I don't think you can go wrong with 'White Cap'. It is my very best white climber, by a MILE. (Unless you want to count 'Alberic Barbier', but that will easily get to 20' and try to take over your house) White Cap's flowers are creamy white and they are fragrant. Its foliage is dark bluish green, and it rarely has any blackspot on it. Mine is trained to a pillar, and I can keep it in bounds without a whole lot of effort. Remember, a rose is a living plant (not a prop) and there are many times when no rose can possibly fill the garden spot that you have in your imagination. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut ... if it sounds good, buy it and try it ... if the negatives outweigh the advantages, choose something else. Your perfect plant for your porch may not be a rose. (The link below takes you to one of my blog posts from a couple of years ago. The third photo down is 'White Cap'.) Here is a link that might be useful: The Garden in our Hearts

Jjpeace: that is your opinion, but it would be a sad day indeed if the only roses available to the rest of North America are determined by what is popular in Toronto! Kim: There will be demand for these obscure varieties again, everything is cyclical. The key is to have them propagated, distributed, and safely tucked away in many gardens instead of letting them disappear forever during the dark ages -- just like the ancient libraries of Alexandria or Timbuktu. A long time ago I was assistant to the curator at UC Berkeley Botanical Garden while doing my undergrad. The person in charge of the California section was kind enough to give me a rooted sucker of minutifolia because I was doing a research project. Afterwards, I kept the plant alive for ten years in a #1 pot in San Francisco, but lost it during an extended trip because my plant sitter didn't water it. Minutifolia was dormant at the time. I'm glad it's being more widely distributed, because through the years, the friends of the garden that run the plant sales rarely propagated it. I have plenty of experience keeping this ENDANGERED species alive, it prefers dappled shade in hot situations and produces bigger leaves & flowers with regular water. If the placement is correct, the plant explodes with growth. The growing media in the pot is fast draining, but it has no qualms sending roots through the holes into clay soil. Except for water, I basically just ignore it, no pruning, fertilizer, or spray. I'm glad you generously donated Pure Bea to the heritage group, I will treasure it. I had already contacted Tessie last year about PB. I asked her about hips but she didn't get any viable seedlings.... My 10+ year old Suncrest on its fourth flush this season:

One thing to keep in mind when considering winter hardiness of any roses, including Austins, is whether you're talking about winter survival with or without reliable snow cover during the coldest parts of winter. Some things that I can't overwinter here in zone 5 without snow cover can sail through the winter with surviving cane in zone 4 if you have snow cover. For instance I'm on my fourth or fifth try to overwinter Golden Celebration, third try for Mary Rose, and second try for Brother Cadfael, and I've not been able to keep them alive, much less climbing. BC wasn't in the best of conditions so I'll be trying him again BTW. Under the snow it's always 32 degrees or so, and that is a survivable temperature for a wide variety of roses. I have some virtual zone 4 areas on the north and east sides of my house where the bulbs are always at least 2 weeks later than other beds, so I can report on Austins that are hardy for me without reliable snow cover in those spots. I can vouch for the following in my dry zone 4 (virtual): Teasing Georgia Lady of Shalott Carding Mill Tamora Queen Nefertiti Queen of Sweden I am reasonably confident that the following Austin roses would survive zone 4 given that they are cane to tip hardy in my zone 5: Heritage The Generous Gardener (infrequent blooms) Spirit of Freedom The Mayflower Gertrude Jekyll (but she almost NEVER blooms for me) Scepter'd Isle The Alnwick Rose Charles Darwin Olivia Rose Austin St. Swithun The Poet's WifeTess of the D'Ubervilles (but she doesn't at all climb for me) Darcy Bussell Benjamin Britten, Christopher Marlowe The Shepherdess Leander The Dark Lady and Tradescant - lose some canes but consistent survival I have recently had decent canes remaining but it's too early to know for sure: James Galway, Lordly Oberon, Wildeve, William Morris, A Shropshire Lad (in its fourth year but VERY slow to think about climbing), Charity, Chianti, Cressida, Princess Anne, Dies to the ground for me but survives in zone 5, may be iffy in zone 4: Immortal Juno, Boscobel, Tranquillity, Fisherman's Friend, Lillian Austin, Princess Alexandra of Kent, St. Alban, The Reeve, The Squire, Wenlock, Young Lycidias, Munstead Wood, Pat Austin, Charlotte, Crown Princess Margaretha (never blooms without surviving cane), Happy Child, Eglantyne, Pretty Jessica, Wollerton Old Hall, Jude the Obscure, Sharifa Asma, Winchester Cathedral, Ambridge Rose, Admired Miranda, Susan Williams-Ellis, L.D. Braithwaite, I have had to give a protected spot or otherwise had trouble overwintering in my zone 6 pocket: Graham Thomas (agree with the above posters), Abraham Darby, Strawberry Hill (sorry Straw! snow cover may make a difference), Potter & Moore, Molineux, Claire Austin, Evelyn, Prospero, Sophy's Rose, Lichfield Angel, William Shakespeare 2000, Crocus Rose and Comte des Champagne (might have been a poor location issue for the last two), Can't overwinter even in my virtual zone 6 - though some I only tried once: English Garden, Radio Times, Othello, The Prince, Lady Emma Hamilton, Claire Rose, Fair Bianca, Falstaff, Jubilee Celebration, Wise Portia, Grace, Noble Antony. So far Pegasus, Kathryn Morley, Perdita, Port Sunlight, Tea Clipper, and Sister Elizabeth have all died in zone 5 and I haven't wanted them badly enough to try again in zone 6 territory. Obviously there are zone 5 and even 4 posters that can overwinter some of my problem children very well, and at least some posters in zone 4 who have stellar photos of CPM that blooms all season, vs. mine that never blooms at all though puts out 10' of cane every summer after dying to the ground. So moisture, snow cover, wind, location, stress, water and a variety of other factors can contribute to winter survival or not. Mostly I don't protect my Austins much and I don't think it makes that much difference for me in my zone. I put windbreaks at the edges of the beds an cover all the rose beds to a few inches with leaves when possible, but that's about it. So YMMV, but in general if you don't have high blackspot pressures Austins can be good roses for cold zones. Cynthia

I just wish they could find a software that could handle the orders better. I was ready to order, had my list ready, promptly at 8am, I clicked on to order - and got "loading" which went on and on. I quickly phoned and luckily got Rachel who helped me order, but in the time that passed waiting for the items to load, and having to call, I missed out on some I wanted. I had decided that whatever I got would be great, and am happy I got 6, but the process was frustrating. I think its Regan's site that tells you how many roses are left or if sold out, says out of stock. That being said........I applaud Palatine for their dedication to bringing these out of commerce roses to us, I feel the prices are totally fair and I know they go to alot of trouble to do this and hope they make a good profit. They are the nicest people and always respond promptly and their plants grow so very well for me - I just love doing business with them! Kudos to John from California too for providing the cuttings and making this possible. Maybe as years go by and they continue this, they will improve the software and ordering will be easier. At least these lovely roses that Austin Roses have discarded are being passed around and hopefully others will take cuttings, grow them, and they will continue to be made available. I look forward to hearing what everyone got.........