'Bonica' any good to you Chris..? maybe you already have it.. over here it would epitomise the title of your thread, and I don't get the HMF measurements... at least 6 x 6 for me when I had it...

Flamenco rosita gets huge, easily 6x6 and super healthy

http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.40496.3

I second Bonica, mine still has a couple of dozen blooms on her & they last a long time on the bush, not sure about in a vase; perhaps Marlorena would know.

Summer Memories although not a ton of fragrance. PomPon Fairytale.

Love these suggestions! I don't have Bonica, but it's been on my radar for a while. Definitely a possibility. I've never heard of Flamenco rosita, but it's beautiful.

Dingo, where did you get Summer Memories from? How does Pompon (pomponella?) do as a self-supporting shrub?

-Chris

Chris,

Macy's Pride only got 24-30" tall for me. It was a moderate black spotter, and the flowers were uninspiring. It got pruned.

I bet Summer Romance will fill the allotted space nicely, if you can get it to bloom frequently enough, which seems to be a problem a number of people have had with it, me included.

Moses

Chris, Summer Memories is very healthy and blooms quite a bit, but in my garden it has reached 5'high by 10' wide, and it is very thorny, which would make pruning it to size difficult. I know I'm much warmer than you, but I have read of someone in Tasmania whose plant has also grown that large. Tasmania is a lot colder than here.

Moses, I was going to suggest Summer Romance, but figure it might meet with negativity. Mine gave a few blooms its first year in the ground as an OR Chamblee gallon. Last year was the midge fest. However, this year after a good pruning it bloomed continuously and heavily the entire summer until fall when it slowed down considerably, although I found no sign of reinfection. It's been fantastic so I'm glad I gave it time. I would also suggest Pink Pet. This rose is rock solid healthy here in BS city and it loves to bloom. Double pink Knock Out is also very pretty if a bit brighter. Don't "knock" it, just because it's a knock out! ; ) Someone once posted outstanding pics of this rose which led me to buy it when put on Walmart clearance. It's been great and blooms continually with a pretty form. If you like small singles, please consider The Tooth Fairy. It has a lovely bushy growth and an airy look from the constantly blooming flowers.

Chris I got both Summer Memories & Pompanella from Palatine. Pompanella is fine as a self supporting shrub - very sturdy, nice shape. Flamenco Rosita is good too, I think may be on sale at Heirloom. I got that one because of Patty’s posts. All 3 of these were still blooming when the snow started.

Thanks again for the very useful suggestions! Lots to think about. I do already have Pink Pet, but agree it's a real winner. Summer Memories is a beauty and I don't know how I overlooked it on Palatine's site in the past. The trouble there is they have a minimum order of 3 there..

I guess Macy's Pride is off the list. Thanks for your input Moses.

I've heard the negative comments about Summer Romance, but I'd be willing to give it a try. Perhaps it just needs to be given time to become productive. Flamenco Rosita is definitely tempting.

I think I may remove an original Knockout and replace it with a Double Knock Out. I've never been a fan of the original's reddish pink color.

Thanks again!

Chris

The Double Pink Knock Out is the best looking of the entire lot of the Knock Out line. I think it's a cut above the Double Red Knock Out for looks. It is the closest Knock Out that I would call a crossover from landscape use to rose garden use. Of course, that's my opinion, and I am unanimous in my opinion (a bit of humor here, Chris).

Moses

I just picked some Pomponella blooms 2 days ago. I really like her blooms a lot. Mine came as an ownroot band in January of this year. She’s growing like crazy!

Maggie isn't continuous but it blooms often in big flushes and has a strong, sweet fragrance with peppery overtones.

Those two roses are outrageous! Geez! I hope my Maggie looks as good as that next year or even half as good.

Oh Kate! Yours is incredibly beautiful! Now I’m even more happy with my choice! I hope mine will do so well. So far, Pomponella is giving me every indication that she will be. Mine was such a tiny band in January. It’s already grown and bloomed so much. Yours is amazing! Lisa

I can't believe that's even real, Kate! I somehow dismissed this rose as it needs deadheading and seemed short. Perhaps I should think again as the colour and form of flower and bush is PERFECT! Just lovely.

That's a beautiful Pomponella. Some don't like the color of it but I like it a lot from pictures. Just planted mine a few days ago.

Gartendirektor Otto Linne makes a big healthy shrub with good rebloom:

Centenaire de Lourdes is also healthy and gets pretty big:

Cherry Parfait is shrubby and blooms a lot but it gets some bs here:

Kate, your Pomponella is stunning. What a lovely shrub.

erasmus, your photos are extraordinarily beautiful. What a glorious garden you must have. That photo of Gartendirektor Otto Linne is quite magical.

chris, I'm a fan of Summer Memories, as it's so healthy, but the other thing I should warn you about it is that the blooms turn greyish when they age. They're easy to clean off, but if it's at the back of a bed that would obviously be more difficult, especially as it is so thorny.

erasmus, I have Excellenz von Schubert from ARE that some say is GOL. From where did you get yours? I love my EVS and it is so similar to yours, but I wouldn't mind both if they are different. Cherry Parfait is lovely. Off to look up CdLourdes. Can one ever have enough pinks?

Thank you, titian and vaporvac. I will post another pic of Otto Linne so you can see if it still looks like EvS. I have thought about getting EVS for a long time but had the impression that it has more purple in it than Otto. Otto is just a fairly strong pink with no lavender in it.

CdL has fat thorny canes. I cut mine way back, annoyed with it in the spot I had it. I like the plant but not so close to a path. I got that one from a cutting from rosarian, Carla's old plant. I think I got my Otto plant from Jackie Day, who used to be partners with Lisa at Countryside Roses.

Otto again

... hmm. Maybe I should take a picture of my EVs and see what you think. Sorry to hijack this post it's just momentary! And if we can come to some sort of conclusion it might help you 2.

Wow, so many lovely photos. They're all beautiful. I always thought Maggie was more of a warm weather rose, but I guess I was wrong. I've always admired it. I will have to also consider Gartendirektor Otto Linne. I used to have EVS, and maybe I had it in a bad spot, or maybe I didn't wait long enough, but after 4 of 5 years it never amounted to much so tossed it. Centenaire de Lourdes is new to me so I'll have to do some research.

-Chris

Vaporvac, that EvS pic looks pretty similar to my Otto. I'll look it up on hmf.

Chris, I live in zone 7a too and have had my Maggie plant many years. It has come through temps down to 4 degrees and a couple weeks of solid freezes some winters.

Here are a few more good shrubby plants:

Well, my favorite is Clotilde Soupert for health, dense habit, rebloom in big flushes, beauty and fragrance. It just balls sometimes, here in early spring but later blooms are usually good.

Felicia the fragrant

Yesterday

Folksinger is a big dense shrub. I don't have a good whole plant pic of it.

I looked up EvS on hmf and another person had questions about it being confused with Otto. Most pics of EvS really do have a much more purple color. Also some of the blooms look like they have more petals and could be larger. Would like to see an EVS in person.

Erasmus, what roses! Yesterday is a new one on me. Love the two tone effect.

Now, do tell - what is your secret?

Is yesterday considered a hybrid musk?

Erasmus, thank you for the wonderful suggestions and photos. They are all beautiful and that last picture is spectacular. I'm just curious, where do you live? My yard is very exposed and being that I'm so close to the coast, I get a lot of icy winds blowing through all winter. I used to be able to grow mophead hydrangeas with no problem when I lived more inland, but not here. They all die to the ground. I have to take that into account when I pick roses that might be borderline hardy.

Folksinger is healthy for you? Felicia is another one that's been on my radar and will have to consider it. I have climbing Clotilde Soupert and unfortunately it balls terribly for me. Does Yesterday have good rebloom? A lot of my hybrid musks take the summer off.

Thanks to everyone I have lots of wonderful roses to mull over this winter!

-Chris

Erasmus, I'd be happy to swap cuttings with you and then we could know for sure! ; )) I'll try posting the other pics later.

Here is my EvS from a nursery in FL ........

Here are a few more pictures of mine for ID. Click 2 see full picture.

Chris, I think some of these HMs need more sun than I thought. Many of mine have rebounded after being moved to sunnier spots. This rose from ARE is great whatever it is, but I would like to know its true ID. I don't recall its fragrance.

Vaporvac, this was my EVS purchased from Rogue Valley Roses. The two pictures show how the color can be variable. I really did not find the fragrance particularly strong or noticeable, but I think it matched EVS in all other aspects.

-Chris

Thanks for the pics...these of EVS look slightly more purple than my Otto I think. I have never noticed a fragrance on Otto. It reblooms well. Thanks for the offer of the cutting trade, Vaporvac. Maybe in spring we could do that .

I appreciate you thinking I have a secret, Titian, but what I need is a secret garden helper! My secret is that the bermuda grass gets away from me and maple and oak trees come up everywhere, redbud and privet also. I think my soil has some plusses such as being easy for roots to penetrate but since it is light it also drains fast and plants suffer in dry heat. My secret is that some of my plants do well and some don't.

Folksinger has variable bs resistance. Can be good, can look kind of smutty. It keeps on keeping on regardless. Great rebloom. Blooms blow fast. It developed a nice tea or tobacco fragrance after a few years.

I think of Yesterday as a hybrid musk but I think it's classified as a polyantha. It does rebloom well. I had a big plant of it but something damaged it...voles I think. Mine is in part shade. I was looking at Lavender Dream but thought Yesterday would be a little smaller. Not sure it was.

Susan, your EvS looks a lot like mine. The nursery in FL might have gotten theirs from me.

Chris, I live in NC. We have had some very cold polar vortexes the last five years or so. Folksinger is a Buck, and he bred for hardiness, so it might do ok in your area. Has good vigor own root.

G! Now I'm getting confused. LOL! Erasmus, do you have both EVS and GOL? Do you have any feeling as to which mine might be? It was sold to me from ARe as EVS. I somehow recalled reading that EVS is meant to be extremely fragrant and I just don't recall fragments with this one. Also it is almost completely thornless. There are a couple of hooks near to the base of canes but other than that it is very smooth.

Wait a minute, I overlooked where Susan said hers was EVS. It looks like Otto. But I'm sure if this nursery is selling it as EVS it was not from me. Some of my plants have made their way to some nurseries in FL, but not EVS as I don't grow it.

I think the color of yours, vaporvac, is deeper than my Otto.

I think I can see how this Rose causes confusion as the leaves do look very similar. But mine is deeper. These pictures are good color representation dot-dot-dot for once.

I'm surprised EvS is as pink as it is. It's so similar to Otto that I probably don't need it. Otto takes up a lot of room.

Another few shrubs that bloom a lot:

Outta the Blue - Not bs free but has very good vigor and rebloom. Is fragrant and a vivid color.

Darlow's Enigma some find it fragrant.

Marie Pavie I thought this one was a small grower for a long time but it eventually got pretty big here.

Not mentioning any Austins. I love most of them, but they aren't bs free.

Autumn Sunset, Westerland, and Aloha all can be grown as large shrubs.

Marie Pavie:

Carefree Beauty

Moses, do you still grow Summer Romance? If so, how long have you grown it?

Erasmus, what is that peach colored rose I see growing behind Carefree Beauty? Also, how big is your Marie Pavie? I have that one too and noticed it seems to be getting bigger than anticipated.

The peach rose behind CB is Abe Darby. My Marie Pavie is about 6' tall now and 5' wide.

Here's Abe Darby. It's a great repeater but very prone to blackspot:

Beautiful! I love Abe Darby.

What about St. Ethelburga? I don't grow it but it has been on my someday list for awhile. The size is about right for you and the color should work. What hooked me was it is supposed to be exceptionally fragrant.

Erasmus's roses are just out of this world... I'm not sure I want to be posting any of mine again ...

Rubbish, Marlorena!

Marlorena, I agree that Erasmus's roses are spectacular. Their sizes alone are impressive, but each one is covered in blooms, too, and that is what's most incredible to me. However, I admire your garden equally, Marlorena. You don't have the luxury of a lot of space, so you skillfully keep your roses' size in check, and then pack them in. Just stunning. But my favorite thing of all is how you grow the lovely combinations of perennials and roses so well together. You are fearless. I would be afraid of killing something if I tried to grow a hardy geranium up through a rose like Ballerina, yet that has got to be my favorite mix yet--and in a pot, to boot. The soft blue is so perfect for the soft pink of Ballerina. So both of you, Marlorena and Erasmus, please post away with the photos. Diane

I'm interested in this whole business of Marie Pavie getting huge. I just planted one this summer in the front if a bed because I didnt expect it to get that big...hopefully it will all work out! lol :)

Marie Daly is smaller and more drought tolerant. The only drawback of its perfection is its smaller size so rabbits eat it, plus it's less hardy for my zone 5.

Among my 140+ fragrant own-root roses, my vote for 'LARGE, HEALTHY, and CONTINUOUS BLOOMING" goes to Poseidon. Below pic. was taken this July at 90 F heat:

Below pic. was when it's a 2nd-year-own root. Now as 7th-year-own-root, it's taller than me and always have blooms on it:

Blooms get large and last very long on the bush and in the vase:

ARE THERE OTHER CONTINUOUS BLOOMING KORDES ROSES? thank you for any info. on other Kordes continuous blooming roses.