative. I planted the small band last year, and this year it bloomed for the first time. It's also growing like gangbusters. This pic is from June 2, 2014 -- note the thick canes. The tallest of these is now about 4' in height. It's much more upright than SdVL (well, SdVL starts shooting canes up, but they eventually start to lean under their own weight). While blackspot season has begun in my garden, it's interesting to note that MdS has none (so far...), while several others are beginning to drop lots of their lower leaves. :-) ~Christopher Here is a link that might be useful: Bourbons at Vintage Gardens

I meant to imply I will trade the bulbs for named cuttings!

Look for bluegirl's thread, "Before you order". She has a bunch of fun things you may find interesting.