I only have a one season Boscobel, but I think it will be deeper colored and stand out from your PCdM just fine. Beautiful photos!

I love this arrangement with the pretty blue flowers, this is quite stunning..

You would think that was an Austin wouldn't you?... I've got all sorts of colour clashes going on so I'm a fine one to talk, but I do try not to put pink with anything that might be a bit orange-y, and sometimes my 'Boscobel' has a salmon pink with bits of apricot/orange going on. So I might not put those together on purpose, but it could happen by accident. Nice in a vase though..

Here are some blooms of my 'Boscobel'. Might be different in your climate and it's all a matter of personal taste, so see what you think Lisa, you could always move it if not happy couldn't you?.. or what I do is introduce a 3rd colour to an arrangement, white, purple, blue or green even, this tends to soften the blow and brings it together I find..[read:- ''covers up one's mistakes'']...

Somehow you make orange look good, Marlorena.

To continue Malorena's idea and coming from a pot ghetto girl, you could put Boscobel in a good-sized pot and place her in the spot you're thinking. If it doesn't appeal to you after blooming you could move it without even having to dig it up.

I agree with Sheila that Boscobel would be a deeper enough color to distinguish it from PCdM.

Totally agree with Sheila! Somehow you manage to make orange look beautiful, Marlorena. I’m rather shocked at how orange Boscobel appears in your photos. As many of you know, I’m an official orange hater! When I ordered Boscobel, it didn’t look nearly so orange to me. It looked more like a darker coral shade of PCdM, definitely leaning towards pink. The thing about leaving it in it’s pot, is the summer watering and suffering it, and myself will go through as a result. It’s very sunny in that spot all afternoon. Sweet Mademoiselle has a more coral tone to her. I wonder how adding her into the mix would do? This is her tag, the only photo I have.

I’m so thankful for your help and photos! I’m such an indecisive type, and sometimes I’m “frozen” as a result. I have so many roses to plant and prune right now, I’m over my head! I just couldn’t pass up the rare free roses Cliff offered me, and I’m swamped as a result. Today it’s going to be over 90F with ferocious dry winds. That’s bad for planting roses, and for me to be outdoors. The power company has turned off power to thousands of homes in hopes of preventing wildfires.(not my house)

Any growth habits on Boscobel? I know Nik over on Antiques said not big, and does well in the dry heat. If I had known I was going to come upon all the roses Cliff gave me, I know I wouldn’t have ordered Boscobel. That’s mainly because of space and effort, now that I have so many new roses. I sure do hope Boscobel remains small and pinkish! Thanks. Lisa

Oh my goodness! Scrolling up, Boscobel and Sweet Mademoiselle look so similar! Lisa

I’m having both Charlene and sweet mad coming next month. I adored my princess Charlene, but she got covered by an angelonia that got a little too aggressive and I didn’t remove in time for her to recover, so I’m ordering another one and keeping it in a pot. :)

Lisa, didn't you see the thread here (on second forum page, I think) entitled, "tell me about Austin's Boscobel"? There are quite a few good photos posted by forum members on that thread. I posted my Boscobel photos there and don't want to repeat myself here if possible. I don't find Boscobel orange for sure, though the center petals can tend toward a dark apricot at certain times. At other times, Boscobel is totally medium pink. I like this rose so much better than PAoK. By the way, your luscious and romantic bouquet above of Charlene and those delightful Chinese forget me nots is very enabling. What a beautiful rose. Diane

I didn’t see that thread, Diane. Thank you, I’m certainly heading over there now! I’m glad to hear already that your Boscobel is apricot/pink. That’s what I had in mind when I ordered it. I love that picture too, Diane. I think I’ve posted it a hundred times:) The Chinese Forget Me Nots self sow like weeds for me. I have to thin the seedlings out, because I get so many. It’s a good thing that I like them, and that they go with just about everything. They pop up everywhere!

SoFL, I’m glad that you’re getting both, too! I just love my PCdM for cutting, and isn’t her fragrance incredible? I hope Sweet Mademoiselle is just as good. I have high hopes for her. Actually, I’ve been really impressed with every one of the Romantica series that I’ve grown. They seem to do well here, and the ones I have make great cut flowers. I also purchased the new ‘Moonlight’ Romantica when I bought my PCdM #2 and Sweet Mademoiselle. I can’t wait to see them bloom. They’re all leafing out nicely, already. I’m looking forward to your pictures. Lisa

Well THAT’S embarrassing! I guess I’m officially losing it! Obviously I DID see that post, because I commented on it. All I can say is that I’m just getting over being rather sick, and my short term memory is shot from the MS. The pictures over there are beautiful, and there’s lots of great information. I’m pretty mortified at myself, though. Sorry about that. Lisa

Lisa, you're lovely. I lose track of things I've commented on as well. IMO, you can ask whatever questions you like as much as you like. Glad to hear you're doing better. Keep your chin up and keep on rosin'!

I will put this link up in case anyone wants to refer back to the photos posted there. We were talking a bit about color and what would look good with Boscobel.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/tell-me-about-das-boscobel-dsvw-vd~5092422?n=20

I am just really happy to get my hands on Bocobel this year. It was another one that was sold out last year when I tried to order it. Then again, I did procrastinate last year..

So it seems like Sweet Mademoiselle might be a good dupe for Boscobel (color wise) and PCdM for Abe Darby..these companies are giving DA a run for their money lol.

Does anyone know what the fragrance is like on Sweet Mademoiselle?

Those are incredible pictures! You've already convinced me to try Charlene but they haven't arrived yet. But I'm curious if you can tell Abe and Charlene apart by the scent or is that too similar also?

10feet? Holy Moly lol. How wide?

What is the darker pink flower in that bouquet? Is that a PCdM?

The one brighter pink bloom is Sonia Rykiel. She’s still small, so that’s all she had at the time(early December, IIRC). I find that Princess Charlene and Abraham Darby look more different once they open further. They both have wonderful scent, but definitely not the same. I’m having trouble recalling AD’s scent, other than that I like it very much. I actually prefer the scent of PCDM over Abe’s. I know that’s a personal thing, but I definitely have “a thing” for her scent. I’ll try my best to describe her scent as I bend a giant cane, and take a whiff. Ripe fruit, like peaches or apricots. The kind of peach that you pick off your own tree, and is perfectly ripe, not the hard kind from the store. This fruity scent is mixed with a floral perfume fragrance. The fragrance of PCDM is strong, yet I want to use the word “delicate” to describe it. It’s definitely a scent that wouldn’t become sickening or overwhelming. She really smells like an expensive fruity/floral perfume. I’d happily wear her scent every day if I could bottle it. Only some of the OGR’s rival her for fragrance, in my opinion. But remember, it’s all a matter of preference, not everyone likes brussel sprouts and sushi either. Lisa

Oops! Forgot about the width, SJN. Not wide at all! I tie her horizontally to get blooming laterals, but if I didn’t I’d say only about 3F wide. Here’s a picture taken today. She’s only half pruned, because I couldn’t stand to waste those buds up there. Once they open a little more, she gets cut down to about 12 inches tall. Princess Charlene is the VERY tall one between the two trellises. See how narrow she is? That’s a 6 or 7F tall fence. Lisa

A quite stunning arrangement of roses... I have to wait 5 more months for something like that..

Lisa, so the fanned our canes are all from Charlene? Will you cut everything down to 12 inches? Why do you prune so severely--is it because she'd end up 20 feet tall if you didn't? I never prune that hard so I'm curious. I realize in your climate you have to do things differently than up here.....You've done a beautiful job of fanning those canes out. I don't think I could bear to cut them down so low--that is why my Colette is such a mess right now--ha. Diane

Thanks Marlorena. They just keep going here, as long as they get enough water, of course. I’m sure that’s why they grow so large. I know it sounds like a ridiculous problem to have, but many roses really will grow out of control here. I adore the David Austins, but I’m always searching for one that won’t take over. That, and makes a good cut flower in my dry heat.

Diane, maybe I’ll let her be 18” tall, but that’s about it. She went into the ground in February or March of last year, at about a foot tall, max.(Grafted plant) She’s put on all that height in that amount of time even with me cutting stems of 18-24” for vases sometimes. I’m even hoping that because I’ve held off pruning those canes with buds on them, that it will stunt her height her a little. It has been nearly 90F for the past few days, and I really prefer to have finished pruning everything in the first week of January. I was ill for nearly a month, the holidays, and a bunch of new roses unexpected came my way, so I’m way behind on everything. I’m on my phone looking at the picture, and it’s dark out, but I believe everything is Princess Charlene except the obvious. Abe Darby is to her left, and was already given the 12-18” treatment in December. He’s already starting to rise up again. The long cane coming in from the very far left is a part of Baronne Prévost, I think. I pruned her to about 3F tall, but left that cane. It had a bud, and I was thinking of using it to propagate cuttings. I’ve got my hands full enough, so I should just cut that one even with the others, and forget that idea for this year. I’ll try to remember to take pictures of Princess Charlene when I cut the rest of her back, and again when she grows back again. She’s not classified as a climber, but as a HT. That’s how I thought everyone pruned them, but maybe just in So Ca? Lisa

Lisa, thank you that eloquent discription of PCdM's scent. Its sounds so yummy, I can hardly wait! She seems like she is seriously a climber! I wonder why they don't just advertise her as such. I don't mind that at all. I have to have my roses tall so the greedy gut chickens can't eat the flowers lol.

~Sjn

That’s funny that they eat the flowers, Sjn! Well, I mean funny strange, not funny haha. IMO, nothing is funny haha, that’s eating my long awaited rose blooms. At least the chickens eat some bad bugs, and deposit free fertilizer, right?

I’m curious as to Princess Charlene de Monaco’s height in colder climates. Since her tag says 5F, and HMF says 31”- 39”, she must stay shorter somewhere! She’s just a skyscraper, here! I’d love to hear from someone who has her blooming like crazy as a 4F bush. Actually, I’d love to see a picture of that. I’ll just take her any way I can get her to produce those heavenly blooms. They will fade in the summer sun, but this is one rose where that doesn’t matter to me. I rarely leave any on the bush any longer than absolutely necessary. I snatch them up THAT quick! It only makes sense for me to have two bushes, if I’m so eager for each flush, don’t you think? Lisa

Ohhh sometimes its funny when they eat the flowers. Ever see a big fat rooster run away trying to gobble down a bat plant flower because he just got busted eating it? He's running with all the whiskers hanging out of his mouth and trying to choke them down at the same time. He looks like one of those Prawn Creatures from the movie, District 9 lol.

Lol, ok I can see that being funny “haha”, as long as that Tacca(sp?) plant puts out more than one bloom per season. I’ve always wanted to grow the white version, but it’s just so dry here! They’re so exotic looking. I know they can be grown indoors, but I run the A/C like crazy all summer, so it’s dry indoors too.

Im finally posting the pictures of my pruned Princess Charlene de Monaco. Diane had me second guessing myself for a bit, but no, this is how I’ve always treated HT’s. I noticed around town that all the HT’s were pruned down to 12-18”, as well, so it must be a So CA thing. If I wanted PCDM to cover an arbor, I wouldn’t do this, but I need all the space I can get. My sweet peas need a place to climb while the giant roses have been cut back.

I really love this rose! Lisa

Yes, Lisa, and she is worth loving. She is a true beauty.

I was going to recommend to you the 15 inch (approx) long Fiskar's loppers for pruning those bigger canes. I use them almost as much as my fancy ARS pruners. Fiskars makes lousy pruners in my estimation, but great loppers, so it's not necessary to buy the more expensive ARS loppers, for example. You can get these loppers on Amazon, and they have replacement blades available. I have used this lopper so long, I wore out my first pair. I'm talking 25 years of constant use. The loppers will increase your ability to cut those big canes. Just don't get the really long loppers--some of them are hard for women to use. But we persist. Diane

Diane, I can’t thank you enough! I went to look at those loppers on Amazon, and they were only $18.99! I was so happy to see that they are on special, right now. They were $11 off the regular price of $29.99, so I’ll have them on my doorstep on Saturday! I also had $14.00 credit with Amazon, so I ended up paying only $4.99 with my Prime free shipping! I’m really glad you recommended them! Now, I can take care of such things myself, and call in favors for the really big stuff, like digging holes on the slope. I’ll let you know how I like them, but I’m sure I will. Usually anything recommended by my rose buddies here, has been great! My pink shovel is an excellent example. I love that cute little thing.

And yes, Princess Charlene de Monaco is lovely. Look how long her stems are up against my huge BBQ! Now, those are some long stemmed roses! I can’t stop sniffing them. Lisa

You're welcome, Lisa. I hope they work out for you, and I'm glad you got such a good deal. The key is you use both arms to cut the big cane. I don't find it slows me down much, and it can save your hands, too....I see those long stems on Charlene--hadn't realized they were that long. I could use some long stemmed blooms, and I can get Charlene here locally from my fav greenhouse. I need to rethink this. I'm having fits trying to fit all my roses in. Right now, I have Rouge Royale in a temporary spot, and it needs to get into its permanent home. Diane

Diane, I haven’t even tried them yet, but I wanted to show you how incredibly fast they arrived! Within 24 hours I have them, AND my coffee pods! Lisa

Wow, that is fast! I'm too cheap to pay for prime, so my free economy shipping takes longer, and have to purchase at least $25, which isn't hard for me. I hope the loppers work well for you. I noticed they now say 1 1/4" as the max cuts which is still pretty optimistic. Mine say 1 1/2", and I would never try that. More like 1" max is the max. I don't like to push my luck. But I do love the things. Enjoy your coffee. Diane

They worked great, Diane! I finished off those last canes with ease, and went on to do lots more. Thanks very much! Lisa

Yay! for Lisa and her loppers. Diane

They started a frenzy of pruning, yesterday! Diane they were great to use for everything! They made short work of those thick canes left on PCDM. I went on to prune SO many things in preparation for the “big planting out” this weekend. Below is a pile of what I pruned with the new loppers, yesterday. They arrived about 19 hours after I ordered them. I’m not kidding!

This is my lawn, littered with cutting debris. The jar with the 6 PCDM blooms was brought outside, so I could throw any blooms I couldn’t stand to toss, into the bouquet. This was my busy afternoon with my new loppers:) Thanks Diane! Lisa

Oh my goodness, you really did a frenzy of work. I'm so happy for you. The "excess" blooms are lovely, too. I can't wait to get some pruning done myself. Diane