I did much the same as you, desertgarden, I knew I loved roses, but just bought what was available at the local nursery, no soil amendment, then wondered why they didn't make it. However, one of those first roses was Abraham Darby; that got me interested in checking out the old rose look and scent, and that led to OGRs and studying what did well here, soil amendment, etc.

I do have some hybrid teas, Stevens Big Purple, Heirloom, Firefighter, etc. and love the roses and put up with the looks and habits of the bushes. Tropicana is another, right in with the antiques. Having a large yard helps somewhat. And yes, it probably looks somewhat schizophrenic but I don't care!

I tend to swoon over form and scent, Duchesse de Brabant being a favorite along with Souv de la Malmaison and Cl Pinkie.

I know it when I see it, whether it's modern or antique or whether it has a wonderful scent. If I like it, I work it in somehow, but I also have a lot of space to spread them out.

For me it's just one thing - grace. If the plant doesn't look graceful then I can go off it rather quickly. HT's and Floribundas rarely have this attribute to me and this goes for some Austin's too, where you get long gangly canes with a few roses stuck on the top... unfortunately I don't always know it until I grow it...

A rose in point ... 'Gertrude Jekyll'... a charming, fragrant graceful rose when in full bloom..... a horror when it's not...
I got too much of the latter, so out it went...

Yes, Marlorena, grace does it for me too. Though I do put up with a lack of it if I want some strong colour. I think where the light is strong, that strong colours are called for in the mix. Though I have a couple of hybrid teas that I wouldn't mind getting rid of (Ashram and Peter Mayle), but my daughter really likes them. Far and away, most of my roses are OGR's though.
Of the moderns, I purchased Summer Memories, Julia Child and Masquerade this year. I'm loving SM. Initially it had a bit of mildew, but seems to have got over it, and produces lots of pretty white blooms, sometimes having a pale yellow flush. JC is performing well in a spot that only gets the hot afternoon sun. Masquerade is very stiff, but the red and yellow blooms look cheerful in front of Comtesse du Cayla and Crepescule. I think there's another rose that has red and yellow blooms. Does anyone know what it is? I tried HMF, but came up blank.
As for swooning, MIP does it in someone else's garden, where it's been gathered into a structure. Mine looks very straggly, ratty even!, but the fragrance and blooms are lovely. Marie van Houtte with its sea of buds and blooms, and Crepescule in the winter, when it takes on a pinkish hue.
Trish.

Hi Titian,

Yes I know what you mean, I put up with a lot for as long as I can, or until I find something better. Funnily enough I was only looking at Summer Memories today, it looks quite nice, but again, perhaps not for me right now.

I know a red and yellow rose called 'Double Delight' it's a Hybrid Tea, and wonder if that's the one you mean. It's quite startling I think, if you like that type of rose...

This post was edited by Marlorena on Thu, Jan 1, 15 at 18:33

There's no real reason why you should not "have it all." Maybe most modern HTs are upright and rigid, but if they live surrounded by compatible companion plants, no one will notice that.

I like roses that arch gracefully, and roses that form compact bushes, and about everything in between -- and if some modern roses are so vividly colored as to be "jarring," why, they can be planted a bit out of the main viewpoint.

If the bloom calls to me, and the foliage is good, and it's of a family likely to do well here, well -- I'll find a way to use it.

OH, Titian -- Were you maybe talking about 'Ketchup and Mustard' (a candidate for worst rose name of all time)??

Thanks Marlorena, but it's not DD. The rose I'm thinking of changes colour like Mutabilis.
Thanks for that vote of confidence Jeri!

titian1 -- You mentioned 'Masquerade', and then said:

"I think there's another rose that has red and yellow blooms. Does anyone know what it is? I tried HMF, but came up blank."

I'm wondering if you are thinking of 'Joseph's Coat', probably the most "famous" of the bunch. Others include 'Circus', 'Jacob's Robe', 'Judy Garland'...and I'm sure Kim Rupert will know the rest.

:-)

~Christopher

There are many red/yellow phototropic roses, as well as other colors with red. To my eye, the most offensive color shift combination is mauve to red. Think Paradise and you know what I mean. I've grown it and it was a decent plant and bloom for me. I just do not like the combination. Personal taste. I've grown few roses I haven't found something about to appeal to me. But, there is ONE I simply can't warm up to for any reason. Margo Koster. Stale cantaloupe with harsh, weird yellow-green foliage with such a strange plant architecture it just looks arthritic to me. There is just nothing about that rose I can find appealing. The climbing form is even worse as there is just so much MORE of it. Otherwise, if the thing is healthy, it's happy to be with me, it performs as it is supposed to without Herculean efforts, it's probably going to appeal to be somehow. Kim

I'm able to narrow my range of choices quite a bit by disliking red and orange roses and generally not being enamored of most modern roses, although I really like Yves Piaget, Heirloom, Intrigue, The Faun, Aunt Margy's Rose and a few others. Some of these of course don't look modern, and if they have gangly bushes (like Yves Piaget) I can mitigate that with soft companion plants.

The surrounding wild hills, which practically climb into my yard, have dictated my color choices, and I've found that white, cream, pink, lavender and purple work best, with Cl. Lady Hillingdon and Miss Atwood introducing some soft old gold and apricot tones. Roses that make me swoon are large, cupped, pink blooms like La France that with their appearance and fragrance say "old rose" in no uncertain terms. I love tea roses because they're large and bushy, bloom a lot and have a real presence in the landscape, blending beautifully with the background scenery, as does the large China, Mutabilis. Small, exquisite old roses like Romaggi Plot Bourbon and Madame Dore also have their own unique charm. So do some of the Austins, although not all of them like it hot and dry. There are certain roses that just grab at my heart, and I don't really have the words to describe why. I only know that for the most part they are the old garden roses.

Ingrid

Here's a red and yellow OGR you could try titian1 , Rosette Delizy. It's a tea rose. Mine is still fairly new or I would post some pics for you.

It's hard for me to say that one rose type makes me swoon. I seem to like them all. I can only think of a very few that I've seen and did not really care for. The Green Rose I can appreciate for it's novelty but it does nothing for me. I don't seem to gravitate to the, what I call, muddy colors either, like beiges and tans. I tend to go for bright colors and blends usually. I love all the forms too, from the simple single to the perfect exhibition HT and everything in between. They each have their own appeal. I like to tell people I haven't met a rose I didn't like. It's a problem when shopping for them though!

I find that some roses seem to almost "seduce" you, funny as that at seem. I noticed that recently with Tuscan Sun. At first I noticed it's pretty blooms but didn't feel much else. As time went on, I noticed it's different colors and thought about it as being a really nice rose. Then the other day it showed such beautiful blooms that I really started to NOTICE it, in kind of a different way than before. Now I feel sort of like I've fallen I love with it...

Seductive, these roses are. I think they do it on purpose.

I understand what you mean, Jasper. The first images I saw of Eyes for You and Blue for You, I was smitten. Neither have disappointed. The "pretty faces" are marinaded in the most delicious heavily spiced apple scents and are clothed in bullet-proof foliage here. Perhaps Blue for You could have a few more petals on a bit less vigorous plant, but it grows and flowers with nothing other than time and a bit of water. What more could I truly ask of it? Kim

I have space enough in my present garden not to have to choose between color schemes. More than half of my garden, front and back, north and south, is filled with oldfashioned roses in pink, white and the bluish red of the old European roses, including some remontants. On the west side of the house is my Sunset Garden in red, orange, yellow and brown, with species roses like Austrian Copper and moderns, such as HTs, floribundas and Austins, a jumble with yellow and red spring and fall perennials. The white garden separates this anomaly from the rest of the garden. On the eastern side I have apricot, soft yellow and purple roses with blue and purple perennials.

I have HT's sprinkled among perennials where they act like any other plant, giving a spot of color but the growth or the foliage don't show much.

If I should have to move to a smaller garden I would use only pinks and whites and include quite a few modern roses like Bonica. So far I am glad I don't have to choose.

Thanks Alana. I have grown Rosette Delizy, and also Hugo Roller. Had both for 2 years. RD was a large plant, with loads of blooms, but so rarely was one unspoilt, and HR had fewer blooms but ditto, so out they went. And I loved them both - it was a huge disappointment. The combination of heat and humidity for many old roses is not a good one sadly.
Trish.

Thanks, Jeri. I had GG too, but same problem. And Maman Cochet is going to get the heave-ho too.
Trish.

Wow, Jeri. I've never seen that much color in my RD. I don't know if it's climate or clone.

Many years ago when I first became interested in growing roses, it seemed like a random magazine article or a photograph would get me excited about certain look in roses because no one around here grew anything I was just nuts about. If you are of a "certain age", you might remember the very earliest Victoria magazines of the 80s--those romantic, stunning bouquets and rose arrangements featured in Victoria's photos got me on such a tear for David Austin roses. I hadn't even heard of them before Victoria.
Another major change for me happened about ten years ago when I moved to this location in the middle of semi-arid desert hills. I realized I needed strong colors in my roses to stand up to the blazing sun and shimmering hills--plus I had a yellow (light) house. Suddenly, I needed purple and more yellow and lots of it. I still have my pinks and peaches, but purple roses, plus a few yellow ones really get my heart rate going.
Here's a pic of The Prince, not a true purple, but what a dark and smoldering look that roses has! Diane

At first I was attracted to really bright blooms, the hot pinks and bright reds. Lately I'm swooning over pale yellows and blushed pinks. And apricots. *sigh*

I recently fell in love with David Austins and already ordered two A Shopshire's Lads for spring and am planning on getting Heritage and Graham Thomas or Pilgram this year as well ordered in the next few weeks. I like Pilgram's blooms better but GT is available in 2 gallons from ARE.

I haven't had any real fragrant roses yet. I fell in love with Lavender the first time I smelled it, as well as my Lilacs I inherited with our home... I can't imagine what's going to happen when I have a fragrant rose. It may be dangerous.

Michaela

Jaspermplants, I can definitely relate to roses having a seductive quality.Those roses are often the ones I have multiples of, or place in an area I pass often.

Marlorena, my G.J. will be sp'd soon for the reasons you describe. It was purchased grafted, and while the roses have carried a lovely perfume and are pretty, the bush is horrid looking in my garden. There have been more spiders living near it than actual roses produced; it has been a very stingy bloomer. I would give it away but do not want to expose my friends, their children and pets to those thorns...

Diane, your Prince is gorgeous! I lost mine to spider mites and unfortunately a bit of neglect (due to where I placed it) this past summer. Seeing yours definitely makes me consider replacing it.

Jeri, your Rosette Delizy is gorgeous!!!

Seil, I soooooo can relate to your opinion regarding roses!! A prerequisite for our next home is a larger yard for more roses!!