Do you want to know our favorites, or ones we think may become *your* favorites because they do well in your climate? If the second, it would help enormously to know where you are, so we have some clue about what your climate may be.

From your list of roses, I recommend for disease resistance and lots of blooms:

Julia Child

Floral Fairy tale

Heritage (lots of blooms but blows quickly, not good for vase)

Jasmina

The Dark Lady blooms well but is a bit more disease prone than the above mentioned.

For vase life/long lasting, Veteran's honor (not so great on disease resistance though) and Red Traviata (good disease resistance)

I also recommend Jubilee Celebration for abundance of bloom, but not the best disease resistance for me, albeit better than average.

Dames De Chennonceau is also a good one that she has on her list. Big Cabbagy blooms, decent disease resistance and good bloom production. It happens to be my favorite rose!

Other good austins you may want to consider (that may or may not be on RU list)

Litchfiled Angel (better in person than in pictures)

Windermere

The Wedgewood Rose

Olivia Rose (good disease resistance)

Huntington Rose

I myself am considering pomponella as well :)

It TOTALLY depends on what your climate is - where are you gardening, approximately? Some roses which do great in my garden will hate yours, and visa versa. I am told that some of my roses, which are completely clean and healthy here, get BS badly in other places, for example. We have discovered over the years that it is useless to recommend roses to someone until we know where they are.

Jackie

Sorry Guys!
I'm in PA near philly!! (6b I believe!)

I'll take either your favorites or your guesses at mine! I'm just looking for some opinions! =)

Julia Child will be a blooming machine. It starts out as a deep gold color and then as it ages it lightens to more yellow and then it finishes it off as a pretty white with a pink blush. It will grow and be healthy it will have beautiful foliage and I betcha it never lets you down

Julia child is a must have for any garden it seems. I have one & it blooms non stop. Clean foliage, pretty blooms & the japanese beetles left it alone in my garden. Not sure if jbs are an issue for you. They liked all my other yellows, but not this one. Perhaps its the fragrance of it, not sure though.

I also love david austin roses. I'm willing to trial all of them in my garden. As long as I can find them.

I don't have experience with many of the roses you listed, so I can't recommend any else for you. I tend to just buy things if the bloom pic interests me. No harm in giving any of them a go.

SoFL Rose -- Have you ever seen a Pomponella in person or heard much about it? I'm in love with its shape--so unique-- and like the color but hear the blooms are quite small... I'm just so on the fence.

HalloBlondie it does seem like Julia Child is always recommended! I might just have to get her! I have several roses I really should shovel or give away--- I just don't like them that much... I never seem able to do it though until they are very very dead!

I feel like we get different issues every year. Last year was my first with beetle problems! Blackspot always seems an issue. It's been a wet/cold spring and I feel like almost all my roses are covered in Blackspot! But I feel like my roses have been getting everything (last year: cane borers, aphids, beetles, blackspot, spider mites, those little green worm things that eat the leaves etc) ... I was pretty upset--- but then I did the least applications of treatments to my roses last year. . .

The best performers in my garden are Queen of Sweden & Abraham Darby... and this year Maid of Honor has really hit her stride. My Stephen's Big Purple is also looking better than ever this year. Very lovely--- but in years past has not grown much or given me many blooms.

There is a 4 rose minimum for the R.U. sale.

Desertgarden I'm actually already getting Elina & New Dawn (not part of the sale just something I need) ;)

Ah... good. I purchased 1 needed rose that was not part of the sale also.

You are considering and ordering beauties .. happy rose gardening :)

I grow The Mayflower & it lives up to it's reputation of no BS. The pressure for it is high here so I'm very happy with it, blooming machine too.I also grow the Mary Rose,gorgeous blooms with good foliage. It did BS at first but outgrew it after 3 years.I don't spray.

I think you have to have Julia child, you won't regret it. I ordered westerland and autumn sunset which is a sport of westerland, among others!

Definitely get JC.

a warning about Summer Romance--it grows like a monster but so far in its first year mine has not flowered. I asked Chamblee about it when I was last there and he confirmed that they tend not to bloom in their first and sometimes second year, and cautioned me that it may not ever be a blooming machine.

I'll add that Graham Thomas survives in the Swarthmore rose garden without spray.

I have Awakening, it does very well - also The Impressionist, Eden, Munstead Wood, Darlow's Enigma, several Francis Melliand (my husband loves the smell), Ebb Tide, Jude the Obscure. I also have Zephirine Drouhin which is living on borrowed time. I only hesitate to kill it because the pictures are so good.

Oh, and how could I forget, I have Apple Blossom (climber) and Cécile Brünner' - which might be my favorite climbing rose. It's huge and I love him.

qwertblahblah I was thinking about Awakening but heard it has issues with balling & gets so tall it's a pain to disbud (when it gets ugly).

I actually have Eden & Ebb Tide. Eden is finally doing good for me (but gets scaly ?) And my Ebb Tide... I think it's in a bad spot... A lot of my roses are against a fence next to a parking lot & the soil was ROCKY to say the least. My husband amended holes 2ftx2ft... but Idk.. It just hasn't taken off for me. Still only 2 feet tall after like 4 years.

Do you have experience with New Dawn? Wondering how it compares to Cecile in our climate.

Also what do you think--- in our climate is own root or grafted the way to go?

Nope, just Awakening - had it on a fence so no real problems deadheading, found it to be an effusive bloomer. Good, if clay, soil. Moved two of them to a different flower bed where the plan is to let them grow up the pillars of a porch and then along the front. No real problems with balling either except in the wettest part of the fall. Even our very wet spring the flowers have not balled.

I left out the thing I find most compelling about Awakening: she cannot be killed.

I once put round up on her (accident, was killing bugs, forgot I'd used that spray can for nutsedge). Came back, doesn't get black spot, hasn't mildewed in the wettest spring on record.

Has thorns that would make the fairy in sleeping beauty blush. But, it's a trade off. Bloomed all the way to thanksgiving.

Mrs. T, there are a couple of major rose growers in the Philly area who have a lot of roses and are willing to share info, Bill K. and Tom M. They both had open gardens a couple of weeks ago, but are often willing to host visitors at other times. Here is info from their web site on "Low Maintenance Roses." If you have any roses blooming now, bring a couple to Longwood Gardens this Saturday (6/10) before 10 AM. Follow the signs, tell the guard you're entering the show. There will be a lot of roses on display, and the growers will be available to talk about them and their growing practices when the show opens.

Caramel Fairy Tale is as bulletproof as Blushing Knock Out in my garden. Floral Fairy Tale is the third best. Mine are grafted on R. multiflora rootstock from Palatine.

The blooms on Heritage blow too fast for me. I have it, it refuses to die, so I keep it. I might pick Elegant Fairy Tale or Cinderella Fairy Tale instead.

I'm not a fan of HTs on their own roots, none have been vigorous in my garden. For me, R. multiflora is the way to go for HTs.

diane_nj
All this time I've been operating under the assumption own-root is better for our climate (because of winter dieback). smh No wonder my HT's have been pretty disappointing! I've had Stephen's Big Purple for at least 4 years and it's just FINALLY getting to a decent size! I already told Pat I'd be ordering Elina too... I saw Elina being sold (Starr brand) at my local nursery... But I bought Eden from the same brand and after a year it got the dreaded Rosette disease and it bit the dust hard. . . I've been afraid to buy their plants ...or really any grafted roses... ever since!)

I've actually talked to Bill about getting cuttings from him sometime... but darn it I've never made it out to his gardens. And I'm dying to--- but for some reason with my two toddlers & husband not super into going--- I never make it out :/ (Which is funny cuz my husband loves Longwood Gardens!)

I saw something about the show--- I'm guessing you have to pay the normal Longwood gardens price to get in? I really want to get my order is asap anyway--- so I get what I want--- when I know what that is!!

This is my current dilemma which do I choose?
James Galway, Pomponella Fairy Tale, Cinderella Fairy Tale, Crown Princess Margareta, or The Dark Lady ... I was considering caramel or Floral fairy tale but after looking at a bunch of pics I wasn't sure I was still in love-- esp with Floral.

I've already added Julia Child based on everyone's suggestions. Do any of these others do well on their own roots around here?

I just don't know. I got the book The Cut Flower Garden from Floret Farms & she seems in love with James Galway & Crown Princess--- I have to admit I'm drawn to them too--- but she's all the way out in like Washington--- and I've haven't seen them on the list you mentioned (which I did consult!!)

qwertblahblah So you def love Awakening!

Do you have experience with New Dawn? I hear they are pretty much the same, except New Dawn has less petals (and is less subject to balling). The thing is.... I need something to cover my pergola which is 8 1/2 ft tall and prob an 8ftx8ft square in dimensions. I think I'm really afraid of Awakening balling on me & not feeling like getting up there & snipping ugly blooms off. I have eden and she doesn't ball in the rain, but her under petals do get kind of brown & ugly...

I am a newbie. Not many of my rose mature yet and it's seems like I live in black spot zone and bug's heaven. But there are a few really outstanding ones. Grand Dame, Bevery, Munstead Wood, Olivia Austin, Dark Desire, Poet's Wife, Firefighter, Lydia, Savannah, Blue For You, Thomas Affleck. These are very healthy, rebloom very fast and smell really good. I have New Dawn. It grew 20+ ft within 2 years. Armed with thrones. No disease. Only blooms in spring but spectacular!

Thanh Kieu Wow... I definitely have heard and read New Dawn reblooms... Interesting that's not your experience .... hmm

I'm trying to stick to the sale list... Munstead wood HAS been on my list for awhile tho! lol

Mrs. T, my New Dawn is 4-5 years old. I do hope it will rebloom someday because I thought it was a rebloomer.

Now I'm nervous! lol I'm not really interested if it's not going to rebloom!!

New Dawn seems to require deadheading to rebloom. Referring back to the photograph, New Dawn is on the upper wall on the left hand side. If they get deadheaded, they rebloom fairly well. If it never happens, they are once bloomers.

From your list I only grow Julia Child...It blooms really well here but did get some blackspot last year but not enough to worry about...No spray here...It does fade after a couple days...

New JC bloom:

Julia Child bloom a couple days later:

I've definitely decided to get Julia!

Now I'm trying to decide on my last rose (James Galway, Pomponella Fairy Tale, Cinderella Fairy Tale, Crown Princess Margareta, or The Dark Lady ... I was considering caramel or Floral fairy tale but after looking at a bunch of pics I wasn't sure I was still in love-- esp with Floral)... and rethinking the other two I'd already decided on!

Elina--- in my zone should I go own root or grafted?

New Dawn--- do I really want that for my pergola with 3 small kids, or Awakening... or something else??? I'm a mess!

Crown Princess Margarita is gorgeous but many David Austins get some black spot. I would go with one of the kordes for disease resistance. The fairy tale roses are usually clean here in a high bs area. I have heard new dawn is a thorny monster but have never grown it ...I am zone 4 and love the buck rose quietness.

I was very interested in trying a Fairy tale rose I think! I heard CRM is quite a nice rose tho!

I always feel like I must be doing something wrong as all my roses seem to get covered in blackspot (alot of them recover after removal of leaves& spring showers quiet down--- but still...)

Some Austins have great disease resistance and James Galway is one that does well. It gets very tall. Even with spring and summer pruning it often gets 10-12 feet by the end of fall. If you have room to let it do its thing it is awesome. Moderate fragrance - wish it had just a bit more.

Crown Princess Margareta is not quite as disease resistant but not bad and also gets huge (not quite JG huge). The sorbet orange/apricot blooms are beautiful and the fragrance is equally as wonderful.

I think you'd love them both.

I think it is lovely that your children will have roses. They will quickly learn to avoid thorns.

Mrs T, Nahema is a beautiful climber thats pretty much thornless.. If you want to give it a try. Its not quite large enough to cover a pergola, but you could get two or three.

I always feel like I must be doing something wrong as all my roses seem to get covered in blackspot

I honestly think the blackspot capital of the world is somewhere between Philly and D.C. Everywhere from around Boston to about Durham is bad. South of there, it is too hot for blackspot, and west of the Appalachians it gets drier. If you take advice from everyone here who offers, you will end up with a lot of roses that local advice would have warned you away from.

So you def love Awakening!

Do you have experience with New Dawn?

I don't know if I'd pick Awakening again because I think there are better roses out there, and she is so very thorny. OTOH - she's healthy, doesn't black spot, and doesn't require much intervention on my part. I think I might just get a welding apron and some leather gloves though just to make pruning her easier. I don't think I'd have it on a porch if I had children, so now the pain she inflicts is more of an amusing novelty for visitors.

On still another hand, she has a good fragrance (Apples) to me and since that and blackspot resistance are my two biggies she's been a good rose.

As to rebloom I haven't found this rose to ever really stop and it has a good flush in the spring. I do not really keep up on deadheading, really I just rip old roses off as I walk by.

If I had to pick again, I might go with a rambler in that spot and weave in a different climbing plant for later flower.

An additional consideration for me was winter hardiness. I live outside of Phila in the last bit of zone 7a, and, in my opinion, we still get the occasional zone 6b winter. May of my other plants are protected by a long hedge which I've found further insulates my plants and helps maintain the temperature in the rear garden but the climbing roses climb above that protection. I'm not a woman who will go out and bury my rose canes in the ground (I have a fig tree that's on its own in the winter some years we get fruit, some years it regenerates from the base). So in additional to all I've written above I also wanted to consider a tough plant that would shrug off ice storms and the occasional freeze to 0º.

For me Dames De Chennonceau is a must have.