Thank you, redwolf. Our Lady of Guadalupe is quite photogenic, isn't she! : ) She also has good bs resistance--not immune to BS, but better than average resistance. (Can't remember if I mentioned that on the other thread or not.)

I have Pomponella but it is only one season old, so I can't say much more than that its little pompoms are charming and it seems to be pretty good on disease resistance. How it will fare in the long run, I do not know.

Hope that helps.

Kate

I have Belle Epoque on order for this spring as well. Before placing my order I did a bit of research and am cautiously optimistic that she will hold up decently against blackspot. She'll probably get some, but will hopefully not be dogged by it all summer or completely defoliated.

Hi redwolf

Among the roses you list, Pomponella and Margot Koster have survived our winters unscathed and are healthy happy bloomers here in my zone 5. I had OLOG but it wasn't a strong cultivar and it finally gave up the ghost last year - that doesn't detract from its overall worth, though. I'll be replacing Belle Epoque and Lavender Pinocchio this year and in my experience those are marginally hardy in our zone with protection, but worth the trouble. I gave Silver Cloud every benefit and planted it in my zone 6 pocket, but it died a rapid and unavoidable death over the winters, and like most lavenders it's wimpy. If you want a robust and healthy blooming lavender, look at Poseidon - it's a real keeper!

Cynthia

Thank you!

I think I'll go for Pomponella and Lavender Pinocchio. Belle Epoque is tempting but I have an About Face coming and it seems quite similar in colouring. OLoG is gorgeous, and if it shows up at a Canadian nursery I'll jump on it.
Cynthia, thanks so much for the info on Silver Cloud. You've convinced me to give it a pass this time. Poseidon, now THAT:s a different story! :)