Iceberg is a good one, so is bonica, a pink rose; seduction, of course, a delicate pink and lovely hand sized flower. Also la savilliana, a nice red; and for a yellow I don't think I'd go past friesia. Iceberg has no fragrance; bonica I'm not sure of; seduction a faint but delicious perfume under the first rays of the morning sun with the dew on the lawn; la savilliana a little but friesia is a definate nasal delicacy. Of course there are a number of others but these will flower practically all spring and summer and most of autumn, as I'm sure some others will, but this is just a small selection of standards readily available.

My seduction standard flowers all the time and is still has many blooms. Will you see the colors from inside the house via windows? I say this as you might want a color that you can live with for a long time if you are going to have 8 standards. I think iceberg is not the best choice as the blooms are very "ordinary" and do little for me. My choice would be crepuscle if you can get that in a standard - maybe as it is such a big rose it only comes in weeper varieties. My crepuscle weeper is in constant bloom and still is. So pretty.

I think there are so many choices that it will be fun for you deciding Hunty. I would go for a soft color in the standard and maybe a more vibrant color like yellow or a deeper pink in the roses underneath.

Kevarose,
that is exactly what I had in mind!! As for the window..YES! my main window which is huge does show all of the frontyard garden. It is also an unusually big frontyard...with a rose filled garden in front...but all the rest of it is only grass...I think it will be fun to play with it.
I will check if I can find crepuscule as a standard...I grow it as a bush and she is fantastic for me. For some reason not so prolific this autumn but I have a theory I am feeding my roses wrong. I need to get serious with them.
I thought about Just Joey aswell but not knowing the exact colours...it may not be that soft.
Iceberg has that problem that you said...it is not as special now is it?
Cheers to you,
Hunty

Hello,
I am a bit of an orderly soul, things have to have a colour scheme and size configuration. I have done pretty much what you are doing. I planted Burgundy Iceberg standards and white icebergs. Great for Brisbane climate, flower non stop and the two colours are quite formal and the flowers the same size. Control freakism at its best

Hunty, make sure that you get a really tall (6foot) standard for Crepuscule as she needs it to look good. She gets very heavy and needs a really strong support - a treated pine post is best. It seems like overkill when you first buy the rose but you will be pleased four years later.
cheers Deryn

Hunty,
Why do you want 8 standards? Here's me putting in my tuppence worth and I have not even seen your garden and I am new to this. I am learning that some roses, like dare I say it, two teas like Jean Ducher or Duchess of Brabant, that I have ordered I am hoping will flower a lot and be a reasonable height as is a standard. Jean Ducher would be a lovey soft colour and the height of her might look wonderful from inside, perhaps beside a lovely cream tea or china rose that I think are the wayb to go if what you want is a glorious view from inside the house as well as from out in the garden. You could also have some wonderful standards, perhaps in a cream (not white Iceberg but a softer colour with more interesting buds) or peach like the marvellous Just Joey that is always in bloom. Crepuscle would look good beside these as a bush or a climber over a fence or covering something that you wanted to obsure. I am learning that in design of gardens, green is a strong colour and so for maximum impact, the colors like peach and cream are already quite a lot of color and then if one adds some perennials in different shades that are related, like greeny grays and silvery white, it can look wonderful. I have ordered a number of creams but I do not think they all flower continuously alhtough one I am planting is a rose I have had for 8 years - Penelope and never let it have its head - I am now going to let it grow as a shrub as it flowers repeatedly and would look divine beside crespuscle, just joey or the teas I mentioned as it is cream with a soft pinky bud.

Gruss an Aachen is beautiful and makes an excellent standard. Sometimes cream sometimes pink. I think a row of 8 would be a sight to see.