I'm in colder zone and grow two on your list, The Squire and Radio Times. Tradescent, I have shovel pruned, too weak a grower in a cold climate and very disease prone, the flowers were perfection though few in number with poor repeat. I also shovel pruned Molineaux because it was far too tender in my climate and struggled to grow and perform. Might be ok in a zone 6 climate though. The Squire is a bit of a Diva. I grow him in a pot and he winters indoors. He is a moderately vigorous grower in my climate, but stays small, has sparse foliage and gets moderate blackspot, always. I grow him because of the perfect old fashioned scarlet blooms. There are always a few, though there is no fragrance. But this is a collector rose, not for those who don't like fussy divas. Radio Times is cold hardy, vigorous, thorny, blooms reasonably well, has gorgeous blooms with superb old rose fragrance, but is a black spot magnet. Another rose I keep because of the gorgeous blooms and fragrance, even though it can defoliate. Interesting that you mention Darcey Bussell, I grow both DB and Munstead Wood. Got them both last year and both wintered indoors in pots. Of the two, Darcey Bussell was the better performer in year one. She was more vigorous, disease free and bloomed well. Munstead Wood, while growing and blooming well in early season, succumbed to the local strain of Blackspot and defoliated completely. Having said that, I often find that certain roses will Blackspot badly and then seem to acquire immunity, so I will see how MW does this season with respect to disease before I contemplate removing him. My two bits for what they are worth. Cheers, Rick

I'm in Chicago and I'll put in a good word for Bishop's Castle. Some of my roses are in what seemed to be a suboptimal location, planted between the garage and the gangway, with the neighbors' garage not too far beyond that. I was worried, but Bishop's Castle exceeded all expectations. In its third year with me, the tips of its canes have just topped my head (I'm 5' 6".) It's the Energizer Bunny of blooming and has a wonderful old-rose scent which seems to carry better than any of my other (eight) Austins. It's also my healthiest bush. There might be a trace of blackspot lurking in there somewhere, but it's not apparent. The blooms nodded considerably during its first year but, although they still still drape a bit, things improved dramatically in the second year. It's to the east of the garage, which protects it from the worst of the winter wind. I dump soil over the crown, put a circle of chicken wire 'round the base (rabbit countermeasures) and toss an armload of leaves into the wire cage. That latter is probably overkill; most of the bush protrudes well above this attempt at protection. I've had to do minimal pruning in spring, perhaps due to its location in the lee of the garage. Jude the Obscure (in a sunnier and more exposed part of the yard) overwinters very well and smells delicious. Ditto Tradescant. Cindy

My goodness, that was an exhaustive list! What do you know about the new white that is supposed to be coming out nex year? Heard about it from "Molineux" on the Antique forum

My Mom got the first DA rose, Golden Celebration, the year it came out, 92, I think and it is still here. Later I got Graham Thomas as a mislabel. About 5 years ago I thought I'd try something pink so I got Queen of Sweden and Jubilee Celebration. I'm not real impressed with any of them. GC can be gorgeous when it's in its spring flush and it does smell divine but so far the rest aren't anything to write home about. Also, they are all water hogs and spot magnets for me! Having been an exhibitor I guess I just prefer the HT form better myself. I have no trouble wintering any of them really but I'm a full zone warmer than you, Steven. Madison, Dr. Huey and Multiflora are the preferred root stocks for cold zones. Dr. Huey was almost exclusive for decades until the Canadians started using Multiflora with good results. Now almost all the roses from the Canadian mail order nurseries are on Multiflora. The only root stock I wouldn't recommend is Fortuniana. It is marvelous in warm climates and really pushes big, fast growth but it has a habit of rooting very shallow so it is very freeze tender. I know a few people who have managed to get it to survive but it takes a lot of effort and protection.