Sara-Ann, Another thing I thought of with Austins. In the light pinks there are many look-alikes. And white-based pinks vs. yellow-based pinks. Cameras can make the first appear to be the second. That's a question to ask if you have a preference. And it never occurred to me that Austins can have 6 small flower buds each on 4 upright stems on a main stem. Duh. But until I saw 'Windermere' it hadn't occurred to me. Here is one of my lusts growing over 5 ft. with multi mini candelabras atop a long stem. For a bouquet I have to cut one of the candelabras with buds tightly closed and opened?! I also cooled on 'Queen of Sweden' for that reason. I love my 'Apricot Nectar' sprays but those 2 Austins ..... maybe it was the formality and rigidity of how the buds/flowers were held that didn't ring my chimes. Growth habit (Austin) was the biggest adjustment for me. I still love the sculptured beauty of a hybrid tea bud but Austins in the blended pink/peach tones make me swoon.

I live where blackspot pressure is high, and I don't use fungicides. I also have a handful of Bourbons in my garden, and some do better than others with regards to keeping nice foliage. For me, the cleanest is 'Souvenir de Victor Landeau', followed closely by 'Mme de Sevigne' -- which is like a "free-standing climber" version of 'Mme Isaac Pereire'. I don't know if it's that they're inherently less susceptible to whatever fungal strains are in my area, or if they just quickly shed affected leaves and replace them. In any case, they keep their leaves almost perfect until about November. 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' doesn't seem to get blackspot, either, but does get a touch of mildew in Spring before the first flush when it's cool and damp. This disappears on its own when the temperatures get into the 80s, and doesn't return until about November, when we often have had some cold spells followed by warm spells. In any case, its "ugly times" are when there aren't any blooms, so I don't pay it any attention. "Sophie's Perpetual" is usually listed as a China, but I think of it as a China-leaning Bourbon -- since it smells like a Bourbon. Mine gets touches of blackspot, maybe only slightly more than the others I mentioned, but since it's still small and growing slowly, one affected leaf is a higher percentage of the total number of leaves. So maybe I notice it more. 'Honorine de Brabant' keeps healthy leaves most of the season, but starts to lose those on the bottom foot to foot and a half. To give perspective, it's currently reaching over 6 feet tall. When it loses leaves lower down it doesn't replace them -- instead focusing on extending the tips of its canes and leafing out there. 'Mme Dore' and 'Mlle Blanche Lafitte' both go naked or nearly so in July, after the first flush is over. They then leaf out again, only to go naked once more by about October. These two are slower growing, for me, which probably relates to how quickly they refoliate. 'Mlle Blanche Lafitte' has me scratching my head, because it does have a few stout canes about 3 feet tall, but it seems to focus on making just one cane at a time, leafing out, then blooming. Maybe I'll give it a harsher haircut in Spring and see what it does. 'Mme Dore' I know doesn't get big, so I just snip off Winter damage and leave it alone, other than dead-heading. "Maggie" is new to me, having come only this year. So far, it's kept its leaves, but it's also still small. We'll see how it does. Then there's poor little 'Eugene de Beauharnais'. I originally planted this at the base of a tree in my front yard, where it got too much midday sun which burned its blooms. I moved it to the back, and it took some time to get adjusted again. Now I think I'll just turn it into a pot-pet, but that will wait until Spring. Why keep it in a pot? Well, I keep hearing how much of a wimp it is on its own roots, and I prefer wimps in pots filled with my "magic mix" to get them to be their best. "Huilito" is a bit of a mystery. It's usually considered a China based on its growth, but anytime I see a "China" with that fragrance, I think it's something else genetically. Maybe it's a Bourbon -- I don't know for sure. This arrived only last Spring, so it's still new. But it keeps healthy foliage for me. So there you have it -- a small but rather diverse group of Bourbons in my garden. Some stay clean, some don't. I may be trying a few more in pots, and if they do well, bring them down to my cemetery project. It's really hard to say for sure what will work unless you hear from others in your area, or are willing to try them out for yourself. :-) ~Christopher

I find most HP's don't like my garden, but a few stand out as quite a bit better than the rest. I would not go without the following: 'Reine des Violettes' 'Baronne Prevost' 'Sidonie' and possibly 'Mrs. John Laing' as well. I grew Mrs J. years ago and it was wonderful, but I don't currently have one :-( 'Arrillaga' would make it onto this list as well, if it 1) bloomed more often and 2) wasn't such a lanky, shapeless plant that makes nasty, fish-hook covered whips that grab and tear. 'Frau Karl Druschki' would also be on this list except that I think it is ill placed in the HP group; it behaves like an older HT. It is an ideal shrub that makes a shapely bush, blooms in flushes throughout the Summer as long as it gets watered, and the blooms are perfection every time. It does have one other drawback though, and I consider this to be a major one: no fragrance whatsoever. If you are going to adopt a sampling of good HP's then get ones that have the fragrances the class is renowned for. I also love 'Souvenir du Dr. Jamain', but it must be grown in partial shade or it won't prosper. It is also rather stingy with bloom after its first flush, much in the same manner as 'Guinee', but the color is as rich as you can imagine. In that same dark rich crimson/maroon color range is 'Emperor du Maroc', which in my garden is a spectacular showcase for all three of the major fungal diseases. To be avoided IMO, unless you care to spray it with multiple fungicides from March till October just to get a fleeting glimpse of one or two perfect maroon blossoms. Surely it must perform adequately somewhere in the world, or it would never have made it to market.....but not in my garden. I also wish 'Paul Neyron' and 'General Jacquiminot' had done better than they have, but both languish and underperform for me, in spite of protection from diseases. The same can be said for 'Eugene Furst' at the moment, but I think its having a bad time in its current location, so I hesitate to be critical of it till I get a plant going in a more suitable location. Regards, Paul

Ingrid--I think Autumn Damask will always be my favorite not only fro its beauty and fragrance but because of its place in rose history. The disappointment for me is that mine do not do as well as I had hoped or repeat as often. Spring bloom is good, but summers here are hot and humid here, so summer bloom quality is not good and I never get fall bloom. I have three seedlings this year, one of which I hope is a Damask, but the pot in which it grew was left over from the year before and lost its tag so the only thing I can say about it at this point is that the leaves look European. One of the others has European leaves and the third may be Musk or possibly a Noisette. I see you are in Zone 10--it must be quite hot where you are. We have been fortunate in central Virginia--daily temperatures in the low 90s for most of the month. Yesterday, was mid-80s, high 80s forecast for today and 80s again for tomorrow, followed by a four day heat wave in the mid to high 90s for the end of the week. Lindsey