Thanks everyone for your replies, and great pictures of Yolande. I love hearing how tall and wide these roses will grow in warmer climates.Of course i realize thats probibly not going to be the case in my colder zone 5. But one can always dream. Everything i have read about these roses tells me they are suppose to be hardy to Z5 so i guess time will tell. Thanks so much. P.S. Olga i've been useing your pictures of Yolande and Charles de Mills from an earlier post of yours, as my screen saver for about 6 months now. Hope you don't mind...... Mark

Thanks all for your responses so far, hopefully I haven't missed anyone. Ingrid , roseseek,Jerome,jerijen,jumbo That's where I am right now, there's so much out there, there's no reason to spend time and energy on something that refuses to grow especially since I'm recovering from a quadruple coronary bypass this January and need to lighten my load. Krista, harborrose No I don't have any pics. Michaelg, Nick I'm tending to agree that it's had enough time. Sammy,Hoovb, I purchased it from Edmunds' Roses. All of my mature roses (and even some nubies I planted last year) were outstanding this spring. I don't have any pics but it's pretty easy to describe. The leaves are pretty much HT in shape and color, no disease except some chewing. The buds are odd because it 1) produces lots of buds like a floribunda but I would think a bloom the size of SDLM would bloom similar to an HT. 2) A lot of the buds are now turning brown. The buds that do open look like they are trying to be like SDLM. I've had problems with thrips in the past and it looks like it could be a heavy infestation. It's been really hot and dry here the last couple of weeks which seems to bring out the thrips. But I'm not willing to bring out the insecticide for 1 plant. I may take some cuttings and try to grow it in a more shaded local. I have a Madame Joseph Schwartz (I'm not sure what it is because I lost the tag) that needs more space so it may go there. There are too many more important things to do than to nurse an ungrateful rose. I think I've gotten every rose I could possibly want so at this point. All I want to do are the basics and scale back a little. I think my Frau Karl Druski is getting the heave-ho too but I don't care as much about that one. I'm thinking about putting my Sally Holmes there.

Thanks for your input, Nancy! I think the garden does have Baronne Prevost, actually . . . I just didn't have an actual list in front of me when I posted this! I'll have to check into the others that you mentioned. I have Tuscany Superb at home, so I know that's a good one. :) Except for the arches (which are already taken!), the IBG rose garden doesn't have a lot of space for really big roses, and Harison's Yellow gets huge around here. 'Harison's Yellow' has, however, been planted in other parts of the garden at least twice, and has not survived. I don't understand why, since it grows so well in fencerows around here that it is almost a weed! Probably I should have listed some roses that have NOT done well in this rose garden, too. Right off hand I can think of a few which are alive but certainly not thriving: Sombreuil; Celeste/Celestial; R. glauca/ rubrifolia; r. foetida bicolor. Several types of hybrid perpetuals (e.g. 'American Beauty,' 'General Jacqueminot.' and Baron Girod de l'Ain) have died out, probably because the beds intended for hp roses get terrible drainage . . . there is actually a cement slab that used to be a house foundation left under the soil, several feet down! The side beds, which are raised and sloping, get much better drainage.

...yes great detective work Christopher... they obviously cannot pull the wool over your eyes... I'm grateful for these revelations... ...Virginia, ...I contacted Beales about this rose.... firstly, they made no comment as to the photos I sent them above, as to why a pink rose is circulating under this name, only to reassure me that the rose they have is a white China rose as seen in the photo, and that's what I shall receive... ...much as I have come to expect and as you alluded to, I'm doubtful about what I shall get exactly... interestingly, I note that Rival de Paestum is ''out of stock'' for this year, but 'Triomphe de Laffay' is ''in stock''.. ..However, I see Austin's have 'Rival de Paestum' ''in stock'', and according to them it's a once bloomer... other sources including Beales have it as either continuous or blooms in flushes... ...this strikes me as another 'Irene Watts' situation, whereby a rose is possibly not in commerce and other roses [plural] are doing the rounds under this name.. ..curiosity has got the better of me.... I shall be ordering 'Rival de Paestum' from Austin's and 'Triomphe de Laffay' from Beales,.... grow both in my greenhouse in pots until mid summer, then I can judge just what I have here and whether they are to stay or not... ..am I a mug or is this just fun..?