I decided on LULLABY (Polyantha, 1953) which has the most exquisite quartered little pure white blossoms with emerald green button eyes that remind me of a miniature Madame Hardy. I've actually grown this rose before. I shoveled pruned two of them years ago because their blossoms were only slightly fragrant, and replaced them with Clotilde. Well after years of putting up with mummified foliage I'm going back to the old standbys. I don't use these roses for cut flowers so the slight fragrance isn't an issue anymore. I decided against Marie Pavie and White Pet for different reasons. I have a cottage garden and prefer roses with Old Garden Rose flower form (either globular, flattened rosette, or quartered), which fit in better with the garden design. Marie Pavie's buds are more high centered than I normally like. The mature blossoms are also rather formless and disheveled looking. As for White Pet the growth habit is a wee bit more low and spreading than the petite bushiness that I'm looking for in the typical Polyantha. Thanks also for the Floribunda and Shrub rose suggestions but I really need a Polyantha for the two spots in the front of the flower bed. The rest of my roses are big Austins and Bourbons. I like the contrast between the clusters of little rosettes on the Polyanthas with the luxurious decadence of the larger flowered cultivars. Here is a link that might be useful: Lullaby at HelpMeFind Roses

I had read the comments from the Tea Bag ladies, but will go back to one of the first questions I asked about 'Francis Dubreuil', when this thread first began to drift from its original topic: Was the original 'Francis Dubreuil' a "true Tea", or was he a "Hybrid Tea"? Or was he that other thing, a "Tea hybrid"? The earliest descriptions of FD say his color was a dark red with pink or cerise or amaranth highlights. My assumption is that 'FD' was darker than other red Teas, but would not have looked terribly out of place hanging out with other reds such as 'Gen Gallieni', 'M. Tillier', 'Souv. de David d'Angers', 'Mlle Christine de Nouë', ''Corallina', 'Safrano a Fleurs Rouges', 'Princesse de Sagan', 'Bardou Job' and- of course- 'Souv de Therese Levet'. Here's a 1901 review from a German rose reviewer about Francis: "Francis Dubreuil (Dubreuil 1895) is not only one of the most excellent red Tea roses but also one of the best Tea roses of all. The flower is in fact only of medium size, and sometimes even small, but keeps extremely well. It lasts In bud form for a very long time, and is then at its most beautiful. The growth is vigorous and the crown is well branched. What I like most about this rose, is its capacity to produce solitary flowers on long, upright stems, I do not like roses in flower umbels (in clusters). Its floriferousness (flowering period) is very long, it lasts right up to the frosts." That mention of "solitary flowers on long, upright stems" makes me think we might find some HP ancestry in Francis' background, no? And it accords well with other early mentions of FD having "diffuse growth"... Here's an early discrepancy, though; the review above says 'FD' "lasts in bud form for a very long time, and is then at its most beautiful". Contrast that with an earlier British review- Francis "is described as full flower of a fine form, opening very readily, perhaps too much so"... So if Francis was dark red and had diffuse growth, he seems to be quacking like an early HT, and not a "pure Tea"? Was he classified as a Tea because of his fragrance? According to Guillot, 'FD' is descended from 'Souv de David d'Angers' (described as "deliciously fragrant" in 1864) who is in turn descended from 'Caroline', the Tea that may be synonymous with 'Bermuda Spice'. Some early reviews of 'FD' say he is fragrant, most say nothing, and at least one reviewer says "not fragrant". This assortment of varying opinions shouldn't be surprising, given humans' different capacities for smell, and given the way odors can vary according to temperature, time of day, etc. The scent of Tea roses seems to be especially elusive, and elicits a confusion of descriptions, so I'm inclined to believe that the original Francis probably had a Tea scent and was fragrant to some people and not to others. However, I think it's also possible that if there were an early confusion with at least one grower offering a different rose as 'Francis D', the differences in opinion about form and fragrance could stem from an early switcheroo. Just because there was a later mix-up with 'Barcelona' doesn't mean there wasn't also an earlier mix-up somewheres down the line. And if there were an earlier misidentification, this early imposter might be the rose that was later sent from Sangerhausen to Oz in 1981? Another question I have relates to size. The Tea rose grown by Mr Knight just outside of Sydney was a large rose bush. The roses grown in the U.S. and Oz as FD today both seem to be more compact and HT-like (although the Aussie plant that hails from Sangerhausen seems to have a earlier HT look than 'Barcelona' does?) I'm trying to get things straight in my own head, so if I'm off-course in my suppositions, please get me back on track. Virginia

Clotilde Climbing is an excellent rose for hot, humid places. I have two bushes and the climber in my front garden, and the thing that is so cool to me is that they all bloom together. I think mine is four years old, maybe almost five. She's big and getting bigger. Happily, she's finally getting billowy at the top. Forgive her ratty look, but she looks better than I thought she would when I stepped out to snap her pics just now. She has been completely untended for these last two seasons, unfed, unmulched, untrimmed except for the tips that grab your hair coming in the front door. She's just heading into fall here (still hot days with longer nights) and has lots of new growth so her flush is coming in a few weeks. In past seasons she has gotten spider mites (not so much this year but that may be due to the excessive rain we've had). CS is the only rose in my garden that gets them - bush and climber, but a strong hose spray for a few days takes care of the problem. She does not get botrytis to speak of. She is plagued by thrips in the spring as is pretty much every rose in my garden. She flushes early though which is a help, so it's mainly her second flush that's lost. She flushes regularly about every six weeks, amazingly. I normally deadhead after every flush but not so much on the climber. Someday I'll do that just out of curiosity and then stand back and defend myself against all the blooms this climber will put out. She has a few small thorns but fewer than Rev d'Or. And she's flexible and thin-caned. Mine faces south with the garage to the southeast and trees close to the southwest, so she doesn't get a whole lot of sun. You may have more problems in the spring because of your cooler temps but once your heat sets in, she'll be great. The deeper pink comes only in the first and last flushes. The rest of the year she's basically off-white. And always fragrant. You'll enjoy her. Just give her some years to mature. Sherry Here is a link that might be useful: Climbing Clotilde Soupert on my blog

So, Mari, I guess that must not be what you have in mind for Gloire de Dijon. How much space does Cl CS take up that way? She must be a beauty! I'm going to do the same thing with Felicia & Francesca sharing the same post and wagon wheel set-up - hopefully. And last week I planted Purezza in a BIG pot that way, hoping the pot would keep it from attaining gigantic size. If she does, I'll move the pot so she can climb a tree. I have Reve d'Or & Chromatella along a stockade fence still too young to train that I may do something like this with. It's all a wait & see situation. Sherry