Belinda's Dream is probably not winter hardy where you live. I don't have any experience with Aunt Honey

I've only tried a body bag own root Belinda's Dream. Last spring was season one, and it wanted to bloom like crazy, but not put on any size. I decided to disbud for the most part, ceasing near autumn. Doing so helped encourage more growth. We've had a very mild winter, but the extreme yo-yo-ing of the temperatures have been hard on my conventional modern roses (HT, FL, and those of similar mold) and I do not expect great cane hardiness.

Still, I can't pass judgement yet.

She does seem healthy enough for me, and the blooms are pretty.

Currently:

I do not have an Aunt Honey, sorry.

The general consensus is that BD won't winter well in our typical years and is a warm climate rose. Of course, I love trying a little zone pushing personally, and I even have a little Mutabilis that has survived for me one season at least.

Hopefully more folks will chime in, especially those from similar northern areas.

Steven

Stay away from Belinda's Dream. It was one big disappointment. It is not meant for a northern climate. No vigor, no winter hardiness, very weak stems, and flowers that balled up. "Earth-Kind," it may be to the earth, but to this earthling, me, it was not kind, but mean.

Aunt Honey is a keeper. Rock solid winter hardy to the tip for me with no protection, strong stems, very upright growth to 4-5", lots of fairly fragrant flowers, are its attributes. It is also very black spot resistant. The flowers are lovely, of good substance, but could use about 12 more petals per bloom to make it the almost perfect rose, but every rose has a shortcoming or two.

Grow (prune), Aunt Honey as you would a hybrid tea. It is classed as a shrub but really is not a shrub, but a hybrid tea/grandiflora in all its habits, with long strong stems. Let it grow like a shrub, and the flowers will be small, the canes leaning, leggy, and sloppy. Thus grown, the bush will not bloom or grow to its full potential.

Among the BUCK shrubs, Earth Song is simply outstanding. Healthy, vigorous, lots of blooms and a lovely color. Superior to Aunt Honey IMHO, but perhaps you already have Earth Song.

Belinda's Dream was bred in Texas and makes a lovely 4X4 bush here, but probably not so good in colder than 7B.

Aunt Honey did so well for my mother in zone 4 NE Iowa, my sister (also in zone 4 NE Iowa) now grows it, and I do, too, in zone 8 Oregon. It's a lovely, vigorous shrub that is healthy, fragrant and nearly ever-blooming.

John's excellent photo of Aunt Honey shows exactly how this great rose blooms and grows for me. Great picture, John!

Aunt Honey's foliage is lush and robust. Each leaflet is rather broad and largish, creating a generous leaf, but not out of proportion to the flower. I can always identify a non-blooming start I have propagated just by its beautiful, distinctive foliage.

Another nice feature is the generous length of each blossom's neck per cluster. The flowers are not crowded together in a jumbled mess like so many cluster bloomers' flowers are.

Thanks for the feedback. I knew you were the folks to ask. This is a lesson for me about relying on the zone hardiness information listed online. I will go with Aunt Honey.

I don't have Aunt Honey, but I do have Belinda. Own root from Chamblees and does great for me here! Healthy, nice blooms with no issues opening. A good grower for me, I think it would do ok for you, mine is out in the open, not protected at all, and I don't really do much for winter protection. Last spring the crazy dog broke all the canes off at the base, and it still did well. I have seen it at Menards as a body bag as well. They both look lovely have fun shopping!

I don't mean to interrupt here but am I the only one who is unable to post. The threads are not moving up when a comment is made.

Woahhhh, that is the kind of growth my Belinda's Dream can only, well, dream about. Fabulous shot, and that's the difference in zone 5 and warmer climates. I have found Belinda's Dream and Aunt Honey to be equally hardy, and BD has grown for maybe 5 years in my zone 4 pocket in less than ideal sun. It's not a hugely frequent bloomer, but the sun has a lot to do with that. I have no trouble with balling and it's pretty hardy for me, but I'm in a dry zone. To my eyes, BD has the tighter more petal-filled blooms and edges out AH in visual appeal, since AH tends to open up flatter when mature. For Iowa, Aunt Honey was bred for exactly your climate so you can't go wrong. I agree that Earth Song blows both of those roses out of the water for frequency of bloom, and it's Buck's masterpiece of a rose.

Cynthia

Barbara and Cynthia,

You've made me take a long, hard second look at Earth Song. I nixed it in the past because it is not fragrant, lacks HT form, and reminds me too much of Carefree Beauty, which I am not a fan of. Thanks for the reset on Earth Song.

BTW, Cynthia, I agree with you that unfortunately, Aunt Honey goes flat when full open. About 20 more petals would work wonders for AH.

I seconded that Earth Song is far, far, far super rose here in NJ than BD. Due to winter hardiness issue, BD does not build up enough size to put a dazzling show. While Earth Song is totally healthy, non-spray, tip hardy, gigantic, round bush, and bloom, bloom, and bloom.... I had to give it a severe cut as it is crowding out two Kordes fairytale roses nearby.

I got a BD afte seeing them grow in Houston, TX. Alas here in NJ, it is colder than its liking. With so many oustanding pinks out there, there is little reason to grow it here in NJ, but I like it enough to keep it in the garden.

Independent of performance in your areas, how can you put a rose that has no scent above ones that may not grow as well in your area but produce strong scent? It's not a disagreement, just curiosity as a rose without scent is a big mark against it for me.

I'd say you are seriously underestimating just how badly a rose can do in the north without dying. Consider it more a rose that grows vs a rose that doesn't grow. Is that one smelly flower every other year really worth it?

Also, my experience was that Belinda's Dream really lacked fragrance anyway.

Hmm interesting...While BD isn't going to waft across a room like some of the stronger fragrance roses, I have always found it to have a definite and moderate fragrance.

Well, maybe my smeller isn't very good or something... I always tried to get a whiff but could never pick up anything.

Thought I would follow up on my original post. Ultimately, I went with Earth Song, and I have not been disappointed. Thanks for all of your input!

Wow that is gorgeous and what a stunning clematis behind it !!

I love updates! Thank you. I have to keep that one in mind Earth Song and Aunt honey.

Earth Song has a nice form . Carefree Beauty has fewer petals and opens much blowsier. Belinda's Dream does well here and to me has the most beautiful bloom shape of all of these. It's a shrubby plant but mine is not as big as that TX plant.

Wow! I guess I should have winterized my BD for its first winter. Maybe I'll throw some leaves on it tomorrow. Somehow I missed the memo that it was so tender. : ((

Now I’m trying to decide between winter sunset, prairie sunrise and gentle persuasion. Or maybe golden unicorn. Suggestions? just too many choices.

Vaporvac she will be fine :). I don’t do anything for mine and she keeps coming back.