I have Mercury Rising and don't particularly like the pink/yellow combination.

I’m interested to see what you think of the Duchess, she’s on my list of possibilities for next year.

My Princess Charlene is grown in mostly sun but I think my sun is a lot weaker than yours so I think yours will be happy with dappled shade. And my experience has been the same as lilyfinch...very straight. I’m going to try to bend her a little more this coming up season but not too much since I don’t want to break her canes. Will try to remember to bring her into the house, she was just so pretty last year I couldn’t bear to snip her!

I am in a totally diff climate than you with no winter die back on roses. I cut many down quite a bit (except the tea roses) in Febuary. I have 3 PCdMs. They are grown in sun but one gets shaded by a big red banana plant in late afternoon. PCdM had her own solution...outgrow the banana lol. Mine all get tall like climbers here. They bloom all the time and are very fragrant.

Duchesse de Brabrant is new to me but already quite the bloomer. I would only grow her in full sun here since she is doing so well.

PCdM

Deborah, we could start a therapy group for rose purchasers anonymous but honestly it would probably just further encourage more over buying when we hear about that perfect rose that someone else is trying to find a place for.

It's my favorite overindulgence

Deborah, you have some great roses listed here. I’m only familiar with two of them. Since I grow them in your zone, I’ll chime in on those two. Princess Charlene de Monaco is wonderful! I do have mine in full, So CA sun. She might benefit from a bit of relief from our harsh sunlight. Her blooms do fade quickly in the intense sun, but she’s a cutting rose. I believe PCDM was first released as a florist’s rose, and after finding she grew well outdoors, later sold to home gardeners. I usually cut mine ASAP. She makes fabulous bouquets, but fades so quickly if left on the bush once it gets warm and bright here. As Lilyfinch said, she’s like a different rose, inside vs. left on the bush. If you purchase PCDM, expect her to be a rose for cutting. She does grow very tall, and I have occasionally tied her sideways to produce laterals. PCDM’s laterals were about 3F long, with straight stems, and a glorious bloom at the end of each one. I absolutely adore PCDM! Her scent is one of my favorites, as well.

Here’s a picture many of you have seen before, but it’s my favorite. PCDM in a vase.

I’m going to submit this, and then comment on Duchess de Brabant. Lisa

Duchess de Brabant has been a mixed bag for me. I truly wish I had planted mine in an area that gets some shade in the afternoon. I assumed, being an “ Earth Kind” rose and a Tea, at that, DdB would be fine in all day full sun. Not so in this dry and harsh climate. Mine suffers from powdery mildew, and develops very dry, curled in leaves during the summer. She’s at her best in the spring and fall for me, unless I spray fungicide. I have given her an abundance of water, but during the dry heat of summer, she’s a sorry sight. I’m NOT trying to discourage you from Duchess de Brabant! She’s absolutely beautiful. I’m just not in the position to move mine, and she’s been in that spot for years. If I would have known, I would have planted mine in some late afternoon shade. She’s big and beautiful, although I keep mine a bit trimmed. A “helper” cut mine into an odd shape a few years ago, and she’s kind of kept that shape. When mine isn’t frying in the summer sun, it’s quite happy. During the hot, DRY heat, she’s miserable. I really wish I had known this when I started out, but she’s not likely to be moved.

It’s cold outside, but I’ll try to get a bush picture for you later today. She IS a wonderful rose! Lisa

Now that the sun is out, it’s warming up nicely. Here’s Duchess de Brabant today. She’s pretty happy with the cooler temps and rain we’ve been getting.

A closer look. I love how she keeps blooming through winter!

Lisa

So pretty!

One that looks similar to DdB is Bloomfield Abundance. However, being in a completely different zone I have no idea if it performs the same and likewise fries in the summer sun. Thinking on it, that may be the case since I got both DdB and BA from someone in CA.

I bought 'Duchess de Brabant' almost a decade ago and I almost got rid of it after 2 years, because it was covered in powdery mildew all year round. I'm very glad I kept it. As it grew larger, at about two and a half feet in all directions the p.m. abated, and now the foliage is clean during spring and summer. It blooms in every season where I live c. 7 miles east of San Francisco. I'd plant it where it gets some shade from noon to 3 p.m. otherwise the color fades a bit. It is a wonderful rosebush, and so floriferous that my neighbor exclaimed "What IS that rosebush with all the roses on it?. Its' scent is similar to Old Rose with a finish of ripe raspberries. I water it about once a season or when I feel like it, it is truly a low care rosebush, if you can ignore the p.m. early on and don't water it with a sprinkler to keep the foliage as dry as possible.

lux.

In Sept. 2019, none of the roses at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden looked terribly good after the hot wet summer we had been through. Duchesse de Brabant was one of the best, I thought.

Thanks, all, for your wonderful input. I think my craziness has abated somewhat. I spent yesterday digging holes and realizing that I am really, truly, out of space...and that unless I want to dig up something, I have to be content with what I have...mostly. Except for the holes already dug. And the one I might yet s/p (Dick Clark). But maybe he's not in a great location, and it's not his fault... Anyway -- I had decided I'd buy Princesse Charlene de Monaco, Julie Andrews, and Scentuous. Maybe Roald Dahl. My local nursery did get PCdM in on time for first day of bare root season. Check. But they don't have JA or S. But I already ordered all of the above from Regan's, but they won't deliver 'til February! But local nursery doesn't have them all in yet, either...and I still haven't decided on RD. But then I I saw Annie's Annuals promotion and got all excited about the Duchesse, and I see your posts...oh my goodness. I think I will stick my with my 3 I decided on (PCdM, S, JA), maybe still order RD from Austen (but where will he go?). Or maybe order a second PCdM and put her in a different spot. My Queen of Sweden is a beautiful rose but a stingy bloomer. Maybe PCdM will work better there...Oh goodness. I'm just rambling. Welcome to my mind. Yesterday I DID successfully obtain PCdM, and she went into her designated hole. Still waiting on JA & S. Still deciding on potential others.

Lilyfinch: Thank you so much for your insight on both PCdM and RD. You have gorgeous photos.

Kitasei: Thanks for your honest opinion on the Mercury Rising.

Oursteelers: Thanks! You all are getting me excited about my PCdM. I hope she lives up to my great expectations!

Sultry: Thanks for your input. Where I planted my PCdM I would be thrilled with height - so no worries on that score! My husband is still complaining that I cut down a (dead) shrub that gave him privacy in that area (we don't have fences separating neighbors, and we're up hill, so we feel like everyone can see us!). You are making me really really want the Duchesse...

Kristine -- I have two big vices ($ and time-wise): The Garden (esp. roses) and books. I figure I'm not hurting anyone and improving the planet...who needs therapy when I can rationalize it all? ;-)

Lisa: Your boquet of PCdM is BREATHTAKING. You are the big reason I think I'm going for two instead of one this year! Is that forget-me-not mixed in? Your Duchesse is also stunning. I really need: 1) better vases; 2) better skills at flower arranging; and 3) more roses! See my rationalizations to Kristine above. Annie's has the Duchesse in a 4" pot. So small! But maybe I could start her in a pot and then when she's big enough to go in the ground I'll know if I love the flowers and will have figured out a place for her...But then again, I could probably get a 1 gallon for the same price as an Annie's 4" pot! Then again, I have a lot of pink roses...

Lux -- well, now, I think I'm talked into the Duchesse...thanks! I have some dry heat, but also a lot of moisture, probably a climate somewehre between you & Lisa.

Monarda -- thanks! I like the tidbit about Teddy Roosevelt preferring the DDB for his lapel!

Here is my new PCdM in the ground now -- and it's supposed to be an own root, so I'm impressed with the cane size.

Just a bit more enabling! Mine will probably be a permanent pot pet as I I'm skeptical of its hardiness. I would hate to lose it. please click to see full photo.

Ohhhhh the Duchess is very beautiful! Would you say she has a strong fragrance or just moderate and where did you purchase yours Deborah? Beautiful pictures everyone!

I have Madame Joseph Schwartz, the white sport of Duchesse de Brabant. She is still in the pot from Antique Rose Emporium and I will plant her soon, but I hope she doesn’t get mildew. She has such pretty foliage right now.

When we moved into our house 30 years ago, there was a large bush of DdB growing happily in a row with several other very large tea roses. They had received no care (except some weeding around them) for over 20 years prior to when we moved in. We think, from family history, that they were over 75 years old when we moved in. When they reached 100, most of them eventually succumbed to downey mildew over several years (was it old age? or was it because I was watering & pruning & feeding them, and I should have left them alone?).

Anyway, here is a picture of our current bush of DdB, which was grown from a rooted cutting of the original one (it is growing next to Opal Brunner right next to our driveway) :

To continue - (I have so much trouble posting pictures now that the instant it says it is OK to post, I finish the post, before the picture somehow disappears). Anyway, my bush gets partly direct sun, and part shade. Probably direct sun on at least part of the bush for 4-6 hours a day, depending on the season. It is over 20 years old by now. This pic was taken in Spring, of course. It does bloom sporadically all summer and all the way through the winter. It gets some ordinary mildew maybe 20% of the time, but that is diminishing the older the bush gets. I do not spray it with anything. I love it! Sometimes the blooms are a normal tea shape, and sometimes they are very cupped. The color can range from a pretty dark pink to a pale pink. Lots of petals - over 30.

Jackie

Has anyone successfully grown DdeB in zone6? I'd love to have her outside.

Brooklyn, NY is in Zone 6, I believe. Though I never noticed it growing there before. We shall see if it survives. The problem in zone 6 are the alternate freezing and thawing in late winter early spring. The Helpmefind entry has a brief mention about hardiness at the bottom of this page: https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.1661.7&tab=32

Thank you. I guess I'll have to contact those people but I may just try and grow a cutting and use that as an experiment. It'll take awhile to get it of size to plant outside. I'm doing that with my Bloomfield abundance and will report back 2021.

Nola -- I didn't purchase the Duchesse. I'm considering it. But now I think I might get the very small one online and keep it in a pot for a year. Annie's Annuals has a 4" pot with an own-root plant. But I think Heirloom also has it.

Deborah I think I’m going to go that route as well. 14.99 is just too good of a price to pass up. I think I will get Grandmother‘s Hat as well. I can wait for them to grow up-it’s not like I don’t have plenty to do in the garden to keep my busy!

I bought Velchenblau and Felicia and Golden Celebration last year from Annie's. They are about 1 gallon sized now. So maybe NEXT year they'll be amazing. This last year I got blooms, but the plants are still rather small. But I put them right in the ground and didn't baby them at all. They are all healthy.

Do Annie's do mail-order? $14.99 is a good price.

Deborah - Since Veilchenblau is a climber (rambler), it might well take way more than one year for it to get big enough to cover itself in blooms, but it is definitely worth the wait.

Jackie

Can us mere rose mortal dream of ever having such a sight in one's own yard? Unbelievable!

Another overlooked place to get starter sized roses is Almost Eden. Its an online Louisiana nursery that has so many vines nd butterfly/bees type plants, and all kinds of other stuff!

They sell a few antique roses too. If you type in "Rosa" in the search some will come up. they are very inexpensive. Not a lot is in stock right now but they will restock in the spring. They are own root.

I order a lot of plants there and they dont only carry run of the mill things. I just love them.

Vaporvac - yes -- I do mail order from Annie's (too often, I'm afraid). The shipping is expensive, but things always arrive healthy and well packed for me. One time the delivery truck delayed a day in the middle of a heatwave, and the poor plants fried in the truck, so Annie's re-sent all the ones I told them were damaged. I had sent photos to show them what I got.

I ordered both Duchesse de Brabant and Grandmother's Hat last night. I'll stick them in pots and wait 'til next year to plant them in the garden, probably. Who knows, really. I seem to change my mind willy-nilly these days. I went out and bought a 2nd Princesse Charlene de Monaco at the last minute yesterday and put it in the spot where I had just dug up my Red Baron peach tree...

I'm still waiting on my bare root Scentuous and Julie Andrews roses.

Jackie -- that's beautiful! Thank you!

Jackie, that is the most beautiful Veilchenblau!

Hi Deborah - Mercury Rising wasn't fragrant enough for me so I gave it to a friend. It's a very tall and narrowish rose that produces some lovely bicolor blooms.

Ann

Ann, Mercury's flower is really beautiful. Too bad her growth habit didnt work out.