If you look at the description of the rose in Edmunds catalog you will note that they mention the nodding blooms. It's just the nature of this rose to have large blooms and weak stems. Some might find a certain charm in that.....Lovely picture Mossy......Maryl Here is a link that might be useful: Edmunds-Grande Dame description

I've been growing Grand Dame since she came out, I think 2011. I pruned her pretty severely this year, but she's already 6 ft tall. At this point her canes aren't flopping anymore but they do gently arch. The blooms still nod (have weak necks) but I find them very charming. The rose blooms hang down like ruffled skirts. She's very very fragrant, just like you would imagine a rose should smell like. Reminds me of a rose scented talc powder my mother wore.

The very first Grandiflora, Queen Elizabeth, was a cross between a hybrid tea and a floribunda. That's why the ARS considers them a different class from hybrid teas, which are crosses between two hybrid teas or a tea rose and a hybrid perpetual. The floribunda make up of a grandiflora in the vast majority of cases gives it more hardiness than most hybrid teas and more frequent bloom power - most grandifloras will bloom almost as much as floribundas and much more than hybrid teas. They also tend to have flowers on single stems but due to their floribunda make up, they experience cluster flowering more often than hybrid teas and also their stems are typically not as thick. All the above is by "pure" classification. Many breeders don't strictly abide by the pure principle in classifying their roses but most try to.

Fragrance!!!!???? My Grande Dame is holding out on me!! I love Grande Dame - but if it had fragrance too - wow!!!! Maybe the fragrance will come in next year. Your bouquets are perfection!! You really showcase what a splendid rose this is. Carol