Kristine I agree! While i was super excited to get my first Queen Elizabeth, I wish there were more options! I went to Walmart on a whim and thy just happened to have just finished setting up the roses so I got first pick. Joseph’s coat, LC ( woo hoo! Got another, but there were only like 3 in the shelf compared to a dozen or so of other types), Joseph’s coat, gene boerner, iceberg (I know it’s a BS magnet but I almost feel obligated to try lol), robusta, Don Juan and carefree beauty. But other than that it seems flooded the same few types.

I have two plants of it, bought as body bags from Walmart four or five years ago. It has good enough vigor and is pretty healthy here. The blooms are pretty and dramatically dark when they first open, and are very fragrant. But they fade to a greyish lavender and I can see how you'd find them depressing, Robert..they're kind of somber. But I find a number of lavenders and even mauves somber. Still I like them most of the time . I took a picture of a group of them yesterday and will see if it's any good.

I bought three at Walmart last year. I potted them all up and they grew well. Some of the areas that had waxed canes don't look so good now. But they all are showing new growth and two look pretty promising. It does repeat well. They were pretty purple here with whitish reverse. Very good fragrance. I put one on my picket fence. Sorry this is such a bad picture but it's all I have. This doesn't show the whitish reverse.

Did you get your Lav Crush from Regan? MY first one had suspect black on canes when they sent it and never took off. I complained and they replaced. The second plant showed little or no growth although it had a strong root system. I saw a container grown Crush at Lowes a couple of weeks ago, bought it, planted it replacing the Regan plant and it is going to town. It was 98 here yesterday, not good rose planting weather; the Lowes plant was not well tended as they had it in store since late February. I cut off dead parts, gave it vitamins and plenty of water and wow. In 2 week buds showing color. Not sure what happened with my Regan roses but NONE have done well and all have required nurturing just to live. I redid my garden this year ordering 20+ bushes from several venders and all are doing wonderfully. The 1 gal own root from Heritage have been the biggest surprise ,I know they are $ but they must give those babies steroids they have tripled in size and not stopped blooming. Nice people at Regan but my roses did not perform. Others may have had better results.