Wouldn't you know that your first response is from someone from zone 7. She gets over 6 feet here, and in my garden everyone gets black spot, even though I spray.

I think she is absolutely beautiful, and someone else can talk about keeping her shorter. I don't prune like many do.

Sammy

You can read about the confusion between Nicole, Hannah Gordon and Glenda Marie in commerce. Nicole should be about 3 feet, whereas Hannah Gordon, a sister seedling, will grow to 6 or 7 feet and has much stronger coloring. HMF has a brief summary of the problem. ARS published an article in American Rose tracking the distribution of Hannah Gordon as Nicole by US nurseries that were not authorized by Kordes to distribute its roses.

You can see from the pictures on HMF that the varieties are hopelessly confused in commerce here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hannah Gordon

That's why I want to make sure I buy it from a nursery that's selling the right one. I don't want a six foot tall plant. The Edmunds catalog states that Nicole gets 6' tall, but HMF states otherwise. It's very confusing. Consequently, I'm wanting feedback from folks who've grown it.

Deanna

The rose Edmunds is selling as Nicole is, in fact, Hannah Gordon in most cases (you could also get a Glenda Marie). Edmunds has never had the real Nicole.

There may be someone in the U.S. selling the real Nicole, but I haven't seen any solid evidence of any nursery here having it. The only U.S. nursery who ever received a license from Kordes to sell Nicole is J&P, and they chose not to sell it.

Well, I would say that my Nicole most closely resembles the first Nicole on Help me Find. I am not sure that Help me Find is current on this issue. My Nicole that is most likely Hannah Gordon has vivid pink edges. I will see if I can find a picture of it. I think I must have gotten it from Edmunds.

Sammy

This is my Nicole that is probably Hannah Gordon since it is from Edmunds.
{{gwi:243782}}

Nicole in my area could be used as a climber. We try to keep it about 6-8 feet.

Here is the one I got from Pickering last April.

Here is a link that might be useful:

This is a link to the appearance of Nicole, not a 6 to 8 foot climber.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nicole sold in Europe

I did some google searching and found that Kordes has a web site with photos of Nicole.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:301482}}

I don't have a full bush pic of Nicole, but this is what mines look like
{{gwi:301483}}
{{gwi:216389}}
Niecey

What confusion! That Kordes shot is no help at all, apart from showing a very short plant. I seriously doubt these will ever be sorted out based on photos. The color of the edge is highly variable. If only the bloom is shown, the sole difference I see is in the number of petals. Written accounts are quite clear that Nicole is a white blend and some suggest Hannah Gordon should be a red blend. A written summary of the confusion is on page 8 of this newletter:
http://www.pnwdistrict.org/PNWR%20Spring%200407%20web.pdf

Are there differences in prickles or blooming clusters that haven't been mentioned?

Nicole in South Africa:
http://www.deleeuwroses.co.za/0087.htm

Nicole in Canada:
http://www.nurserysite.com/clubs/peninsular/1999show/rosanicole.jpg

Nicole at Sangerhausen
http://www.rogersroses.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~4574~gid~.asp

Here is a link that might be useful: Hannah Gordon, Not Nicole, sold by Edmunds

I have Hannah Gordon and Nicole, as well as their "mom" Strawberry Ice aka Bordure Rose. None of these are actually short roses (3' or 4') in my zone....Hannah Gordon is tall and columnar, Nicole shorter and Strawberry Ice in the 5' range in my zone. Pruning will keep them shorter, they don't mind that. Left to her own devices Hannah is a tall girl. I love the habit of growing such strong stems.

Most of your pictures are of Hannah Gordon. Berndoodle's picture of Nicole as sold in Europe is the real thing. I used to grow them both before the deer destroyed my Nicole. I once won best one-to-a-stem floribunda with hybrid tea exhibition form with my Nicole. That would be pretty much impossible with Hannah Gordon.

After a recent heat wave I counted 25 petals on a bloom of Pickering's Nicole--I may have to wait until the cooler weather to see the full petal count expected of the variety. Color intensity is all over the map in my garden. I often see washed out colors from first year plants, as well as plants that have been shaded by more vigorous plants. Blends often show darker colors with more sunlight, as opposed to pinks that fade to white with too much sun.