Beautiful!

That is gorgeous! Have I asked you before if you're listed on HMF? I need to see what you grow. :-) you are enabling me to get some of these once bloomers. That last picture is Worthy of a coffee table book.

Deborah, I love Paul Barden's Gallicas! Thank you so much for sharing Umbra and Etienne. These are two rare and special roses, and I'm thrilled when forum members grow them and offer a glimpse of them to those of us who are still creating spaces in which to plant them. Your specimens are beautifully pruned and trained, and the blooms are perfect! I mean really drop dead gorgeous perfect!! Charles de Mills is envious. Could you tell me how old your plants are and how the foliage stands up to Kentucky disease pressure?

Please do post your wonderful images on HMF if you can. Everyone who loves OGRs, and Gallicas in particular, would really benefit from your experience and visuals.

I love the health and classic old rose beauty of Barden Gallicas. Gardening with them is like growing a slice of history and contemporary horticulture all at once. In my opinion, short season northern gardeners should line up for these healthy and breathtaking "new old" cultivars. They are durable easy keepers, and once-blooming is an NBD characteristic in the northern part of the world. I'd have filled my beds with Barden Gallicas and Mosses when I lived in MN if they'd been available.

A forum member in Portland grows Umbra, too, and I'd like to add it to my collection someday soon. My Ellen Tofflemire and an unnamed mauve created by Paul Barden are budding up. My Marianne also has buds as does Nightmoss. Anticipation is high, and I check the plants daily so I don't miss a moment of unfurling. All my Bardens are young since I grew a number to larger sizes and then gifted them to friends and acquaintances. The ones I have now are keepers, and I'm (im)patiently awaiting their growth, maturity and floriferous flushes of bloom.

Happy Gallica Season! Carol

These are not roses for my southern California garden, which is why I really enjoy seeing them here. If only I could smell them! I agree, Paul Barden's roses are meant for more northern gardens where they would truly be worth growing in their much shorter blooming season. The once-bloomers put on such an abundant show during their season which the remontants can hardly equal.

What lookers these are!!! Oh I hope I get the chance to add them to my Barden bed someday. My Marianne is coming along after the spring transplant so I hope to see some flowers on her this year...

Thank you all for the kind words. I am on HMF under Mesplay, although I have not added photos. Perhaps a good winter project. These Barden gallicas were planted summer 2016, and so far no disease problems. As for pruning, really not much has been necessary, no winter die back and they just seem to naturally take on a pleasing shape. They both have a nice growth pattern with plenty of branching from ground level. I have had several other gallicas for the same period of time, but none have grown as well and produced as many blooms as these Bardens. I must get on the waiting list for Marianne!

Beautiful, My baby Umbra has tiny buds

My compliments. I do love the once-blooming old roses.

Umbra is available at RVR - bought one today for my Z4 garden in MN - would appreciate advice from growers

My advice? cross your fingers and hope you got the right rose.

I'm *very* lucky that the two of Paul's roses I've received from RVR have been correct. Three other roses (out of maybe 20) have been incorrect. The two of Paul's I got from them are Incantation (love, love it), and Won Fang Yon.

Oh, I forgot about Gallicandy, but I'm not positive it came from RVR. Most of my newer Barden roses all came directly from Paul, and I KNOW they're correct, lol.

If Paul is still reading...

What was the inspiration for the name Incantation?

@User I have no idea about Paul's inspiration for the name 'Incantation', but I'll tell you it's a magical rose, lol. It can look like a different rose every flush, but lovely in every incarnation. Its color and shading seems to be very responsive (sensitive?) to temperature, and the plant loves heat. The blooms range from pink with a picotee edge to mottled pink to cerise. It's totally BS free for me (a miracle), and blooms its silly head off. The first flush almost completely covers the foliage. It will do it again and again if I remember to fertilize it on time, lol. I now officially have more roses than I can take care of, but I do try to dote on this one a bit. It's one of the few roses planted near the front door.

@User I chose it on a whim; it just popped into my head one day while studying the plant.

It would be cool to pair it with the Hybrid Tea 'Bewitched'?

Bewitched