'Henry Kelsey' has been a tough and reliable rose for me for the last 15 years in zone 4. I have two of them. One is on a south wall and easily romps with stiff upright canes to 10' and more, blooming several times throughout the summer with vivid red flowers on huge sprays of over a couple dozen flowers each. The second plant of 'Henry Kelsey' is on a pasture fence where it is subject to all the vagaries of the elements and browsing animals with which nature can assault it. It maintains a height of about 5' in a stiff and upright bush. There are several more cold hardy roses that I grow, but none has been subject to the test of time that 'Henry Kelsey' has. These other cold hardy red roses to consider are: 'Geschwind's Schonste,' 'Quadra,' 'Ramblin' Red,' and 'John Franklin.'

Connie, I think the fact that the yellow one is non fading is a very important trait. Most yellows fade to an off white. Non fading is recessive to fading. I almost bought a Julia Child until I wondered what the white roe next to it was and it was another JC with an old bloom that had faded to white. Needless to say I didn't buy it. That is my only complaint about Ghislaine de Feligonde; the beautiful apricot buds and flowers quickly fade to white. I realized some like this feature but its not for me. Keep up with the seedlings! You are doing great. Jim

It's always risky to generalize about roses, but I'll weigh in here with my opinion about growing Bourbons (my favorite class, BTW). I was unimpressed with Bourbons until I was educated on their culture by Michael Shoup (Antique Rose Emporium). His approach to growing Bourbons is synthesized in his & Liz Druitt's book, "Landscaping with Antique Roses" (thanks, Jerry!). Here's the most critical part of what they have to say: "(Bourbons) tend to get some blackspot if planted in poor soil, but if conditions are to their liking, disease will rarely be a problem. Ideally, they want rich, well-drained soil, open air, at least six to eight hours of sun and periodic deep watering." My preference for Bourbons results largely from the fact that they perform so well in the heat and humidity of the coastal South. Once I began following Shoup's advice, I found that they truly do have few disease issues here. I've also found that feeding Bourbons regularly is helpful, but does NOT compensate for poor soil. Both Shoup and Companula note the importance of good air circulation to Bourbon culture. Attention to circulation is vital, I've found, not only as an aid in disease prevention, but also to lessen the tendency of the blooms on some varieties to ball in cool, damp weather. IMO, air circulation is a growth factor that is given far too little attention, regardless of the plants being grown. I feel I should add that Shoup and Druitt write that Bourbons can successfully be grown through Zone 6, and possibly even colder (depending on the microclimate). They explain that Bourbons' China ancestry allows them to perform well in heat, and that the Damask element of their makeup makes them reasonably cold hardy.

Another fun comparison: Left: RU, Distant Thunder, Own Root, I’ve had it about 1 month. This plant had the thinnest stems of the three, also had smaller root ball than the K&M. Very healthy, put out a lot of new growth Middle: Wayside, Molineaux, Bare Root, Dr Huey, also had it about a month. By far the thickest stems, but of course being bare root had to grow new feeder roots. Good progress, there’s even a bud. Right: K&M, Buxom Beauty ,Fortuniana, just arrived today. Thicker stems than the RU rose, also had a very dense rootball. Was trimmed short significantly to fit in packing box so most of the mature foliage is gone, but lots of new growth remains, even 2 buds. I’m very happy with all three providers, and thankful that I’m able to get hard-to-find varities in mid summer in great health!