I'm not in your area, though I do live in California where I've gardened for the last 30 years. I live in the San Francisco East Bay area, where summer temps are c. 10 degrees warmer than in the city of San Francisco, and we receive 3-4 months of annual continual drought. Summers here have temps more often in the 80's F. than 90's F. I've only grown one purple rose that I've been happy with, because it blooms more purple than red, the growth habit is lovely, wider than tall and slightly arching: Forestville Purple Pom-Pom. It thrives where 'Reine des Violettes' did not. I was pleasantly surprised when it bloomed so early, near where Glendora has not even formed tiny rosebuds yet . Forestvillle Purple Pom-Pom' has a lovely fragrance. and it bloomed fully in mid-March even though it had outgrown its pot and was root bound. I planted it near the front of a rosebed where it has lots of room to spread, and where it receives some filtered shade in the afternoon to keep it from crisping. I really love this rose!!! Thank you to Jeri Jennings who sang its praises to me after I complained that Belle Sultane blooms more red than mauve in my garden. Lux

I'm glad you ordered Baby Faurax. I look forward to your reports on it. My Outta the Blue was a nice plant, but sometimes the color was a very modern hot pink. At other times it was a nice purple. It was very healthy & vigorous, but a very stiff plant. It's fragrance was outstanding! I saw several Wild Blue Yonder roses recently at the Fort Worth Botanical Garden. The plants themselves did not look that happy, but the blooms were incredible and a true purple at the time of my visit. Randy

Hi guys I got my trade list together. If anyone of you have extra white or dark purple dahlias (any size) I would love to trade with you! I am doing my won flowers for my wedding and the colors are olive, plum and white. I have a few white and purple dahlias, but need a few more, especially the pom pom varieties. If any of you have extras or have a suggestion for a crazy bloomer please let me know! Please e-mail me for a list of my dahlias Thanks so much!!! Keriann~

Well my goodness: I didn't know there were two 'Russelliana's. Looking at the photos on HMF I find myself wondering though whether they aren't confused in commerce, because the two varieties sure do look alike in many of their photos. I need to go and study the foliage on mine. I seem to be in the business, on this thread, of shooting down hypotheses. Here's another shot: the true Centifolias, all their various sports and forms, are prickly lanky plants and most definitely not thornless, as I know to my cost from working with them. By the way, in asking about the habit I had the parent plant in mind. I confess I haven't read this thread as carefully as I would need to to make thoroughly responsible contributions, but purplish old roses in my mental files fall into two main categories: the shrubs with some near or remote Gallica blood, generally shrubby; and the rambling purple Multifloras. In the first case smooth canes would lead me toward hybrid Gallicas and Hybrid Perpetuals, as others have suggested; the latter, well, I just said. I would read up on foliage. There may be any number of holes in this reasoning. P.S. I went to look at that purplish Centifolia through the link. I don't know it, and if it's a hybrid it could differ from the basic Centifolia style. I believe, though, that 'Pompon de Bourgogne' is a true Centifolia, that is, prickly.