Since I can never narrow down my choices, I just have ones. Occasionally I end up with one I already have but by then there's no room to plant a second near by.

It all depends upon your vision for your garden. If you want a more formal, planned look, limit your selection and plant multiples. If, however, you want the thrill of "collecting" and want to see as much as you can see, plant one of each. Both are viable options and which is best depends entirely upon your eye. Of course, if potential curb appeal for an eventual sale is in the future, limit the selection and plant multiples. Many buyers would probably find that more appealing than the one of each approach. But, if you intend to live there a long time, why not enjoy as many types as you have the resources for? Kim

I agree with everything Kim said. I'd add that it sometimes depends on the appearance of the rose. Molineux is a somewhat narrower, upright bush. I use multiple bushes planted fairly close together (about 18 inches apart) so that Molineux can make a more dramatic and noticeable appearance in the garden.

I also doubled up on Peter Mayle in another bed for the same reason. He is a narrow upright plant--planted double he has more of the same impact as the other roses in that bed.

Two other uses of multiples:

In the frontyard, along the property line, I have a "hedgerow" of Home Runs--three of them (so they balance with the plantings my neighbor has on the other side of the propery line.

In the larger bed in the backyard where I wanted lots of red, I have three Eutins (floribunda) scattered throughout the bed. That way I get the same shade of red dominating the bed, but the way they are scattered, I doubt most viewer realize that they are the same rose.

And I have three Queens of Sweden scattered randomly around the backyard. They were a short hedgelike rose along the other property line but took up too much space. The rose is too pretty to throw away or give away, so I just worked them in separately wherever I could find an open sunny spot.

My point is that in my garden, I mostly have multiples when I have a particular look or function I want them to perform. Otherwise, I'd keep on buying different roses, sampling as many as I could fit into my small yard.

Kate

Thank you Catsrose, Kim and Kate - Some good ideas and suggestions, appreciate it.

Since I have difficult conditions in my garden that not every rose will tolerate, I will often buy a second rose if the first one proves to be a success. I don't plant them together, which wouldn't be practical anyway for large roses like Le Vesuve, which can get to ten feet across. I have limited myself to one class of rose in an area I call Tea Rose Row, and I think the eye somehow recognizes that these roses are similar even though the colors vary somewhat, from white to apricot, old gold and various shades of pink.

If there were an outstanding rose and I had a place where a hedge would be appropriate (which I don't), a hedge of one kind of rose can be a very dramatic focal point (although I wouldn't choose a loud color in such a large mass planting). If you're worried about curb appeal in terms of selling your property, I'd be more conservative as to color and number of varieties in the front and do whatever floats your boat in your private spaces.

Ingrid

My rose garden began with 2 rosebushes. Then slowly it went from 2 to 150+, now down to 110+ in 20 years. During that time I learned a lot about rose growing, new varieties were introduced, some I liked and some not, rose beds/boundaries extended, and things continued to change even my preferences. I do like roses planted in 3's, but I wouldn't have been capable of growing so many different roses if I did mass plantings. I have SP'd a lot of roses that didn't meet my expectations and this freed up areas for new roses in my garden. However, if I started a garden today I might do the mass/color plantings of my favorites. The challenge would be whether or not they are available commercially.

I started out with one of everything, but as time passes I'm going more and more to several of my best performers in a group or as a hedge.

I realized I was ignoring the less stellar performers anyway.

Starting out by planting one of everything enabled me to pick out the best performers here, so it's worked out well. It does help to plant a couple of the same cultivar, so you can know for sure if it is the plant that is the dud, or the cultivar itself.

I appreciate everyone's input. Hoovb, it is true about ignoring the less than stellar performers. I used to have a good idea about the ones I did think were the top performers, but I think now there are improved varieties that could replace some of my old favorites. But not all roses perform the same for everyone, it's not always an easy decision.

Even though I'm on a large than normal suburban subdivision lot I don't have much space. So I'm a one of each buyer. And at that I never buy ones that I know are going to be huge plants either. I like too many different kinds of roses to get duplicates of any. I'm always finding one a have to have, lol!

It really is a matter of taste. I do tend to like lots of color, but I do think sometimes a hedge of a certain variety would look nice. One good thing about one of each variety is that you are not investing a lot in something that might not work.

I tend not to plant the same thing because I have such a hard time deciding which one I like best so I usually end up with a variety. Although this spring I am going to plant 3 Belinda's dreams at a focal point of my yard that is seen from the street and I think a mass of one color would stand out more than several colors and BD seems like she will do well in the role. I have the same problem picking impatiens, I always think I'm going to plant one color and end up with a flat of all the colors because I love them all lol.

I buy onesies and then add more. I have lots of roses in pots until I decide their best spot and/or grouping. I like to put roses together with similar shades and contrasting shades but not grow one huge BUSH of several of the same variety. I have about 250 roses. The multiple roses that immediately come to my mind:
Reve d'Or
Gloire de Dijon
Spiced Coffee
Parade
Celine Forestier
Felicia
Crepuscule
Buff Beauty
Clotilde Soupert
Perle d'Or
Memoire
Barcelona
Twilight Zone
Stormy Weather
Chandos Beauty
Jude the Obscure
Carding Mill
Munstead Wood
Pat Austin
I guess at this point I have my own "nursery" of choices and then I observe growth, health, fragrance and decide whether they stay or get the SP!
Susan

I repeat many of my roses. I have 3 beds with SDLM. Each has 3 roses. I have a bed with 4 Perle d'Or and 2 Sweet Francis. I have another of 5 Caldwell Pinks.

I have 3 or 4 Cramoisi Superieur, near but not in a bed, and Duchesse de Brabant across the path from each other. I

I also have Penelope together and Maggies together. I guess there are a few others that I repeat, but they are not together.

I put the SDLM together, Perles together and the Caldwells together because they do not make an impression alone. The others, I just enjoy the roses.

Sammy

As I'm following the responses, it seems many of the duplicate growers are in areas with fewer water issues. Many of us here where water is increasingly scarce, seem to be a bit more of the one per variety growers. Kim

We do not have water issues. I visited San Diego a few weeks ago, and was truly saddened by the drought. So much beauty has turned to gray. I am so sorry you have such a problem, and that there does not seem to be a solution.

For me, with the rain also comes the cold. We will see green for about a month, then wait until about March.

I have reduced my roses from almost 300 to 100. I am growing smaller bushes that I can more easily control. They look better in mass planting rather than the larger ones that made a statement by themselves.

So many of you have rare roses that may not be easily replaced, or very special varieties that you want to keep at least one. These are difficult decisions to make.

Sammy

I can imagine a few design ideas where I think onesies would look pretty. But typically, if I'm doing onesies of anything, it's either THE focal point of the garden, or I'm trialing to see what performs best in that setting. Once I've ascertained what does best, I like to use a lot of the same, whether the particular plant is massed, as in a hedge, or scattered throughout. Three different varieties of roses is kind of a magic number for me in terms of a maximum, since I think a triad creates a rich color scheme. But I'll want to use a lot of each of those three varieties, for a restful, harmonious garden.

That said, I'm a big believer in the concept that "imagination rules" in design, and that you should create what you love.

jannike

I think it depends upon your garden style too. I'm growing a cottage garden striving for a "Giverny" vibe. My garden is so small I only need one rose to provide that SPLOTCH of color. There are very few roses I grow to make a focal point. Those are climbers, pillars, arches or growing through tress. I need the eye to be drawn upward as there is so little ground space and what is there needs to be varied.
I used to dream of having a huge garden of roses that I could meander around and throughâ¦.now I realize I have got all (and possibly MORE THAN) I can handle.
Jannike, what are you growing in triads of different varieties?
Susan