Last year I planted Madame Alfred Carriere on a fence along the driveway which has sun all day. She didn't do so well the first year and didn't produce many blooms, but has suddenly taken off this year. Not many thorns and nice bendy canes. Grows like crazy, from what I can see this year. There are tons of flower buds right now and I like that she starts flowering from close to the base. The blooms are beautifully romantic - a soft white blush pink which goes with most things and the fragrance is really lovely. They don't last that long indoors, but from my experience so far MAC seems like a healthy, vigorous, sweet smelling rose.

I've been documenting the health of Old Roses grown in organic method gardens, or without spray, in our area, in the East Bay in the San Francisco Bay area in California, for several years, during each season of the year. This information will be of more help if your areas' usual temperature and humidity are similar to ours. These 3 are the healthiest cl. Tea type roses, when grown without spray in our area, and in my eyes, are very beautiful: Susan Louise" California "Lamarque" and "Crepescule" California "Lamarque" has larger blossoms than the southern form of "Lamarque". Bloom color in spring is a soft white, and for fewer weeks of the year the blossoms are a soft yellow. Foliage is very attractive and remains green and pretty for 10+ months of the year. "Crepescule" Rosebuds have a beautifully elegant shape, that open to be apricot with some red veining occasionally near the base. "Crepescule" is quite resistant to p.m. and blackspot here, when mature. If I desired a white remontant rose I'd choose California "Lamarque", for a pink climbing rose "Susan Louise" , and for an apricot climber; "Crepescule"" These 3 are resistant to foliage disease, here as mature plants and all 3 have a long bloom season and re-bloom quite rapidly. -"Susan Louise" would cover a large wall very nicely. Grows to be c. 25 feet tall. Eventually. Very large blooms for a Tea type rose. Rose blossoms appear mostly pink, but have a bit of cream in them. This is a rose I have longed for, for years, and wish I had the room for it. It's petals appear rather loosely arranged on the bloom giving it a carefree and relaxed sort of appearance. Vintagegardens.com is selling "Susan Louise" this month. I would snatch it up in an instance if I had a wall to grow it upon. All three re-bloom rapidly through 10+ months of the year here, and would be suitable, I believe, for a Northern wall in zone 8. White "Lady Banks" here is very healthy, and has lovely dark green foliage, and blooms well on a north wall on my neighbors house, but it only repeats bloom in Autumn at a rate of c. 15-20% of its' spring bloom cycle, here. I love it "truly, madly, deeply". Caveat Rosa: My newly rooted "Reve d"Or" needed to be sprayed with Cornell during spring, summer and eary autumn during its first 2 years in my garden, though when mature it became quite resistant to disease. -even more suseptible to p.m., where conditions favor that disease : "Mme. Alfred Carriere" I had to spray it with Cornell in my own garden nearly every month during the growing season, to keep it from defoliating, and I no longer grow it. Good luck in choosing a rose that will delight you for many years. Luxrosa

Climbing Mlle Cecile Brunner (despite claims to the contrary) has usually been a once bloomer (heavy in spring with minimal repeat later). However, there are several sports of this rose both in size and color; Spray Cecile Brunner, (up to nine foot and beyond in my garden) tends to be a repeat bloomer here in Southern California; EVerblooming Cecile Brunner (from Siskyou Rare Plants) via Heirloom is supposed to be a continuous or at least remontant bloomer. There is a another bush variety with little or no yellow in the center of the bloom that grows to six by six feet. There are a couple of white versions and there was in the late '20's a yellow sport of Cl. Cecile Brunner. The rose is rapidly becoming the landscaper's alternative to 'Iceberg' in southern California because of its floriferoussness and thornfree and disease-free characteristics. As an aside, the larger the plant, the more thorns: thus the bush form is virtually thornless, but the climbers and other sports carry thorns even as they grow. Mlle Cecile Brunner is arguably the second most popular polyantha in the world; and if you include all of the altnertaive sports, it may be the most popular. JD

Although there is apparently some difference among various clones, generally Cl. Cecile Brunner is considered a once-bloomer (June bloomer). Once-bloomers cannot flower if they are frozen to the ground because flower buds are only produced on spurs coming off canes that have been through the winter. Chilling of the wood is necessary to trigger flowering. There are some climbers for zone 5. For example, New Dawn is another light pink. You might have some winter damage, but not total. Plus it is a repeat bloomer, so the new growth will flower some. John Davis is a short climber with light pink flowers that would have no winter damage to speak of. It gives some repeat bloom but not as much as New Dawn. You could choose between them on the basis of rampant growth (ND) vs. moderate growth (JD). One version of Cecile Brunner that blooms on new growth and repeats well is 'Spray Cecile Brunner.' It is a stronger grower than the regular bush. Check out roses and where to buy at HelpMeFind.com.