I'd be happy to try on a few.

Sydonie was a beautiful rose here with lovely fragrance. The only reason she does not grow is because I quit spraying.

The Finest which was one of four roses Lim did for The Remember Me garden. I had 3 of them The finest, Forty Heros and Patriots Dream. It may just be me but I did not like them. Mildew and black spot was a problem but if you spray that won't be a worry. In my opinion only the flowers were beautiful the plants were ugly. Can we mention another rose even thou you are trying to pare down your list. In the color range of the finest I loved Elina.

Rose de Rescht as best that I can remember grew fine and flowered fine. Don't remember scent. Needed spray but made a nice shapely bush.

Joasine Hanet aka Portland from Glendora succumbed too rrd and was to long ago to remember details.

Easter Basket in full bloom can be smelled 15 feet away from the bush. Healthy as can be only down side she does not drop her petals. She makes a lovely upright vase shaped rose.

I'll be back

Roses I've grown:

Autumn Sunset - not as hardy as I expected. It is a rose that likes being a certain size before it reblooms, so it puts out a decent June display, then has to do a lot of regrowing before it blooms again.

Comte de Chambord - otherwise known as Comte de Blackspot. Basically ungrowable here without spray.

Distant Drums - as finicky as any HT. It requires a decent rootstock and a good spray program.

Excellenz von Schubert - never grew for me.It may be climate. It may be soil pH.

Gruss an Aachen - too much blackspot here. It may be fine in a less BS prone climate.

Lafter - A good, possibly great rose that doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves.Unfortunately mine is dying off from too much shade. I should rescue it, but it may be past that. Just remember that it is a New Dawn grandchild, and is capable of behaving much like Autumn Sunset.

Marchesa Boccella -Into the morass we go. There may be a distinction between Marchesa Bocella and Jacques Cartier. If there is, Jacques Cartier is hardier. I have probably lost mine to RRD, which is truly a shame since who knows what it really is/was/will be. I'd want it from a northern source. Mine came from Canada back when reselling roses from Canadian wholesalers was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

Portland from Glendora - very susceptible to damask crud here.

Prairie Harvest -Excellent blackspot resistance, mediocre hardiness. IMHO, not a zone 5 rose, though good for warmer places.

Rose de Rescht - anything that gets more blackspot here is officially not welcome.

Stanwell Perpetual - not a rose that I love. It is just generally underwhelming in this part of the world, though it seems to do much better practically everywhere else.

Julie did you ever read this old garden web thread on EvS

The most excellent Excellenz von Schubert! - GardenWeb

I had EvS from Ashdown Roses and GOL from both Northland Rosarium and High Country Roses. My EvS Had one marvelous early bloom with lots of scent but scattered. Pretty and healthy if I remember correctly. My GOL's which I still have are bullet proof but little scent. They are rich pink, thornless, continuous bloom and prolific bloom. Needed room at the time so I eliminated EvS and kept Otto. Just how I did it.

My goodness, that's a long list! :-) You did your homework on snowdays.

I have Polar Joy trees, a lot of them, I love them around my heart twice!! Double yes!! Very hardy and repeats fast.

Excellenz von Schubert, 2nd year in my garden (rose band), lovely blooms.

Sunshine? Is this also called Carefree Sunshine? I have 3 rose trees of Carefree Sunshine, repeats pretty fast, and are hardy, the rose trees are in the ground.

Perle d'Or, everyone loves this rose, mine is on its 2nd year, too small to tell. Since a lot of gardens have it, you should have one too. :-)

Peggy Martin, I have 4 of them, 2nd year, saw so many lovely pics, I couldn't help it, end up with 4 of them. Some of the gardeners told me Peggy Martin is much better than Cl Pinkie. I had one Cl Pinkie growing in a large pot on the deck, it didn't make through its 1st winter in the pot, I am thnking about getting another one this year, just want to give it another try. Can you have both? :-) http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2979041/second-year-peggy-martin-rose?n=16

Thank you ladies! Yes I have had too many snow days cooped up in the house rose shopping. MadGallica you crack me up "comte de blackspot" lol. And Patty I would pay to see you cutting yourself out of your shirt in the yard! Mad, it seems like you maybe have more blackspot issues than what we have here. Which re bloomers grow well for you? It's great to hear real world comments, everything looks fabulous on HMF & the nursery sites. Patty you are close enough to me that I'm betting if it doesn't do well for you it probably won't for me either. Summer thanks for the thread on Peggy - I may wait till next year and see how last years' climbers pull through before I order another one. But I think I will make the drive and get Polar Joy this year :)

I can comment on a few of them. Comte de Chambord is one of many medium pink OGRs. It is highly fragrant and repeats well when happy and healthy. It can also get rather sprawly. Mad Gallica is quite correct in calling it Comte de Blackspot. It needs regular spraying.

Distant Drums can be absolutely beautiful, but it is quite iffy here as to whether it will survive winter. It does not like late, hard freezes.

General Cavaignac is another good variety whose color varies between deep pink and medium red depending on the time of year and weather. It is highly fragrant, repeats well when happy and healthy, and puts on a good show without getting out of bounds with growth habit. It is also a blackspot magnet. I had two of them, but one of them just could not shake off the rose rosette disease problem. I had to get rid of it. I still have the other one. It is one of my favorite OGRs.

Munstead Wood is one of the better Austins. Its color can be variable and can open deep pink and change to dark wine red with time. It is a beautiful rose. I love it. I have two of them. It can be quite fragrant. It also can get considerably bigger than stated in catalog descriptions where and when it is happy. Disease resistance is okay. It is better than some of the others, but all of my roses need spraying. If we have a late, hard freeze, all of them get set back, and that shows up as poor to no reflowering and very poor disease resistance that even spraying cannot keep up with, at least on my schedule.

The last one is The Poet's Wife, the new Austin yellow. I hope to get one. I'm curious also. I hope that my comments help a little bit.

Hi Julie

I have or have grown a lot of the roses you list, so I can comment on hardiness, rebloom, and general appeal. Don't trust my nose on fragrance, however, as I have so many allergies it needs to be Francois Dubreuil before I can smell it.

Autumn Sunset - mine has survived wretched conditions in a zone 4 pocket and mostly shade for about 6 years, so I finally took pity on it and bought another plant to put in much better conditions. It hasn't bloomed much under those conditions, but it's a survivor for me.

Brass Band - hardy in z5? - not in my zone 5, though I'm trying it a third time in a protected pocket of the yard that's effectively zone 6.

Cheshire - same as above, only survives in my zone 6 pocket.Deuil de Dr. Reynaud - mine is in part shade which might explain its scattered bloom, but I don't get much rebloom from mine. It seems to be hardy enough, just not noticeable where I have it.

Distant Drums - I love this one enough to have two of them. Not a terrific rebloomer but reasonably hardy, and the color mix is to die for.

Dr. Robert Korns - died on me once, but that doesn't mean it isn't hardy

Easter Basket - has survived in an average spot of the yard and puts out lovely little ruffled blooms off and on all summer. Hardy enough to try.

Enfant de France - survives in the zone 4 part of my yard, so I'd give it points for hardiness. I haven't noticed very frequent bloom, but it's still young

Excellenz von Schubert - I'll echo the comments above that mine is essentially a once-bloomer and an octopus-armed one at that. The flowers aren't interesting enough to warrant the once-blooming, but it's in a tough spot so I let it stay.Golden Buddha - I really like this one. Paul Barden has some terrific roses, and this one really glows and bloomed all summer even in its first year. I lost one previously to gardener error, but it was hardy enough for zone 5.

Granny Grimmetts - I lost one of these several years ago so it's probably only marginally hardy. There are more hardy HPs - Sydonie has bloomed regularly and kept canes much better, for instance.

Gruss an Aachen - I had mine for 6 years or so and it was OK hardy, though I never really warmed to the blooms. They were a muddy cream for me and I'm not all that tempted to replace it. Still, it's reasonably hardy.

Janet Inada - died once on me but I think it was the spot. I'm watching Rogue Valley to see if I can replace it.

Jeri Jennings - hardy in z5? Sadly, no, and I've tried three times. I'll give it one more try in my protected zone 6 spot, for the name alone (smile), but it is likely to be marginally hardy even there.

Lafter - survives just fine in my zone 4 pocket, so robustly hardy elsewhere. Not a terrific rebloomer where I have it, but it's in part shade. The color is nice.

Larry Daniels - Blooms fine in part shade and has some cane surviving most years. Nice light pink blooms, but not as nice as Grandmother's Hat

Lyda Rose - Survived into its second year this year, but I don't think I've seen it bloom. No surviving cane, but few of my roses had that anyway.

Marchesa Boccella - who knows if I have this or Jacques Cartier? Either way, it's pretty hardy for me and blooms some in part shade. I should give it a better spot as it has a nice old fashioned look and at least some scent.

Mrs. John Laing - not hardy for me in an average spot, though I may try it one more time.

Munstead Wood - wonderful, highly recommended deep purple Austin. One of his better roses, and comfortably hardy in our zone. If you like this color, you should definitely try the new Kordes Dark Desire. It is perfectly stunning and seems quite hardy as well.Oshun - didn't survive on its first try, which is odd as I think Paul lists it as hardy to zone 3. Might have been a fluke, and it's also on my wish list at Rogue Valley

Pam's Choice - dearly love the color of this rose and worth the time and space. It blooms fairly regularly, but to be safe I planted it in my zone 5 pocket as the russet roses have a tendency to be wimps. So far it has done fine, but I'd give it a protected spot.

cl. Pinkie? Fragrance? - Climbing Pinkie hasn't survived in two or three tries, which is particularly troublesome in a climber. I wouldn't go there.

Perle d'Or - Mine has survived 6 winters or so and is quite hardy. I'm not as sold on the blooms as other folks, as I find them a bit scruffy and muddy, and mine doesn't rebloom in part shade as well as it might in more sun.

Pink Enchantment - lovely blooms, nice form, and hardy. Even better than this is Beverly, also a Kordes

Portland from Glendora - this one didn't survive in the first try but did on the second. It's still too young to bloom much, but it seems happy enough, though not as big as advertised yet.

Prairie Harvest - haven't grown this one, but Prairie Sunrise has fluffy apricot blooms to die for and it's hardy to my zone 4 pocket. Ditto for Heaven on Earth and Folksinger.

Pretty Jessica - hardy and stays small as advertised. Just hit its third year, so not yet as prolific as I'd like, but earns its keep.

Rose de Rescht - I tried this first in my zone 4 pocket and it didn't survive there, but I have it on order this year for a normal spot and I think it will do well there.

St. Elisabeth of Hungary - a much under-appreciated rose. Totally hardy and happy even though it tends toward lavender (a usually wimpy color). This one has the form and bushiness of an Austin with more interest to the blooms in many ways. I highly recommend this one.

Sydonie - one of the few roses that had surviving cane beyond the climbers and a prolific bloomer even in its second year in part shade. I highly recommend this one among OGRs.

Hope this helps! You have some great choices, and I'm sure we could help add to your wish list, but you seem to be doing fine on your own. Of course we'll want pictures when you're done.

Cynthia

C

From all that I've read hear and else where. Cynthia's suggestion of Prairie Sunrise sounds like a good one and it's fragrant. I've got three own roots coming and their spot in the garden is waiting for them.

Thank you thank you!! Saving me lots of angst here :) I'm able to remove some from my list for sure! I don't spray, so the BS issue is good to know - sorry Comte de Chambord. Re-doing my spreadsheet and looking for availability on some of these. Very helpful! Would Grandmother's Hat be a better choice than Portland from Glendora? Had it on my list and was waffling on it! And I'm glad to hear you like Dark Desire and Beverly Cynthia - got them both last year, but planted late in the season.

Warmer here than in your garden, Julie, but I tend to buy roses that are rated to zone 5 to hedge my bets for those polar vortex events & ice storms. Snow seldom holds on here for more than a few days before melting, so a lack of snow cover for insulation affects my choices, too. Autumn Sunset has been tip-hardy here down to -8. Rudely healthy no-spray & has never shown any canker from the typical freeze-thaw cycles. Blooms abundantly from early through hard frosts, strong citrus-spice perfume & self-cleaning unless it's been raining relentlessly. Pretty hips & continues to bloom if not dead-headed, which is handy in a tall shrub/climber. Very pretty blend of shades & a happy rose for me. Lemon Meringue is very similar with paler blooms, and the two look lovely together. Autumn Sunset is a sport of Westerland & Lemon Meringue is usually listed as a sport of Autumn Sunset.

Surprised to see Lafter considered very thorny - I'd rate mine moderately thorned with fairly well spaced prickles. (Now Aloha Hawaii - that one's very thorny to me.) I've not found myself tangled up in it, but it's well back from a path, being a tallish rose, on its own roots growing rather gracefully into a narrow fountain shape. Richly scented, drops its petals cleanly & I've yet to prune any since it's been tip-hardy the two years it's grown here from a gallon. No blackspot at all, lovely blooms in a confection of colors that read as glowing peach from a distance & only show blended hues on closer inspection. Though still young & potted sitting in the garden - now in a 10-gallon - each flush has been more generous & each cycle more rapid than the one before while at the same time it's been steadily growing. (Would have been planted out earlier, but wanted to keep it clear of the workmen redoing our roof.) Shaping up so far as another undemanding & happy rose. All these roses grow in 6-8 hours of full sun here.

Thank you Vasue! Sounds like I need to keep Autumn Sunset & Lafter on my list to order. Lemon Meringue looks great too - I've been looking for another fragrant yellow. May I ask where you purchased yours?

Julie

Hi Julie - in answer to your question about Grandmother's Hat, I like mine better so far than Portland from Glendora, but it's unlikely to be a fair comparison. GH is about 5 years old and in full sun, and PfG is only a year old and only part sun. In a happy year, GH can get quite tall - it reaches up into a nearby elderberry bush/tree and looks quite nice. If I get organized, I'll try pegging some of the canes and see if I can promote some laterals. I like GH for my zone and I think it's likely to be a much better rebloomer than even one of the good Portlands.

Cynthia

Autumn Sunset and Peggy MArtin are excellent roses here in Zone 6. Neither had any dieback last winter when the freeze came unexpectedly early. Both are still evergreen today, and we've had temps around 10 several nights. Distant Drums does die back a bit here, but those blooms are so worth it. I have had no blackspot issues, and I don't spray. But it's fairly dry here most years, too.

Where are you buying Golden Buddha? I've been looking for it and Sydonie.

Thanks Nippstress for the info on GH - I'm thinking I may order that one for sure, everyone seems to really like it and seems to be healthy as well,

Cindi, Rogue Valley has Golden Buddha and Roses Unlimited has Sydonie. Do you think Peggy Martin would be a candidate for a pillar?

Julie

Yes you can grow Jeri Jennings in Chicagoland. I live in Elgin and mine do fine, but she needs to be sprayed. Same with Rose de Rescht. It is veryhardy and will flower in part sun. Autumn Sunset is a good choice. I grow mine up a trellace even though most years it has winterkill down to about a foot or so.

Golden Buddah is a very nice, short rose, it does very well here. Beware it has weak necks and a lot of the flowers nod down.

I used to grow Stanwell on its own roots. It wanted to take over the world, then I transplanted it and it ended up dying on me. Had a problem with borers.

Prairie harvest is good for no spray, so is prarie sunrise. Perle D'Or did OK for me but I no longer have it. Gruss An Achen does well here too, but I'm not sure about no spray.

Thank you Ameri2nal! I saw your fabulous pictures of Autumn Sunset on some of the other threads! I hope mine will do well here too. I wound up ordering Golden Buddha, maybe JJ next year. My shopping got a little crazy! Supposed to be crazy warm here next week - I'm not far from you, up by Wauconda - wish spring would get here!