I would recommend Gertrude Jekyll for colder zones. It is very hardy. I don't have too much trouble with blackspot in my no spray zone 5a garden although Lady Emma Hamilton sure gets some. Mary Rose is also good. Rugosa roses such as Pierette Pavement or Foxy Pavement are another alternative. Hardy Buck roses like Earth Song or Country Dancer are also hardy and disease resistant but, like rugosas, do not have old fashioned bloom form. Easy Elegance roses are also disease resistant.

oooohh, the doubles are nice... save seeds for trading :o) ps... If you want one for yourself and there are babies around the base (most definately will be), they transplant VERY well.... very hardy.

Well, I don't know. I looked at both those roses on Help Me Find and I guess it could be. Maybe there was something about the way this GW member grew this rose or pruned it that gave it a little different look to it. And the color of the rose on the arbor seems a little coral to me, but that could just be the camera or the light. Thanks for the help. :-)

Hoov, I totally agree I may not be remembering this rose entirely right, as I was quite young at the time. My memory could be a bit faulty as to the size of the bush. However, after doing research on all the roses mentioned, I happened upon the Hybrid Perpetual "American Beauty" a/k/a "Madame Ferdinand Jamin". Out of all of them, this seems like it might be it. For the one thing, all of the others post-date the time that the prior owners were in the home. The house was built in the late 1960's at the most - it was a new housing development. We were the 2nd owners and I remembered we moved there in March of 1970, when my youngest sister was only 3 months old. So, the rose bush could not have originated in it's inception prior to 1969 at the most and most mentioned were after that time - early 1970's and thereafter. Also - some of the blooms were too light a pink, or too deep and going into red. I do know that the rose was a hot pink, because there were other bushes on the property, including a red one (I'm pretty sure it was a climbing Don Juan thinking back on it now). I guess if the person who lived there was someone who knew more than a little about roses (there were several in the yard), having other bushes than just regular hybrid teas would not be out of the ordinary. There was some thought put into that backyard; as far as the flowering plants in it. Anyway, I still could be wrong but this one fits the bill for what my needs are at the moment too. The house I purchased last year is very old (95 years) and my intention was to fill in some spaces of my new landscaping (just done this year) with as many roses as I can fit in - but not anything common. I'm partial to the David Austins, having had good luck with them previously and, other than replicating a few others from my other home that I had to leave behind that worked well for me (Papa Meilland, French Lace, Tropicana); I was hoping to also find a few "older" varieties so a HP would be a nice addition - and since it matches what I recall from my childhood all the better :D Now I just have a pick out at least two really good climbers and I'm set!