I grew Veteran's Honor years ago. It was a healthy plant with nice foliage and the blooms were gorgeous!!!!

Lynn

I won best red rose with VH. It makes lots of really nice blooms in our garden. I've never seen LFR produce a queenly bloom--though it does produce a lot of blooms--just doesn't have the form or size.

Get both of them. I may prefer VH, but I love LFR, too. Black Magic and Grande Amore are 2 more of my favorite reds. Randy Scott is another great white HT. I had 2 and lost the oldest and best one early spring. PJPII is probably my favorite white and the fragrance is an added plus. I've heard some good things about Maria Shriver (Grandiflora), but never grew it. Edmund's is having a good bareroot sale and I think it's on the sale list. Good luck!

Lol, Sharon, in my garden here in Spokane, WA both VETERANS' HONOR and NEPTUNE are pretty irresistible. I don't exhibit so I can't give you info on that aspect of either of them. Also it's semi arid here so disease problems haven't popped up, but that could be because of their rarity here. Under the right circumstances we can get mildew though. All said and done...lol...perhaps you should try both. :-)

This post was edited by dove_song on Sat, May 31, 14 at 17:45

I have both VH and LFR. My LFR has been a more vigorous grower, but I think they are both good ones. I think VH will eventually be a good rose for me, the blooms are gorgeous. I am pulling for it, because I really like it. Let Freedom Ring has a long vase life.

I can't afford to get them both so it's probably going to be VH from what's been said so far.

I don't know much about Maria Shriver but it looks nice. I'll have to see if I can find it here. It's getting a little late in the season for bare roots now so I'm not sure I'd want to order from Edmunds. Maybe I'll wait and order in the fall for next spring.

I was just in the garden of a champion rose exhibitor. her VH was amazing, as were all her roses. I've seen VH win more than LFR.

Thanks, buford!

Does anyone have experience with Sugar Moon? It's available all over around here but I don't know much about it.

Have you considered the Kordes HT Memoire (Ice Cream). Well-shaped whiteo--bush about 3 ft tall--quite disease-resistant in my garden although some posters at HMF differ on that point--large blooms with moderate fragrance.

Have you seen Pristine ? Older HT and has absolutely exquisite shape. I just recommended it on another thread also. It is also supposed to be disease-resistant. It certainly is one of the loveliest whites I've ever seen.

Hope that helps.

Kate

VH is definitely a great exhibition rose. I won several blue ribbons with Black Magic also last year. Don't have LFR but it's on my list.. Why is your Pope John Paul not dong well? The plant grows more like a floribunda than a hybrid tea and blooms profusely for me. The blooms open very quickly here making it difficult to exhibit...but the fragrance is excellent.

Veteran's Honor does much better than Let Freedom Ring at Penn-Jersey shows. Randy Scott and Crystalline are by far the best whites. I don't think I have ever seen a PJPII on the tables here, no less with a blue ribbon.

This post was edited by diane_nj on Sun, Jun 1, 14 at 21:23

Memoire is lovely, Kate, but I don't see a US supplier. I had Pristine and it was not disease resistant for me at all.

Kris, PJPII died this winter. For the three years I did have it it did bloom but it didn't ever get any real growth on it. I'm surprised yours blew quickly because mine lasted for ages here. Most be different locations.

I never got PJPII to a show here, Diane, because it grew so slowly that it never had an open bloom by our show. I had forgotten about Crystaline and I know that and Randy Scott are available around here. I wonder how they like humidity?

Pristine isn't winter hardy in CT--gets canker in the cold wet spring and dies. Also heard a 2nd report from an experienced exhibitor. Might not be an issue if your climate goes quickly from cold to hot.

Crystalline took Queen in CT a few years ago.

For the last couple of years, the rose shows in New England have favored the late blooming roses. You might consider Marilyn Wellan if you need a red rose that blooms really early in the season.

Seil,
This is my third year with Sugar Moon. Stingy with blooms its first year; much better its second and phenomenal so far this year. Spring flush was literally hundreds of blooms, and it hasnâÂÂt stopped pumping them out yet. Last year, its entire spring flush was ruined by the constant rains we were having, but I didnâÂÂt have that problem with it again the rest of the year. Lots of rain this spring, too, but Sugar Moon handled it better than most of my whites. I think the fact that we had lots of sunny days mixed in helpedâ¦last year it was cloudy, cool and rainy for days on end, and the blooms rotted without opening. This year theyâÂÂve opened despite our storms , and the thick petals havenâÂÂt been discolored by the rain to the extent of many of my other whites. IâÂÂve honestly never been to a rose show, so not sure how well it would do at one. Blooms are big, beautiful, long lasting and exceptionally fragrant, but they arenâÂÂt high centered. They are camellia form with lovely red stamens showing once fully opened. Also, it is a huge bush. It was easily over 8 ft tall last year, and even with hard pruning, itâÂÂs already around 6 ft this year. If itâÂÂs for your pot garden, you would need a very big pot for it :)ïÂÂ

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Thanks Zack! Our shows can be just about any weekend in June but usually the second and third weekends.

Wow! Pat, that's lovely! Thanks for the report on it. I'll have to take a look at it in person and see if it has any kind of form.

Got back to the nursery today and picked up Valencia and Veterans' Honor! I think I'm going to leave it at that for now and order some in the fall for next spring.

ARS Featured Sugar Moon on it's facebook page. WOW. I've seen it in person and it is that white and smells delicious.

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