But my favorite is still Munstead wood

But the bush itself is kind of ugly.

This older thread just appeared, with more wonderful purple roses. Karen, I'm blown away by your garden full of beautiful roses. That is a really stupendous display.

My two bushes of Plum Perfect are slowly putting on new growth, and I would love to see some blooms this year, but the plants haven't grown enough for that to happen until fall at the earliest. Something to look forward to later on this year!

Charles Rennie MacIntosh today..such a sensual button eye!

Sultry, that is gorgeous! Is it fragrant?

Thank you. Yes it is!!

Sultry, that is breathtaking! That picture makes me want to go right out and buy this rose.

Thanks Ingrid. I think you would like it. It is very carefree and stays a smaller size, no octopus arms like most other Austins here. Sometimes in summer its a very lilac pink but most of the year it is the color pictured. I think you would like it either color. The blossom has such a pleasing shape.

Purple Lodge - still fairly new (Feb. 2017) so I was reluctant to post...

Planted in the ground - 1st blooms. It was growing near Twilight Zone and Ebb Tide. My original thought, nice blooms... on par with TZ and Ebb Tide... a keeper but nothing outstanding... relatively

2nd round of blooms... what I did not pay attention to was the dark purple shading on the petals on the 1st flush, which dominated the 2nd flush... It was purple like I have never seen. The best way I can describe it is velvety blooms like Munstead Wood, with a deep purple that I have yet to see on any modern deep purple rose... We had actually returned from vacation and it was in full bloom. It captured my husband's eye from 70' away. I was stunned...

P.L. was placed in a pot. The 3rd set of blooms did not have any of the dark shading seen on both images...even the blooms looked different... but it was July so...

This year....???

Sweet Pea is a lilac-ish colored rose which I saw at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, looking impressively vigorous and floriferous on June 10 of last year.

I see it was mentioned above. See also the pic on HMF, where it looks more lilac:
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.44233
It is not quite as graceful IMO as Excellenz von Schubert (mentioned in a previous post), which has beautiful foliage but in my conditions doesn't repeat very much.
I'd like to see 'Sweet Nothings' in person -- love the name.

That's gorgeous, Lynn, and I hope there is more of that deep, saturated purple on Purple Lodge for you this year. Does anyone still sell this rose? I'd love to try it.

For me, the closest ideal purple rose is still Twilight Zone. It doesn't pink out, and stays pretty dark all season. TZ's big problem has been cane canker in years' past, and it has lost a lot of cane to that scourge. Next best is the lavender rose Love Song. I have one LS that is about three times bigger than the second plant. The larger plant grows in a much more protected spot, and Love Song is quite cold sensitive. That must make the difference. I've shown these pics before, but I'm still waiting for blooms of this spring. Diane

Purple Lodge -- fantastic color.

I really like Royal Amethyst - saw a row of them at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden, really beautiful. I have 2 young ones that will bloom this year. Also love Plum Perfect, have several of these.......Violet's Pride is also lovely, nice scent too.

Judith

Burling was trying to propagate Purple Lodge, Dianne. She could have something ready.

When put together in one thread like this, and I know there are even more, it's amazing how many purple and lavender roses there are. There can't ever be too many!

A Gakica "Tuscany" is the closest I've come to purple.

Did anyone say Ebb Tide? I just got it, bare root, last year and it is still small. Only got 3 blooms last summer but I love the deep dark color. No picture to post because I am on my tablet, not my computer.

Veilchenblau

Glory of Edzell

Nightmoss

Mountain Mignonette

RDV

Ellen Tofflemire

I didn’t see anyone mention Lavender Veranda. For a plant on the smaller side, I have been quite happy with its color and vigor.

Wow I havent even heard of a few of these. You guys all have such beautiful photos. Lavender, lilac, and purple are my favorite rose colors!

How could I forget- Spirit of Freedom has a lilac-y pink tone!

THANK YOU mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9 FOR THE BELOW INFO:

"I grew Sweet Chariot and wasn't all that fond of it but have Vineyard Song and I adore that rose!" mustbnuts

Will have to ask LongAgoRoses which one is more fragrant, since I'm tempted to order both as own-roots for my zone 5.

Spirit of Freedom is light pink at Chicago Botanical Garden with tons of blooms. I have too many light pinks and need more purple. Deep Purple was very wimpy for me, survived only two zone 5 winters, I posted its bush-shot in HMF, won't recommend for cold zone nor heavy-clay. Kordes roses need fluffy & loamy soil:

Twilight zone is vigorous as 6th-year own-root The color is purple with high-potassium fertilizer, does well in 4 hours of morning sun: Below pic. was taken late fall before frost.

Below is its spring flush:

'Vineyard Song' and 'Sweet Chariot' are both powerfully fragrant, but they have distinct fragrances. Subtly different in quality, but closely related.

I saw this thread and couldn't resist posting - I love purples and lavenders! I grown many of the ones people have listed (am hoping I can find a source for Purple Lodge here in the US, somebody mentioned Burlington?) But there's one I have to suggest that nobody has mentioned: Sven. Its not a well-known rose; to my knowledge, Northland Rosarium is the only place that carries it. It is a great and truly beautiful rose! Its sort of polyantha style, with clusters of small, lovely pinky-purple flowers. For me, its grown into a large graceful shurb that just covers itself with flowers, repeatedly all through the growing season. And I don't always keep up with dead-heading, but that doesn't seem to stop Sven from flowering. No disease that I've ever seen. I have 3 of them now, and even though I'm running out of space, I wouldn't part from a one of them. On top of everything else, Sven is supposedly hardy to zone 3; not an issue for me, since I'm in zone 6, but I'd grow Sven if I was in zone 3 or zone 10, such a great rose! Another really promising-seeming one, new to me this year, is Puppy Kisses; can't say too much yet but so far so good. Single flowers, and very purple, seems vigorous!

I look up Sven, it's so cute and charming !! Does it have a wafting scent? THANK YOU.

LongAgoRoses in NC has purples: Wise Portia, Sweet Chariot, Vineyard song, Midnight Blue, Outta the Blue, Austin The Prince, Purple Lodge and Chartreuse de Parme (parents are Yves Piaget and Big Purple). Their shipping charge is cheap at $11 per 4 roses to my Chicagoland.

Remontants: I am a HUGE fan of all things purple and of Tom Carruth’s creations! I love both Midnight Blue and Ebb Tide in pots. I use Black Gold organic potting soil. In my PNW garden, these two cultivars have been pretty darn healthy, they’ve been heavy and very remontant bloomers and they have been both deeply purple and deliciously fragrant. Another absolutely wonderful dark burgundy-purple rose that makes a lovely patio plant is Kim Rupert’s Purple Buttons. Gorgeous! I highly recommend trying PB if you can get ahold of one. Mine came from Rogue Valley, but I think another nursery ir two may offer PB. The Prince is a bit skimpy on foliage, but oh those huge, intoxicating, Gallica purple blooms! Pretty darn healthy for me.

Nonremontants: Paul Bardon purples are ALL exquisite! I am trying to get my hands on every one in commerce. I am currently obsessed with Nightmoss and hoping to move mine out of its 5 gallon nursery pot and into the garden this fall. Tuscany Superb is my all time favorite rose. I wait with great anticipation for its annual show just as gardeners have been doing for 100s of years!

Apologies that I can only find a photo of Midnight Blue at the moment. I‘ll look around for other pics.

Carol

Strawchicago, thanks for the tip on Long Ago Roses! My birthday is coming up ....

I don't really detect much fragrance from Sven, maybe a very light scent. But nothing wafting - you have to stick your nose in the flowers. Or I do anyhow - I'm aware that different people have VERY different experiences of scent. Anyway, I don't hold this against Sven, he's just a super rose!

Carol, I'm with you, I'd LOVE to get all of Paul Bardon's purples! But it just seems like Rogue never has them. I SO wanted to get Umbra, but what they sent me was decidedly not Umbra, and its been listed out of stock ever since. I'm on the wait list, but my understanding is that Paul isn't even sure they still have a mother plant. Sigh. At least I was able to get Etienne.

Congratulations on your Etienne, Frances! That one is tough to get. You and I must be kindred spirits. :-) I’m working on acquiring an Umbra, too, someday. Umbra is such a romantic froth of scallops, and it turns such wonderful shades of pink, mauve and lavender! Carol

Carol, if you ever manage to get your hands on Umbra, please let me know how and where! I think of all the Bardon purples, that's the one I want the most ...

Me too.

Frances, I can let you know if I get ahold of Umbra. I’ll add you to my ”following” member list in case that is needed for us to touch base. You might also check in again with Paul. He may have discovered Umbra and might be willing to add you to his Umbra list since he has re-opened his propagation business just a little bit to help all of us very desperate forum members acquire some of his beautiful creations. I asked to be waitlisted if he locates his Umbra. I also have a friend who may be able to get an Umbra cutting for me. It would have to root and grow up before I could propagate. I hope RVR can locate its Umbra. RVR sent me some wonderful Mariannes this spring. Carol

I have started to grow purple and lavender roses 3 years ago. I have to say my favorites are Celestial Night and Violet's pride. Celestial Night has excellent disease resistance, and in my mild climate, color that is dark and continued to be dark even in the summer. It grow to > 5 feet for me. However, no sense which doesn't matter for me as my sense of smell is not great.

Here is Celestial night

Here with Love Song:

Violet Pride smells great and is very prolific here.

Carol, thank you SO much for putting me on your following list! It would be so, so great to someday get to grow Umbra!!! I'll check with Paul, too!

@strawchicago z5

Like Mustbnuts in CA, my experience growing Vineyard Song was in the desert hot dry. I think they were ordered from Burlington (I ordered 6). V.S. bloomed almost continuously, and was dry heat tolerant. I never bent down to sniff the blooms, so I cannot report on its fragrance in that climate. I would grow it again in a heartbeat... thinking now that maybe I should...

Edited to Add- Vineyard Song

Lynn: Many thanks for your info., much appreciated. I have a dry spot which I need drought-tolerant roses like Vineyard song, plus LongAgoRoses informed me that Vineyard song can take shade better than Sweet Chariot. My garden is too shady, but I have dry spots near trees (I blocked tree's roots with cement blocks dug down to 2 feet).

I took a few more purple rose pics to post. Pardon the dead fern fronds behind The Prince and white phlox! I never got back to my front bed cleanup after Portland hit Death Valley temps in June. Carol

Purple Buttons (Kim Rupert)

This one is great in a pot and produces fragrant, dahlia button blooms.

The Prince (David Austin)

Poseidon is lavender, not purple, but it sure looks great with purple! Carol

Paul Barden‘s not-in-commerce Gallica rose grown from seeds given to him by Cheryl Netter. I call it ”Paul’s Unnamed Purple Gallica,” or “PUP Gee.” It produces an abundant kaleidoscope of blooms in velvety grape, violet, magenta, cotton candy and lavender blush. Carol

Tuscany Superb

Bayse’s Purple (even the canes are purple)

A close-up shot of The Prince’s perfect bloom. Plus a couple more.

Kim Rupert’s Lauren mingling with Hybrid Musk Daphne.

Another couple of shots of PUPG

Violette

Veichenblau

Sometimes Munstead Wood hits lovely notes of purple.

Midnight Blue again. My second plant.

I hope I’m not flooding the thread with photos! Purple roses are my thing, and all of the purples I have posted are nigh perfect in my garden! Munstead Wood is a color exception to this category in that it is usually redder than it is purple. (I actually love red and purple growing side by side or cohabitating in a bouquet.) Munstead is thorny but gorgeous, deliciously scented and healthy for me. I honestly highly recommend each and every one of these purple roses that might fit your requirements and thrive in your climate. They have all been fantastic floral performers and tough, healthy plants! I am hunting for some more shots of gorgeous Barden purples like Ellen Tofflemire and Rook as well as pics of Reine des Violettes and Cardinal de Richelieu. Carol

Oh, and while I’m searching, here’s a rarely grown China hybrid, mauve Frederic II de Prusse. This one was a gift to me from a very generous WA rose friend and was a favorite of Josh TX who used to post here. It grew in his grandmother’s garden. This is a GREAT rose! Fragrant, disease free, gorgeous. Carol

Wonder what happened to Josh? I am also from TX and enjoyed his posts.........

Alameda, I’ve got an email address that I hope still works. I’m going to try contacting Josh. His beloved grandmother passed away, and he was dealing with RRD when I last heard a couple years ago. He’s been on my mind this spring as I’ve been admiring Frederic II. Carol

Carol: Love all the pics. you posted, great reference for purple roses. Thank you.

Portland, hope you can reach him and maybe lure him back......he was such a nice guy. We all get tripped up from time to time........there are several people I miss that arent here anymore - one nice couple, Digger Dave & Deb - had gorgeous gardens I think in Montana.....they havent been around in several years.

The pictures here OMG!! How to you folks do it? They are fantastic.