RdR in my garden is rather more purple than pink, which is kind of funny because everything else in my garden is way pinker than it's supposed to be. It's a healthy, very bushy and attractive plant. Mine isn't a prolific bloomer, more of one of those roses that always seem to have at least a few blooms. This is just a matter of taste but I dislike significantly contrasting foliage on neighboring plants. RdR's foliage is unusual, matte and fairly dark and I found it a bit challenging to place with other roses. Fragrance is excellent. If you're looking for options Midnight Blue is a nice, fragrant, compact, true dark purple rose. I once grew Intrigue and it might be the best fragrance I've ever known on a modern rose, but it was a weak plant and sadly I lost it. I would still recommend you check it out though. I think mine failed due to an unfortunate combination of bad conditions. Ebb Tide is another winner for fragrance, but mine stops blooming once it get hot. Might do better with some afternoon shade. Munstead Wood is a fine rose but has never shown any hint of purple for me.

I'm with Seil in the sense that I'll make a more convincing case for my nominees with pictures, though I admit I don't have photos of some that are true contenders. Like Kate, I left the Austins for the OGR list, and there are plenty of moderns to compete for the spots: Apricot: AARGGGH - this was my (second) toughest category...Abbaye de Cluny? Polka? Bonita Renaissance? My beloved Versigny? Since I've posted one of Versigny recently, and the others are more Austin-like, I'm going with Celeb that I rarely see mentioned here on GW. Bicolor: OK, for a lover of weird roses this is the only category that could be harder than Apricots. Heart 'n' Soul - already won my "best of Shrub" award. Edgar Degas - heartbreakingly lovely en masse and not too shabby individually. Red Intuition definitely but I don't have a photo. I'll have to go with the kind of rose that anti-modern rosarians hate, that's garish contrast, stiffly formed petals, and virtually indestructible lasting blooms. This could be either Love & Peace or Dream Come True, but my photo was better of Dream Come True. Mauve: Poseidon would be my vote simply for the health and vigor of the plant, with very nice blooms too, but I don't have a photo. Elizabeth of Goshen and St. Elizabeth of Hungary were in the running but their pictures were blurry. I'm going to go with Pillow Talk below, which is much more purplish than this photo shows, though Nimbus will always have a special haunting place in my heart (but is it really mauve?) Orange: OK, I thought about sneaking in Oranges and Lemons or Andre Willemse since they're orange stripes, but in the spirit of the thing I stuck with the solids. It came down to Buffy Sainte Marie, Liverpool Remembers, or my final selection that's something indefinably lovely more than orange, Gilbert Becaud: Pink, warm/light: Aloha and Savoy Hotel are definite contenders for me here, but Spiced Coffee allows me to squeeze in a color blend without exactly cheating on the bicolor category: Dark/cool pink: Wayyy too many contenders here, as half of the roses seem to be some variety of pink. So once again I'll cheat and put in a lovely eye-catching pink that has an intriguing contrasting flip side (not exactly a bicolor in my strictest interpretation of that term), Shades of Autumn Red: As much as I love the modern reds and particularly the deep dark burgundy reds, there were only two serious contenders here for me. One is the elusive Messire Delbard, who arrived in mail order with the most heart-stopping intriguing quartered blooms in a deep romantic dark red. Being a climber, he's of course a diva, and so far this summer he's sat in his corner and sulked like the four-year-old he is, refusing to bloom. I'm swayed by a pretty face, so he stays in hopes of future glory. The winner anyway probably would have been Nigrette. I first saw it in a rose garden in Goteborg Sweden when I was on business there in late May. Not the best time for a rose garden visit - almost the only thing in bloom was Nigrette, but my jaw dropped and I resolved I simply had to have this rose. It really is this deeply sensuous dark burgundy red purple black as in this photo, which makes up for it being a scrawny, gluttonous, blackspotted knee-high mess of a diva as it is (thankfully, it's hardy or I might have to bash my head against something hard to stop planting it every year) White: I have quite a few whites but none that excel over the others. Cream Flower Circus would probably be my pick, but it's too pink to be exactly white. I have PJPII and Bolero, but I couldn't catch them being good, so I'll put in a photo of Lorise that has hints of pink on the petals that are NOT officially bicolored (ahem), so I'm not cheating Yellow: Sutter's Gold was jumping up and down to get my attention and I almost succumbed, but it's sort of a bicolor, and you know I wouldn't dare to put a bicolor in this competition outside of its category (snort). I'll go with Michaelangelo, who lives up to a rather ambitious name quite well. Russet: See, I'm not even cheating with bicolors in my bonus category - here's a solid color russet that has earned its favorite spot not just for deeply saturated russet double blooms, but for sheer tenacity in the face of my zone 4 pocket and several clematis that have threatened to strangle it, and nearly succeeded some years. This is Terra Cotta. Of course it's impossible to pick the most beautiful roses, and my undying loyalty is absolutely swayed by the fantastic choices here, well, all but Nigrette. I guess I have a weakness for scrawny mutts with big dark pleading eyes. Cynthia

Winners, in order: Pink Peace, Tamora (Austin), Marie Van Houtte (tea), Alnwick Rose (Austin), Gold Medal (HT) and Granada (grandiflora). Passionate Kisses was planted in June and hasn't stopped blooming. Queen of Sweden did very well until early August -- it's doing nothing now. Double Delight has been a double dud - several flowers in early spring, then almost nothing. Darcey Bussell bloomed non-stop in July despite the heat, and is gearing up for another flush. Munstead Wood is beautiful, when it blooms, but the flowers are few and far between; same with Mr. Lincoln. Chihulys (floribunda) have been blooming constantly since June-July. Trumpeter (floribunda) did very well at first, then slowed down, and now is reviving. I love those superbright, very long-lasting vermilion blooms. Don Juan is just growing along, or should I say growing up - fall flush on its way. FWIW, Sylvia

I'm off to the office- we open for half day on Saturdays, so I will be posting the list around noon for the runner-ups! Any last minute suggestions will be considered. I am having a hard time getting it down to 10 selections, and my hubby just added his own suggestions last night! When I post the list, I'm asking you to choose the top three you like, 1-2-3, , and email me your choices. And yes, you can vote for your own suggestion if they make the list!! LOL!! So, if you get a chance, check back after noon today, and vote! Thanks for all the help with choosing a name for this seedling!! Brenda