If it's helpful to know, a number of my once bloomers grow in areas that receive 4-6 max hours of sun in springtime. After that, reflected light only plus maybe an hour or so direct. Maybe. They do bloom fairly well. Examples: Felicite Parmentier, Alba Semi Plema, Apothecary's Rose, Rosa Mundi, etc. Truthfully, I've pushed a number of roses into the shade to see if conditions satisfy them. My roses never cease to amaze me! Carol

Is he showing signs of distress or not blooming, or are you doubting yourself in advance? (That would be my style, lol.) Rogue Valley Roses lists this rose as shade tolerant, but that leaves a wide range of possibilities.

What sort of trees are creating the shade? From what direction does the sun come in relation to your rose and these trees? Is there a chance of judiciously pruning or thinning the trees where they arch over your yard to let in more light? Legally you can trim what grows into your space, although obviously you wouldn't want to harm or deface the tree. I'd talk with the neighbor and see if you can let in more light while preserving good neighborly relations.

Thank you, Carol and bluesanne.

The tree that creates the largest amount of shade is a gigantic silver maple and my neighbor is very much attached to this tree. I don't want to hurt her feelings but I also don't think it would be possible to remove much of the shade without basically cutting off most of this tree. I kinda like it too though there are tons of helicopter seeds to clean up in spring.

You got it right, bluesanne. I'm doubting myself in advance! :-) We planted CdM last week and, after a day or two of adjustment, he looks fine now but I worry if he would not have enough sun to get properly established: he gets sun at about 8:30-10 am and then again for slightly over an hour in the late afternoon, ca. 5-6 pm. For the rest of the day, sometimes it's dappled shade and sometimes deep shade, depending on the density of maple leaves.

Carol, I am very encouraged now after seeing how much/little light some of your old roses get! And they all look gorgeous as seen on your recent threads. I'm curious,-- do you prune your albas, gallicas and other OGRs in early spring or right after their blooming? My guess is that, for part-shade conditions under deciduous trees, it would be better to prune them before they leaf out because that's when they get most sun for developing their new buds... I'm somewhat confused that OGRs flower on "old wood" and yet I read that some prune them in winter/early spring.

I have grown Charles de Mills in the shade of maples for 20 years now and it doesn't seem to matter to it.

Oh, wonderful! I'm so glad I checked here first because we were just about to move him to a pot tomorrow. I feel much better now keeping him where he is planted. Thank you all so much!

Vesfl, thank you for the compliment! I do a bit of both, pruning-wise. I prune once-bloomers mainly after bloom is completed, but I also might shape them again in late winter. The OGRs that deal well with shade have been fine with the traditional "blooms on old wood pruning" schedule. The last two years, I have been even less inclined to prune my OGRs in late winter due to cane borer activity. To prevent infestation, I am forced to seal cuts and then reseal (due to rain). Hybrid Teas and such must get pruned and sealed in late winter, but I'd go nuts pruning and sealing all my OGRs. CdM is pretty tough and resilient. I'd be inclined to see what he does in the shade. If you decide to leave him in place, please let us know how he handles the dark side! Carol

Last year as a new band my Charles de Mills had to be moved to a sunnier spot to recover from terrible mildew. That has been the case with nearly every new band I have purchased. Even Madame Hardy had trouble in that shady area. This year as a larger 2 year old I put CDMills back in the same shady spot that has a few hours of afternnon sun. The flowers are smaller than what I hoped for, but he seems quite happy and disease free. I love Charles de Mills.

Oh, what a beautiful flower! It always takes my breath away when I see CdM's full bloom. Mine is own root, about one year old and came to me as a large 2-gallon size (just without the actual pot) earlier this spring. I'll keep him where he is now and will revisit the situation in a year. I love all of my roses and I don't have nearly as many as most forum members do, but I have to say that I'm awaiting our Chuck next spring with the greatest anticipation.