Sara, you have got to grow Pink Promise and Over the Moon. They are such gorgeous roses. Their colors and forms are so beautiful. Over the Moon has an especially nice fruity scent. They also make very nice cut flowers that last 4-5 days if cut when they just open. The only drawback is Over the Moon maybe slow to get started if spring is cold and so you may not get a spring flush. But OtM has the most beautiful apricot color when the weather is cool.

Pink Promise

Over the Moon (color when it is hot)

You're welcome Susan! Karen, thank you! From the looks of your pictures I'm in total agreement ! They're both gorgeous! I'm dreaming of beautiful bouquets! Streisand Fan, I already have Double Delight, I agree, it's a good rose, I love it!

Sara-Ann,

Cherry Parfait and Gemini both do very well here in Wichita, not that far from you. They don't get any kind of babying, either. Pink Promise is one I would recommend also. I've been looking for a Liv Tyler rose after seeing it in a private garden in Tulsa. I figured if it could grow there, it could grow here for me. Where would I find one?

Regan in California has liv Tyler, if u can't find one locally.

Elle is close to a perfect rose.

I grow:

Gemini

Fragrant Cloud

St. Patrick

Valencia

Elle

Just Joey

Yves Piaget

I won't comment on health, since roses don't get diseases where I am. I overwinter mine in the garage. I can comment on vigor, fragrance, uprightness, etc.

-------------------------------

Gemini

Fragrant Cloud

- no picture as camera (unloaded card) isn't here right now.

Another fantastic rose - tons of fragrance - cloves, so reminds me of Christmas. There are a LOT of blooms and a lot of buds. So there is a great period of bloom. However, individual flowers don't last more than about 4 days - which isn't good here.

St. Patrick

Grew this rose in the ground (zone 3) when I knew nothing about roses. Died over winter (obviously) :) - but the summer I had it - I was astounded by how many flowers it had. No fragrance. Love the color

Valencia

Superb rose that spreads out into more of a bush shape. Took 4 years to get any fragrance here. The blooms last for about 2 weeks here. This is a very photogenic rose. The canes are strong and hold up huge blooms. I always want to have this rose. You can see that for the size of the plant - it has a lot of blooms. That's Night Owl beside it.

Elle

I gave up on Elle, because it hardly bloomed. IMO it isn't that good of a rose.

Just Joey

After 4 years, it finally became a rose worth some attention. This year it finally got fragrance, and it spread wider and had a LOT of flowers on it. Now I can see why it's a world famous rose. This rose doesn't get very tall here.

Yves Piaget

Unfortunately I don't a picture of this one here. I love this rose. The flowers look like peonies. They're large - 5 1/2 inches. The scent is wonderful - a little bit like myrrh - but not much. What a great rose!!

I know we're not in the same zone. But I hope I helped a bit.

Carol

Sara , cherry parfait does black spot a lot ... IMO..... But have u tried shevreport or coretta Scott king??? Beautiful grandifloras!!!

I was thinking about Shreveport also because it was great in Dallas. Sorry I don't have a photo, I haven't grown it in a long time (since we moved to BS hell).

I have three Gemini. I like it a lot. ;-) Grows very upright.

Love & Peace (I think the HT is the one you are asking about) has a nice full plant, about 5' tall here, not always the "exhibition" HT form, but lots of blooms.

St. Patrick and Marilyn Monroe (St. Patrick is a parent) are borderline hardy here.

Tarde Gris was a bust for me, and I so wanted it to do well.

BTW, "Liv Tyler" is also known as "Comtesse de Provence".

Thanks so much. There are several suggestions that are at the top of my "wish list," so that makes me very happy! I also appreciate the suggestions that aren't on the list too. Carol, your Valencia is amazing! I think I will have to get it and Over the Moon, I love them both!

Valencia truly is a wonderful rose. The fragrance is strong perfume.

Carol

Have to put in a word for Elle--a spur-of-the-moment buy from Walmart's parking lot garden center some years ago. It was the only rose there that didn't look half dead, and it has been one tough rose ever since--a bit more bushy looking than many hybrid teas, good bloom and re-bloom. It does have a bit of BS problem in between blooming cycles, but not too bad. Her color changes, depending on the weather.

Elle--cooler weather

Now, Love and Peace--absolutely beautiful, but gets a bad case of BS between blooming cycles and not too quick on the re-blooming. She is beautiful, however--but I finally had to kick her out my garden, partly because she also isn't quite as cold hardy as I might desire.

Kate

Crimson Bouquet was gorgeous and bloomed a ton. It made it through one polar winter but not the second.

Fragrant Cloud somehow, someway has made it through many winters. However, it's a black spot magnet and the blooms blow in a flash. Does not impress me.

Gemini, while lovely, did not make it through it's first winter.

Valencia, I wasn't impressed with. It had some pretty blooms but it also had terrible black spot and powdery mildew. It didn't make it through the winter.

Bella'roma I've had for 3 or 4 years and has done well. It's a good repeater but will black spot.

Black Baccara I got this spring. It's grown fairly well and bloomed a couple of times but the blooms are very small. I mean like maybe 2 inches across. Not at all what I expected.

Crescendo, new this year, was fabulous this spring. I had at least a dozen huge blooms on it. Since then it has not rebloomed at all. It's just sitting there.

Elle has many gorgeous blooms and repeats fast and often. The blooms can be very sensitive to heat. They fry sometimes even in my "high" heat days. Will black spot some but winters pretty well.

Just Joey, as said above, is just gorgeous! However, not a vigorous grower and slow to repeat, black spots and can be winter tender. I'm on my second one and we'll see how it winters this year.

Mom's Rose I had several years ago. It didn't do much and eventually died off. It was nothing special.

Sedona had beautiful blooms in a rich color but too few petals for exhibition. It didn't winter at all and I didn't replace it.

Garden Party is an old classic for good reason. It has beautiful big blooms in reliable flushes all season and is a winter trooper. Being older though, it tends to be very black spotty.

That's all the ones I have experience with and I hope that helps. If you have more specific questions about some of them ask away!

I'm mostly into the older roses and even the one HT I still have is from the 19th century. However, I was crazy about Yves Piaget when I had it, with it's gorgeous huge, peony-like blooms, even though the bush was rather angular. The blooms more than made up for that. Unfortunately I lost it when a gopher ate a lot of the roots and a replacement one didn't thrive at all. Still, for me an unforgettable rose.

I can offer a quick opinion of some that I no longer grow.

Crimson Bouquet--gorgeous BIG red blooms; too much BS between blooming cycles.

Gold Medal--tall, and lovely gold blooms that rather quickly turn cream colored. In a way I liked the two-toned effect, but it was always disappointing to lose that beautiful gold color.

Valencia--one of my favorites. Not a perfect HT, but close.

Cherry Parfait--highly praised by many posters, but a disappointment to me. She had a rather slovenly look--colors often looked smudgy. I rather quickly got rid of her.

Rio Samba--wonderful lively colors; quite a sight in bloom. I haven't grown it, but my friends who did often complained about BS problems.

Let us know what you decide on.

Kate

Carol, your Valencia is so robust and beautiful! I love the apricot color on your Just Joey. I too have Valencia and I wish mine would be covered with blooms like yours. It is slow to repeat for me.

Kate, your Love and Peace rose looks just perfect! What a beautiful bloom!

Karen, mine has blooms all of the time. Being in a pot, though, it does get watered a lot. And it gets a lot of worm leachate from my worm bins.

Wow - that Pink Promise is pretty!!

Kate - love the color on your Love and Peace. Too bad it was disappointing.

Carol

I have or have had several on your list. Here's my take on them:

Crimson Bouquet - Didn't care for the flower's form although the bush was a healthy grower.

Fragrant Cloud - A must for all rose collectors. Heady scent (the strongest I've ever had). The flower form is compact but the stems are often weak and the growth is erratic.

Gemini - First time I grew this it was a stingy grower with tiny flowers. I recently bought it again and have been wowed with the abundant bushy growth and sprays of well sized flowers.

Gold Medal - A keeper. The bush is a healthy grower and the color is eye catching. The flowers tend to be on the small side and sometimes open to a low petal count.

Brandy - Interesting color. Poor growth yet with good flower size.

Artistry - Loved the flower, hated the bush. BS prone and very finicky.

Bride's Dream - Strong bush with tendency to push out long stems. The flower color is very washed out but makes up for it with good form.

Cherry Parfait - Bloom machine with a very healthy bush. The flowers do not have that HT perfect form but the color compensates.

Louise Estes - Just got this one. Stingy growth but impressive blooms.

Love and Peace - I love the color on this one but the plant I have has RRD, so I bought another one with hopes of better growth habit.

Marilyn Monroe - I call this one St. Patrick's girlfriend because it has a similar color to it but is much more bushy in growth pattern. The blooms are full and compact. Perfect for cutting.

Rio Samba - Just bought this one (although I had it a long time ago). The flower color is eye catching but it lacks good form. This is one of those in-the-middle kind of roses that might catch your eye two or three times a year but is otherwise uneventful.

Sheer Elegance - Another one that I loved to the color but hated the bush. BS magnet.

St. Patrick - Another must have classic. Great long stems with good formed flowers. It's not as great a grower as Marilyn Monroe or Elina, but its original more yellow-than-green color makes it a standout.

Sutter's Gold - I had this one right after it came out. I wasn't impressed with the flower form or color. The bush was a modest grower.

Valencia - One of my all time favorite roses for cuttings. Its yellow can be a bit washed out, but the tight form and tons of petals give it a leg up on the competition. It also has strong thick canes that support the weight of the flowers.

Whisper - Stingy grower with okay flowers. It wasn't a bright white and gave me more trouble than it was worth. I have a hard time with whites due to Chili Thrips and this one didn't cut it. Pope John Paul II is my go-to for a white.

Bella'roma - Like Peace this rose is magnificent when it's growing right, but like Peace it tends to be BS haven and stingy grower to boot. When you DO get a flower out of it you are reminded of why you grow it.

Crescendo - Too new to comment. Thus far, very good growth and interesting flower color.

Elle - A classic that isn't as popular as it could be. Good growth and excellent flower form/color.

Just Joey - When he's behaving he puts out impressive blooms, but mine just doesn't grow well and is exceptionally stingy.

Kordes Perfecta - The beauty on a neck of a million thorns. This one is very stingy with flower output but can be coaxed to grow well as a bush with plenty of feeding. The flower often fails to open due to heavy petal count.

Pink Promise - I call this the improved Princess De Monaco. Good bush growth, better flower form and output. Long stems put it high on my likes list.

Sedona - Fascinating color and high petal count make this one a standout. The first one I have has fought extinction well, so I bought another one and placed it in a prime location to see what it can do with more TLC.

Tahitian Sunset - Good bush growth and very fragrant flowers. The colors fit the name well. It can be a bit of a BS magnet and it thrives on attention.

We Salute You - Bought this one twice because the color was so different, but this one wouldn't stick and died right away.

Garden Party - And yet another classic. Great flower form and color! The bush is healthy and generous.

Hope this helps

- Adrian.

Krista, that pink promise is spectacular. You should add it to hmf..

And rosecanadian , I love Valencia.....and your garden helpers are darling.

I love these kinds of posts because it really emphasizes how important location is. Reading comments about how wonderful someone else feels a rose is when I found it to be just so-so or even a dog here. That's why I try never to tell someone not to try a rose. Even if it was awful for me it could be great in another garden. The only way to know how a rose will grow for you is to grow it and see!

Thanks for all the good information everyone! Krista, your Pink Promise is so pretty and Kate, your Elle and Love and Peace pictures are gorgeous. I appreciate so much everyone's honest assessments of these roses.

Susan - thanks!!! I have 3 standard poodles - 2 black and 1 brown. The whole family just loves them. :)

Carol

OK. My turn.

Crimson Bouquet---Good growing bush with a nice amount of red blooms. To me, just another red rose. Nothing special.

Fragrant Cloud---Weird looking bush that produced a nice spring flush. A lot of weak necks. The blooms on good cutting stems were really nice.

Gemini---It takes at least 2 yrs for the bush to start showing it's worth. It's a keeper in my garden.

Gold Medal---Big, upright, healthy bush that pumps out the blooms. I think you'll like it.

Brandy---Beautiful blooms on an ugly, stingy bush.

Bride's Dream---A really nice pastel pink bloom on a good bush.

Louise Estes---My favorite HT. It takes 2 years to get going then BOOM. Beautiful blooms on long stems that smell great. Strong, upright bush with great foliage. Everything you could ask for from a HT. I wish someone would create a white rose like this.

St. Patrick---I grew this rose in FL. One of my favorites. But to get that green tint, it needs a little heat. A little to tender for me up here. It died during it's first winter.

Garden Party---Big, bushy bush that pumps out lots of beautiful blooms. It WILL get black spot if not sprayed.

Savoy Hotel---I've never grown it but it will be going into my garden this spring. I've seen a few bush's and I'm impressed. Tons of beautiful medium pink blooms on good cutting stems. Nice bushy bush's with great looking foliage.

A rose you might want to take a good hard look at. Stevens Big Purple. I'm finding room for it in my garden this coming spring.

Thanks again. This helps so much with the selection process. Ken, Stephens Big Purple was on my long list, but I would definitely reconsider that one . Glad Savoy Hotel is on yours , it's a beautiful rose. There are several I'm very excited about : Garden Party, Pink Promise, Valencia, Elle and Love and Peace to name a few.

Sara-Ann---I put 5 HT's in a garden at work this past spring. Stevens Big Purple was one of them. I was EXTREMELY impressed with this rose all spring and summer. I just cut it back a little last week for it's fall blooms. I can't wait to see what happens.

The OP hasn't said whether she sprays fungicide. Although OK doesn't have the worst disease pressure, it probably has enough that the threat of defoliation, combined with zone 6 winters, means most HTs will do poorly if not sprayed. So resistance should be far and away the top criterion.

Fragrant Cloud: The best fragrance and an ample bloomer. Blooms last well in the vase but open very fast (one day of bud the next day fully open showing off stamens) if you don't like stamens, you may not like this one. But I love it.

Gemini: I love this rose, but haven't had any luck with it. Ive gone through 2 and both died. It was a stingy bloomer but I still loved it and if I found it again at a local nursery I would try it yet again

Gold Medal: Mine is pathetic and wont bloom. I was told it was a heavy feeder, so maybe it needs more fertilizer, but I've had 3 and none have thrived.

Bride's Dream: One of my favorite roses. Its got such a delicate, soft color and perfect form. Also lasts well in the vase.

Cherry Parfait: I love this rose. Its a great bloomer. A great looking bush in the garden and the flowers last in the vase.
St. Patrick: Many call this the best yellow rose, and I agree. A profuse bloomer, excellent form, long vase life, what more can you want?

Crescendo: Produces some of the best formed flowers with a beautiful blend coral pink and white. Blooms last very long in both the vase and the bush and have nice thick petals that keep their form for a long time.

Elle: I love this rose for its color. Its such a nice blend of pink and yellow. Its a decent bloomer in my garden and has formed a nice, well rounded bush.

Kordes Perfecta: this one is such a stingy bloomer, but Oh the flower, when it does bloom. Its not a good cutting rose in the sense that you cannot cut it early. I find if you don't let it open all the way on the bush it wont open at all and even on the bush it may not open completely. :(

I finally got some pictures of Grande Dame and Fragrant Cloud.

Here's Grande Dame - notice the upright blooms/buds. I couldn't quite capture the true beauty of this rose.

Hope this helps. Fragrant Cloud has the better fragrance.

Carol

Thanks again Ken and thank you SoFL and Carol. Carol, love your pictures. I have Grande Dame, it hasn't looked as good as yours does, it's lovely! I just planted mine this spring, I'm sure it will do great, does seem to be a good bloomer. How long have you had yours? Your Fragrant Cloud looks lovely! I think I need to try it, just to see if I can grow it.

Hi Carol/rosecanadian --- my Grande Dame is never stout and upright like that, what are you doing fertilizer/soil amendment wise?

We also have Grande Dame in the public rose garden here and they slump forward because blooms are pretty heavy. Any tips/hints would be awesome!

I got my Grande Dame last summer as a bareroot.

A plus about our cooler weather here is that Fragrant Cloud blooms last about a week here.

I must be losing my mind!!! I thought that Grande Dame was on your list. It's Yves Piaget that I didn't have a picture of before, not Grande Dame. Sheesh. Sorry about that.

Here's Yves Piaget - it's a new bareroot this year. Looks like a peony.

Carol

Thanks Carol, that's okay, it's a long list, enjoyed your pictures of Grande Dame anyway! Yves Piaget is lovely. I appreciate your efforts and love the pictures!

:)

Carol

Late to the party, as usual, and I am in zone 10a/20, bone-dry southern California, but I have to say Gold Medal has been breathtaking here. Right now my three bushes are over 6' tall, and have been in bloom since February. Even triple-digit heat doesn't stop them, and the bushes are very healthy.

I acquired Marilyn Monroe at a Rose Show here in the spring. She has put forth some very large, long-lasting blooms -- mostly taken the summer off, but she seems to be gearing up for more blooms now. Beautiful color, amazing fragrance.

Good luck! Maybe you'll get all of them after all.

Here's Gold Medal -- the blooms are definitely large here.

Oops, I messed up. The rose photo I posted is Granada, not Gold Medal. Here's Gold Medal:

And here's Marilyn Monroe -

Wow!! Granada is beautiful!!

Carol

Sylvia, I love your pics--such lovely roses! However, I can't help wondering if your Gold Medal is correctly labeled. It looks more like Peace to me. I don't have a good picture of Gold Medal (which I no longer grow), but here is an older pic of my Gold Medal and friend.

Kate

Hi Kate,

No, my second photo is definitely Gold Medal, and I have had many blooms from that rose that look like yours.

Here's another example:\. Gold Medals in the foreground and Granadas in the back.

You convinced me, Sylvia! It's been some years since I last saw a Gold Medal that had faded so much--I remembered that they faded, but I can no longer visualize the faded ones. I guess I need your pic as a visual refresher.

Nice combination of roses there!

Kate

I've grown both Marilyn Monroe and Just Joey in the past. I love both their flower colours but I especially love Marilyn Monroe high centered flower. However, Just Joey died after only one growing season and Marilyn Monroe after its second. I have to say although Marilyn's flowers are beautiful, the bush is very thorny and not vigorous for me. It is a magnet for black spot. The area I grew it in probably wasn't great either. But I live in a colder zone than yours Sara-Ann, therefore these problems may not apply in your growing zone.

Kordes Perfecta is a somewhat neglected classic that should be grown more. It's a real stunner, and unlike Gemini, it's very fragrant. Quite photochromic: the lovely warm pink goes deeper into the cream petals each day the sun hits it. Not a huge bloomer, but decent; always has two or three big blooms for me, and takes the heat fine. Starts blooming in early June and goes well into October here on the zone 5/6 line. Great for cutting, in my experience, though thorny as all hell.
.
SUGGESTIONS: Do get a good plant; there are some really crummy ones out there at discount stores. And do fertilize it with compost or manure, not chemicals. It's from 1949 and, like Peace, it's happiest with the fertilizers of its era. That's why people complain that it's not what it was; they're feeding it chemicals, and it sulks. :) It does ball (i.e., not open) occasionally (not often), but all you have to do is pick or carefully cut off the outer layer or two of petals and it will open up.
.
Here's one of mine from a couple of years ago:

You might look at "Tropicana", another one that's starting to be neglected. It's a lovely soft coral-orange, blooms its head off, and smells vividly of fresh raspberries.
.
Also, check out "Fame!", which is more recent; it's a grandiflora (I think?) with no fragrance, but with tons of extremely heavily substanced, deepest pink to bright cherry-rose blooms that really command attention (though they're not garish.) They last WAY longer than average in a vase or on the plant, which along with good form can make 'em good exhibition roses. And boy, is this a bloom machine...crank, crank, crank!! :) A shame it's scentless.
.
Here's a public-domain shot of it, photographer unknown:

A great list, Sara-Ann!

Fragrant Cloud - An Outstanding Rose. Powerfully fragrant, brilliant blossoms, dense rounded plant, holds its size and color well in heat, generous bloomer, quick repeat. Everything you could want from a modern rose. The trick with FC is that much of what's sold today is bad genetic material. I bought it from 5 different places recently, and only K&M Nurseries plant grew to be the excellent plant I remembered...the others were all puny and awful.

Gemini - Another outstanding rose. Veryfree blooming, beautiful exhibition spirals all the time, easy to grow, armloads of blooms.

Gold Medal - One of the best yellows. The gold does fade to cream after a few days, and no fragrance.

Brandy - Stingy and puny. A great color, but you'll seldom see it.

Bride's Dream - Very free blooming , nice form, a mass of flowers open all at once, then the plant takes a long break and repeats. No fragrance.

Love and Peace - Absolutely brilliant in spring and fall with neon pink and yellow of great size and petallage. Summer color is a bit blotchy, not my favorite. Very disease resistant, lots of blooms, still very worthwhile overall.

Rio Samba - A riot of color, handles heat well, colorful all summer. Definitely needs to be sprayed, but exceptional garden color if kept healthy.

St. Patrick - My favorite yellow, impeccable form, generous, nice stems, and best of all it lasts 3 times as long as most other yellows. I like the novel green edges and pink centers. When brought inside it turns a deeper almost golden yellow and holds its form forever, there is much variation in this rose but always beautiful. Alas no fragrance.

Sutter's Gold - Brilliant early color - gold, coppers, oranges reds. Excellent fruity fragrance too. Alas, the bloom is very fleeting. A worthwhile and very unique novelty if you're ok with how quickly it blows.

Just Joey - Huge scalloped blooms remind me of a seashell, truly unique. Nice fragrance, very productive compact bush. Not the longest lasting blooms, and the plant needs to be sprayed.

Sedona - Easy to grow , lots of garden color , good fragrance. Bloom is a bit flat for my taste, but overall I still like it.

Garden Party - A very dependable pastel, nice bloom size, light but pleasant scent. A very good overall variety, but I no longer grow any other white HTs besides PJP II, it's just so great in every respect.

Lucille Ball - An excellent grower, bushy, productive, good substance and color. No fragrance for me, but others say it's very well scented. This is an easier plant with more durable blooms than Just Joey, but I'd choose Joey for the fragrance, bloom size and unique form. Brandy is a very distant third.

Umm, just wondering if anyone noticed this thread is from 2015?

Rain - oh how glorious!!! And it's fragrant??? Oh my!!!! I would grow that one in a heart beat!!!! My goodness!!

Ben - that is a great list with really good info! I don't grow all of those - but I sure agree with you about Gemini! Does your Lucille Ball get a lot of powdery mildew? Mine sure does.

Carol

Hi Carol,

I think we like the same kind of roses :). I can't speak to powdery mildew, since it's not an issue where I'm at. I used to think I battled every form of pestilence, but after having been on this forum for a while, I'm very thankful I don't deal with PM, chili thrips or rose midge.

Yes, I'm pretty thankful too! No critter issues...powdery mildew is the only thing that bothers my roses.

Carol