ROSA RUGOSA ALBA is the granddaddy of all white roses. I normally don't like single roses but this one was love at first sight (and smell). I saw this species sport growing as a security hedge in front of a Cleveland Park townhouse in Washington DC. Several things stood out about RRA and it remains one of the most beautiful white roses that I've ever seen. First, the sheer size of the blooms was astonishing, and they literally covered the shrub. The fragrance was intense and could be smelled from yards away. The unusual wrinkled foliage didn't have a speck of disease (if you want a no-spray white rose then pick this one). Would be just about perfect except for one thing: OMG the thorns! I got a crash course in what rugosa thorns look like that day. There wasn't a spot along the canes that wasn't bristling with needle-like thorns. It was obvious the owners were growing this rose as a sort of living barb wire because any intruder who tried to move past those shrubs would be ripped to shreds in seconds. I was told by the owners that in the autumn this rose has the enviable habit of showing blooms, hips and glowing gold foliage all on the shrubs at once (the leaves on rugosa roses apparently have the enviable habit of turning autumnal shades of gold, fiery orange and scarlet in the fall). COLONIAL WHITE (aka Sombreuil) is another gorgeous white rose. The official registration name is Sombreuil but the ARS really does need to change it ASAP because it still causes confusion with Mlle. de Sombreuil, a little known Tea rose. Colonial White IS NOT a Tea! It is an aggressive, winter hardy, Wichuraiana Climber that IMHO belongs in every garden. In contrast with the wicked thorny canes (Wichuraiana) the flowers are very delicate and captivating. They open from blush pink high centered buds into large, ivory-white flattened rosettes packed full of wonderfully fragrant petals. Colonial White like all good climbers blooms along the entire length of its whip-like canes that are easily trained up a support (wear good thick gardening gloves or else!). I've had the canes on other climbers break on me but those on Colonial White seem to stay supple a heck of a lot longer. Repeat bloom is very reliable, and the leathery dark green foliage shows good natural disease resistance. Colonial White can also be kept pruned down into a large shrub. The following image of Colonial White is by Missy_GardenWhimsy at the Hortiplex database. ROSE-MARIE is my favorite white rose. Unfortunately this white sport of the English rose HERITAGE has become next to impossible to find. It was only wildly available for a few years and now may be headed towards extinction. Well not if I have anything to say about it! Rose-Marie has a lot going for it: graceful growth habit, grows well on its own roots (and roots easily), lovely foliage (if you spray), and unlike the previous two roses the canes on this English rose are only lightly studded with widely spaced thorns (thanks to its Iceberg ancestry). Best of all are the medium-to-large beautiful creamy white flowers that look like they belong growing in front of an English cottage. Rose-Marie is almost always in continuous bloom. Her only real faults is the need for spraying (black spot) and the short vase life of the sinfully fragrant blossoms. Frankly, I'd really like to give David Austin a good talking to about this rose. I'm so frustrated by its lack of availability that I've begun to root cuttings from my single grafted plant. If availability doesn't improve then in a few years I'm going to start giving this rose away FOR FREE! Other beloved white roses include Climbing Clotilde Soupert, Coquette des Blanches and Fair Bianca, but I think I'll wait until later to write about them. Here is a link that might be useful:

Herman, you are right. Coll de Dama is a good choice for anybody with a long and sunny summer, it is a very late ripening variety. Negronne is a better option for cooler climates. The Mediterranean region of Spain has an excellent climate for figs but not my region (North coast of Spain). Sometimes, the summers are cloudy and rainy but, fortunately, it isn't rare September and October months with dry and mild temperatures due to a predominant warm south wind. On account of this, from time to time, we have good weather for figs, even Coll de Dama.

Jc--I think Rock and Roll would provide a very interesting look. I have a bed that started out red and white roses, but much shorter ones than you are looking for. I like my red and white bed, but some days it seems a bit too severe or lacking in variety. So I added a striped one (supposed to be red, pale yellow, and white--but it didn't turn out quite that way) and a pink/white one--just for some variety. The red and white still dominate, but the others add a bit more play or dynamic quality. I think Rock and Roll with its burgundy red and white stripes would give some of that quality to your red plantings also. But, of course, different strokes for different folks, so you might have your own vision! Kate

I would choose one of these three. Classic Gray 1548 Ben Moore, Greek Villa SW7551,Shoji White SW 7042. There's a rhyme and reason why I suggested these three together so get all three so you can compare.