Now that's in the eye of the beholder. A rose is a rose is a rose. Promotion is everything these days. The fact that I bred the Best Australian Bred Rose of 2001-2003 Rose Trials in Adelaide doesn't help this excellent rose to reach the eye of the public. IMHO there are just ordinary roses being foisted on an unwary public too eager to swallow the hype.

Here is a link that might be useful: best oz-bred rose

I have Chartreuse de Parme and its been inabout a year soon. I have just been to the Bagatelle gardens in Paris and I said to my husband "look at that lovely rose! I have to bend down and read its name!" Well, blow me if it wasn't Char treuse de Parme and it looked bloody better than mine ever did. Is it because mine is only one year or is it a better rose for growing in France? Well, if she doesn't improve this year I have seen what she is capable of and out she may go. I am getting low on space and I am getting ruthless! LOL

Well, I got Papi Delbard (a climber) last year but I'm the first to admit that he's not in the right place. What blooms I did get were beautiful though.
and I've just got Chandon this season.
So it'll be interesting to see what this one does.
Annie

How wonderful ,going to the Bagatelle gardens.
I have a Paul Cezanne which I bought last year. It flowered beautifully but without the pink contrast.
Very disappointed. I spoke with the rose nursery about this and they said to wait until this season until the rose settles in.
I'll have to wait and see.She said her PC was the same.
I have bought a Chartreuse de Parme as a bare root this year. I am waiting with anticipation to see how that goes.
Michelle

Well, my Camille Pissarro survived the K-Mart stage of its life, so maybe it deserves a bit of hype. Now let's just see if it can produce a mind-altering, heart-altering, and most importantly, nose-altering fleur.

I have quite a few Delbard roses and they are glorious - strong healthy and flower pretty much non-stop. Some have been in for 3 yrs and are 5ft high even with the drought which we have been expereincing. One or two have disappointed but most of that has been due to harsh enviroment - I guess climate does have a bit to do with colour and health. I am happy with mine hype and all - much better than any DA that I have ever tried.
Leyla

One of mine that I got from Kmart is beginning to grow Guy Savoy & I am waiting on Henri Mattice & Grimaldi from the nursery I have heard good & disapointing things about them I will wait & see, maybe a lot has to do with climate, it will be interesting to see who does well with them & who does not.
Jan.

Also I think it depends on the age of the plant.I seem to hear that they need about 2 seasons to flower as expected.
See how we go!
Michelle

I have had Nahema (clg) for one season. It has been a very healthy plant so far - I don't spray or fuss over my plants and they have been more neglected than usual this last year. The flowers were very pretty, of old-fashioned form, soft pink, very strongly scented, and it flowered pretty consistently through till late autumn. I'm very pleased with it.
Helen

Lozza your rose is loverly! Tell us more about it please, and where it can be bought in Aus?

Sorry for the delay, Reliable Roses is selling it. website www.reliableroses.com.au. Email or ring or fax or write. Thanks for the interest.

I have seen the delbards in a nursery with beautiful blooms. I am newly very attracted to the Alister Clarks.
There is what looks like a flori with pretty, dark foliage and heaps of fragrance in the Werribee Sate Rose Garden. It is simply Alister Clark. I plan to get a few ACs if I can find them. They are so suited to our climate etc.
I would welcome suggestions for underplantings for roses - annuals, herbs, plants that are also good for roses.
I have a bare pallet to fill around a new home.
Thankyou

Hey Carmel, Lozza above you is the breeder of the sport Alister Clark!!- small world heh!

Oh Melda, aren't you too kind. You raise a sore point with breeders, a sport is not a bred rose. A sport is a spontaneous mutation of a rose that can happen naturally, or perhaps be induced with the use of certain chemicals. We "raise" sports. A "bred" rose has been selected from seedlings produced from cross fertilisation. But you are right, I discovered and named 'Alister Clark' to honour our most prolific rose breeder. Here's how it looked in 1990.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alister Clark

Sorry Lozza, I am duly chastised. I should have said the esteemed rose breeder who discovered the sport and named it after AC :p
Melda

Thankyou friends. I may have met Laurie at the Rose Show during my fleeting glimpse this year. Isn't it a small world!!!!!!!!
I will email - but Coldstream? I was thinking Mysty Downs. Much more practical when I live in Geelong and have family in Bendigo. There are a couple of small nurseries near Norgates. Tylden is one and another in that area, what that lady had last year were stunning. I had never seen a Diamond Jub like the one she had there, and of course lots more. She said she uses a liquid fert.

My KMart survivor Camille Pissarro has just put forth one tiny little bud. Let's hope this isn't going to be the whole spring display. The plant itself seems very healthy. Maybe it's intimidated by my cynical expression.

You didn't FROWN at it, did you?

Nah - I just looked at it with an ironic French accent.

I have had great success with Soeur Emmanuelle, Red Intuition, Paris 2000 and Nahema. Seem to like the heat up here. Very vigorous growth and plenty of blooms. Gave France Libre a spin and Jardins de lÂEssonne, Souvenir de Marcel ProustÂ. Tried really hard with the latter because it's simply gorgeous but doesn't like the heat here.