dmny- thanks for the white recommendation. Iceberg sounds like a good choice. I'd really like to find something that repeats well. I ordered Sombreuil without researching the thorns and was shocked when I pulled it out of the shipping box! The prickles are huge, so probably not the best choice for next to the front door! Something about those jagged edges doesn't say "Welcome." Anyway, I found a place for Sombreuil in my side yard near the back deck where hopefully I can enjoy the fragrance but my kids won't get hurt on it. meredith_e, nice to hear from someone in my exact zone in addition to the other voices! I love the orangey- apricot tones, too, more than the yellows, in Westerland and Royal Sunset. Nice to hear it keeps those darker tones in the shade! I found a band of Royal Sunset at Burlington Roses if I can be patient enough for it to grow. Since the spot I'm looking to fill is on the front of my house, I'm anxious for it to get big. After doing more research, I came across Renae and Annie Laurie McDowell, which really piqued my interest, too! These roses sound like they might do nicely in this part shade spot and provide plenty of blooms. I was originally going for an apricot color, but I'd be willing to go pinkish. Maybe I should get them all...

So gorgeous!! And her scent really is wonderful. Mine is one of my favorite roses, and it's hard to choose, so that says a lot. I'm so happy to see her with buds already :) Last year the polar vortex during horrible winds nearly killed her, and she had to re-grow everything above ground! She got a few nice canes since then, but this year is when I'll get to enjoy the blooms again :) She's probably hardier than I make her sound, too, y'all. Mine was grafted, not buried, and wasn't protected. This year I had her buried to go ownroot, and I did protect her base all winter. Her canes did great, and we dipped as cold as last winter :)

I just saw this post. I have a 30 year old Royal Sunset climber in an area of the SF East Bay that gets the most fog, being directly opposite the Golden Gate Bridge. This rose is absolutely magnificent. It has been totally neglected, yet it produces masses of intensely fragrant flowers continuously, sun or fog, with dark green, glossy, healthy foliage. I became aware of the rose because it covered the arbors in the Berkeley Rose Garden in the 1970's, and it was the most impressive rose display throughout the entire season, so it was the first thing I planted in the Bay Area. I was not disappointed. It's still extraordinary today, and thrives with zero maintenance and little water. The deer get the bottom half, we get the top half. Here is Royal Sunset during a "slow" period in late July.

Thanks all for sharing your experiences. BenT - It sounds like you and Folklore are destined for each other, despite what you feel about her! lol. The neighborhood plant is vigorous, so I can only imagine what it's like in Dallas. The red rose shown has about 5 inch blooms which could fit Veteran's Honour. I've never seen VH in person so I guessed at Crimson Bouquet because I see it offered in all the local garden centres. The plant shown is against a church behind my bus stop, but no telling where it came from really. I've been admiring it for about 10 years now. Pat - We have very humid summers in southern Ontario too and blackspot pressure is very high high in my garden. That's one reason Royal Sunset may be going. Is your garden organic? I don't mind spraying a few times but am gradually replacing varieties that spot at the drop of a hat. The red I've been admiring locally is so clean and I doubt that it gets any extra water, let alone fungicide. Thanks for your recommendations -- I too have been impressed with the reports of Rhode Island Red and will have a spot for it if Orfeo doesn't pick up the pace a bit. Marcindy - Our zones are similar so it sounds like Folklore would be better behaved here than for BenT. A tall skinny skyscraper with lots of blooms that last sounds nice. I'm trying to lower the maintenance here so not looking for a plant to wrap around the obelisk any longer. I'm tired of dealing with that every year. Just a tall plant I could tie into the side of the obelisk to give a "climber look" would be nice. Thanks for all your help. Folklore may be pulling ahead in this race to the obelisk, if only for it's rude growth and health! bbintoronto