I live in England too. My late husband bought me this rose some years ago . I love I,t so much I tried to buy it with no luck. My.blocal Rose grower Seale nurseries near Farnham Surrey, made some bushes for me. I supplied him with a flowering stem with a faded rose , about 18 inches long, in June 2015. He budded roses from this and created 6 plants of which I bought 3 bushes from him in July 2016 . It cost me £30 for the roses to be budded and then about £30 for 3 bushes. He still had 3 bushes and I hope he has been able to bud more stock, so that this lovely rose can be available once more. i know I am writing this in 2016 and the original enquirer was in 2013 but hopefully someone will see this and finds it helpful. thank you to Seale Roses who made this possible. Janice Clark

My very best red is Veteran’s Honor. I think it might be close to my very best rose of any color, with such huge perfect blooms produced in great abundance. The quality is especially stark in the hot summer months when many roses burn and shrivel while Veterans Honor still looks florist shop perfect. My very best highly fragrant rose is Firefighter. Again , a most generous bloomer, and always saturated with true rose scent: I’ve seen Munstead Wood often at the public garden and understand why others like is so much. I’ll have to try one out. My favorite color of red is Loves Promise. It’s a pure black red that is at the same time soft velvet and bright electric. Alas my plant is young and I don’t have a great pic, but this gives some idea of what it looks like: Interesting that Helen started the thread 8 years ago when she was new to roses and she now probably has a greater collection than Tom Carruth and his Huntington Gardens. So @bayarea_girl_z10a_ca, what is your best red rose?

I agree with Seil. Of the two MISTER LINCOLN is the "truer" red. The petals remind me of crushed red velvet. As a rule all the classic fragrant reds will "blue" (i.e. take on purple tones) as the blooms age. For ML this usually happens when the bloom is fully open. I actually don't mind the transformation as the burgundy petals contrast beautifully with the golden stamens in the center. As for fragrance, to my sniffer ML has one of the best, if not THE best, Damask scents. It isn't just strongely scented, it is INTENSELY fragrant at all stages of the bloom development. Mister Lincoln was my father's favorite rose and he grew it for years until his death. Whenever I smell a red rose it is ML that I'm comparing it to. One word of advice. Mister Lincoln is VERY vigorous cultivar. You'll need to prune it down hard after it booms to keep it in bounds and to encourage repeat bloom.

Openmoon, I have grown 3 of the four roses you have side by side images of, what I see is "spot on"; especially in the heat. In addition to the four you have shown, Crimson Bouquet was another true red rose; it was not orangey- red, deep dark red, and did not turn pinkish in the sun. Mr. Lincoln turned pinkish as soon as it became hot. My favorite however was Veteran's Honor. Seil, your image of V.H. is precisely what I remember. Gorgeous, classic hybrid tea. Lynn