What's wrong with another CB if you like it? I saw some interplanted with dark purple-flowered hosta (never been able to find one with that dark of purple blooms) and white-flowered ones circling the gazebo at the park, have a photo of it somewhere here. Somebody from the hort club told me that's what the rose was. There is a whole circular garden of what looks like those a block or two from here on a busy street. They are real bloom machines for sure. I can't tell what they have interplanted with them. Don't have a photo of that garden. Hosta might not grow in the sun and heat there, don't know. It's still there but not nearly as lush as it was back on Sep 6 03 when I took the photo (looking south but blooming on north side as well, best blooms of CB were there actually but didn't want the people in the gazebo in the photo). Plus my photo looks like it's winding down for the season but not so on the other shots. We get scorching heat here in the summer; that gazebo may get a little shade from nearby trees. Normally I'm not big on hosta, but they often have their place. I fell in love with that rose but have very few sunny spots for it, says it likes full sun. I'll take the photo out if it's disruptive.

Jeri, the west coast is not all the same all over. You may not have blackspot problems in your area but a lot of gardeners from Oregon and Washington state did and do report serious blackspot problems. Kate, I do support your wish (or your SIL Âs wish) to stay away from Knockouts for various reasons. Did you check out Lynette's website and check on her experience with hybrid teas? She is in British Columbia so her climate might be (but not necessarily) similar to Oregon. In any case she does add comments to her photos about blackspot and which roses are 'good beginners roses' in her opinion. Maybe a gift certificate to Pickering or Palatine is a better idea in case her soil is acidic and would give you (that is, to her) more for the same amount of money. Grafted roses will grow much faster and will give her pleasure already in the first year. Pickering has old roses, Chinas, Bourbons and a lot of moderns, some of them marked as disease resistant. As to for reds, I could recommend Papa Meilland, Royal William (aka Duftzauber aka Fragrant Charm) and Barkarole (if you can find it). Many people on the forum praise Firefighter but I do not grow that one. Prospero and The Prince are pretty good among the Austins and WS2000 also, if she is willing to spray a little bit. I have an own root Sophie's rose from Chamblee's after one year now it starts dong well but own root Austins are slow to establish in my experience. (I ordered, among others, Tradescant from Pickering- I do hope I will not regret it.) It is great to shop roses as a present but also a big headache, so I wish good luck to you. On the other hand, Portland is the rose capital of the US, so this must say something. Here is a link that might be useful: Lynette's website

Obviously Robert has a stain of blackspot that gets after Carefree Beauty, but rootman does not have that strain (yet?). CB is resistant in many or most gardens. Austin's The Generous Gardener and Teasing Georgia are resistant in many gardens, and they have the luxurious flowers you expect from DA. However, these are very big plants that are basically climbers or 8' shrubs here--probably in PA too. Some more Buck roses that are easy-care in many gardens are Earth Song, Prairie Harvest, and Quietness. These all give prompt, heavy repeat bloom. I also recommend Mother of Pearl, which is descended from Carefree Beauty but has a better flower.

Kate, thank you for your pictures. I love that Queen of Sweden hedge. It's beautiful. But in my blackspot-incubator of a yard, it would be challenged, I think. Home Run looks like a bush of impatiens! Terryjean, I wish I lived by you. I'd love to see all these roses up close. Would sure make the decision on which to use much easier. And then we can go figure out where Pappu lives too and haunt his yard. But I live in Nebraska, so no can do. Rather than narrowing down my list, I now have 4 on the list: Carefree Wonder Carefree Beauty Earthsong Country Dancer I'm thinking that I may just have to plant a specimen of each in my yard this spring and wait 2-3 seasons to see what develops. It'll delay things, but at least I won't make a costly mistake for all to see in the front yard. I did that once, at my parents' when I was 16. I wanted a rose hedge even then. But I went about it totally wrong. Rather than planting all one varieties (or at least sports of one variety), I decided to mix plant Bourbons with Hybrid Perpetuals with Austins. What a mess. The Bourbons died off. The Hybrid Perpetuals died back below graft (I didn't know about own root then) and these giant roses sprang from the rootstock. One of the rootstock roses is like a tree, at least 8 X 8 every year. Then I was told that we should hedge with rugosas, so I planted rugosas in place of the dead Bourbons. Now my dad can't mow around that "hedge" b/c of the giant rootstock rose, and can't go near the middle b/c of the thorny as hell rugosas. Oh, and the Eglantyne that was supposed to stay short at the start of the hedge is now 6' tall. At various points, my salvage attempts have brought in raspberry bushes and other nonsensical additions to try and make this hedge work. It's a living reminder, to this day, of my failure at hedging. I don't want to fail again, that's why this decision is so angst-ridden and full of uncertainty for me.