I've not been here as long as the original posters but enjoyed reading this and other things they've had to say over the years. I remember some of these roses too and even have a few myself. Thanks for bringing this back. I also loved hearing from the recent contributors and about their roses. Like Ingrid, it took me awhile to look up all the roses. Anyway, here is my contribution, without photos, unfortunately. Minis Yametsu-Hime I think this is my only Japanese rose. It is a tiny mini with a single pink bloom and a white center. The blossoms are nearly continuous and at times nearly obscure the rest of the rose. It is a memorial for our little dog with the Japanese name Yatta (rhymes with hurrah) Tattooed Daughter- This is a terrific mini. I wish it was more widely available. The flowers are a swirl of bright orange and deep red. It has been a strong plant for a mini but it and all my other minis have been struggling a bit since last winter. Amber Flash- technically a mini-flora. I've had this so long I can't remember where I got it or how long I've had it. Here it's a light yellow with a soft coral-pink edging. It's supposed to have a strong fragrance but in my garden, if you can lay on your stomach to smell it, it is pleasantly soft. Smoke Rings- This mini seemed more popular awhile ago but has gotten harder to find. I don't think there's another one like it. It's a smoky orange little mini with a purple overlay. Petite Peach- Sport of a little landscape rose Oso Easy Petite Pink- I'm so impressed with this pretty little shrub. The blooms are a lovely complex pink-coral-peach that lightens as it ages. There are multiple blooms at once so it's sort of a patchwork of color. The plant is super healthy but I'll see how it makes it through the rollercoaster of winter here. Polyanthas Charles Walker's Mignonette- A found rose; I love found roses. This one came from Vintage. It's small even for a polyantha. The full little white roses blush pink in cool weather. They are supposed to be myrrh scented but here they have no scent. Fair Molly- This is a new one that came as a very small own-root from Freedom Garden last fall. I planted it in the ground and it made it through last year's winter. It's a Ralph Moore rose, a semi-double that blooms in sprays of blushed white. It will be a spreading bush with few thorns, perfect for the front of the border or along a path. Now I wish it would grow more, bloom less. Lullaby- I wish this one was more well known. An upright grower, mine is over 3 ft. The roses are full petaled and blush pink in cool weather. Mine blooms in flushes with the strongest in spring and fall when they nearly cover the bush. Its fragrance is wonderful. Tip Top- an unusual little rose that starts out a pale lemon yellow centered rose with carmine edges and matures into a puff of pink and white petals. It has been a strong grower for me but is still coming back from last winter.

Tenor_peggy , I spray my potted roses with milk and garlic and all the leaves look healthy even the HPs. I accept spraying because just about every plant I have (zinnias, vegetables, etc) have to be sprayed to reduce the pests and diseases. This Fall I might experiment with putting organic banana peels and cleaned eggshells (with a little cinnamon to deter ants) in the pots to see if the thin leaves will become thicker.

How cold does it get in the coldest part of the winter where you are? In most winters if it doesn't go below 10 degrees F, then you might have about the same luck with evergreen qualities as we have here. Some roses don't retain the bulk of their leaves, and some do. The floribundas partly do and partly don't, depending on variety/location, the Hybrid Musks do retain some but not necessarily most leaves over the winter, the polyanthas mostly do retain leaves, and the teas we have tried do retain all the leaves quite well. I'm expecting good evergreen luck with chinas, but we haven't planted a china yet. We have a Ghislaine de Feligonde but it hasn't wintered over yet. I'm expecting it to be evergreen here based on someone else's comments but don't know that for sure yet. If your usual winter lows are as high or higher than ours, then here are some roses you might investigate: Mrs. B. R. Cant, Marie Van Houtte, Ghislaine De Feligonde, Old Blush, Lady Hillingdon, Mons. Tillier, Blush Noisette, Sally Holmes (apparently can get by without support if you have the nerve to let it do its thing), and Fortuniana (if pruned back some to get it more compact). I tried not to mention any that I happen to know might well give significant problems with much defoliation from disease problems, though any rose might lose a few leaves to disease, and there is plenty that I don't know. You could find out more definitively about evergreen characteristics in your own climate by asking the rosarians at your local rose society about the particular varieties that interest you. Or perhaps email the Antique Rose Emporium; they sell or have sold in the past all of these varieties listed above. Best wishes, Mary Here is a link that might be useful: Mrs. B.R. Cant

Jackie, I have no experience with OLD roses, and my Le Vesuve is a mere baby in comparison to yours, but I have wanted to post on this rose since recently observing the way mine is growing. I'm afraid anyone who has ever seen RRD would be petrified to look at my bush. I was amazed to see new growth that looked like the witch's brooms of RRD. Now this is different in that it matures into normal growth, but that new growth was coming out of the end of older canes every whichaway and was voluminous. The bush is truly becoming a tangled mess. I wanted to ask someone if it would be wise to trim out some of that new growth to keep the bush from becoming so entangled (maybe pulling it off at the growth point the way you do rootstock suckers) OR would that just promote more growth as is typical with Chinas. Now that you mention yours growing "around in circles and intertwining with each other", I can see the beginnings of that on my bush. I can barely reach into the bush because the growth is so dense. I can see where the soft new growth could easily and often bump into another branch and be forced another way - through, in between and around older growth, creating curls and circles. Does anyone have an answer to this possibly destructive growth habit? Or should I just stand back and let him be? My plant has not achieved symmetry yet (I think the neighbors must be wondering why I don't shape him up, but he's almost there), but about 75% of him does overlap the edges of his 6' round bed, and he's at least 4' tall now. I was also wondering if you shouldn't also cut out a few of the oldest canes on your bushes (not just the dead stuff). Do you think he'd put out new basal growth like a climber and thereby rejuvenate himself? Sherry