Please use 2007 March Rose list. Thank You, Ron S

Thank you all for your very immediate responses, I think I'm convinced crepuscule is the way to go - 2 1/2 metres tall by 4 long (cimmaron above) is ok, it'll at least get up the top of the arch and its length should cover over. Or maybe I could plant it sideways! Joking, of course. and a bit of B.S., a bit's not a bother. On the Banksian, I knew it was big rose, really too big for the average archway and that I'd I have to prune away each year and that it isn't recurrent, so I think I'll repot that one and keep it for another spot somewhere. Thanks again and good gardening to all.

Yes, your location makes a huge difference when considering advice from an author. Quite the opposite of those in zone 9, I first started growing roses while living in zone 4; so I started growing OGRs because they are mostly hardy and robust. I devoured the three Graham Stuart Thomas books, but I didn't take into account that the climate in England is very different from upstate NY. It is not only warmer, but wetter. Moving to the Eastern US coastline in zone 6 was a very different matter. I no longer needed the extremely cold hardy roses, but the amount of rain was now diminished compared to PA, NY, Western MA and the Boston area. All that said, I now understand my climactic conditions and will happily read any rose book for the pleasure of learning about different roses while being aware of my own climatic requirements. If I were to start with those most close to hand, I would recommend the two astonishingly complete masterpieces by Brent Dickerson: 'The Old Rose Adventurer' and 'The Old Rose Advisor.' 'The Old Rose Adventurer' is a 600 page compendium of every once blooming OGR that was every mentioned in any print publication along with that description and image if there was one. The 'Old Rose Advisor' covers all the re-blooming, mostly European, OGRs with 274 images included with the contemporary description. I see that he now has several other books published about roses, but I haven't seen them. These are true reference quality books for the serious rose enthusiast. OK, I can't press "submit" without mentioning GST again and his three books, 'The Old Shrub Roses', ' Shrub Roses of Today ' and 'Climbing Roses Old and New.' All three books were combined into 'The Graham Stuart Thomas Rose Book' that includes a little new information. No other author has so profoundly affected my enthusiasm for OGRs and modern shrub roses. I have read his books over and over and even though I know most of them by heart, I still enjoy reading them. I suppose there is something appealing about his enthusiasm and knowledge. Again, I can't take all his recommendations literally as my climatic conditions are different, but for the most part his observations have been trenchant and his recommendations accurate.

@Ingrid_vc zone 9b, San Diego Co. inland You were my enabler for Madame Dore, Ingrid. I remember you posting pictures of it years ago. It took a while to get it, but more and more it's becoming a favorite. Not part of the SdlM clan, but in that style of Floribunda like Bourbon. I like the darker reverse two-tone pink. The fragrance is elusive and light to my poor nose, but very nice when it's there.