I'm falling for those pics of Garden Party also!

And I'm glad a couple other of my favorites (like Chicago Peace and Gold Medal) were mentioned also.

Kate

Oklahoma
King's Ransom
Grace de Monaco

All three are strongly fragrant. Oklahoma and King's Ransom were favorites in my mother's garden when I was growing up. I have many fond memories of them. Of the two I only have Oklahoma (that dark red is irresistible!!!) but may add King's Ransom in the future. It's such a beautiful clear yellow. I have an offspring, the climber Roberta Bondar which shares the same lovely color on a much bigger plant.

Grace de Monaco is a new one to me. I was at Eurodesert Roses in 2011 during its closing period out among the plants with the owner Cliff Orent, looking for a specific rose, and I came upon this gorgeous very large bush (of a beautiful growth habit--not at all a bare knees ht type, but rather a luxuriant, full garden plant) with shimmering pink flowers. They were intensely fragrant and looked like water lilies. I asked Cliff what it was, and he said Grace de Monaco. I always regretted not buying it on the spot, but I found the only way to shop there was to discipline myself and buy what was on that day's shopping list. Couldn't forget the rose however. So while Vintage was winding down I got an email notice that they had Grace de Monaco in stock. I snapped her up instantly. She arrived as a band last year. Apparently Vintage was the last source on this continent.

Honorable mention to:

Bewitched, another I have fond memories of from my mother's garden. I remember the wonderful scent, and I loved that particular shade of pink. Don't currently grow her, but would like to........

Chrysler Imperial. Another goody from the past. I used to grow the climbing version, but I lost the two of them in a fire at my barn back in 2003. The climber was often available locally but not anymore. Now it is hard to find. I have the bush version in a pot, but it is a sad and unhappy badly-virused rose that I will never plant in the garden because of its ill health. Flowers are fragrant as ever but not as frequent or numerous as a healthy version is capable of producing. I know it is available virus-indexed, so I'll have to get myself organized, toss the sickie, and order a clean plant.

Climbing Crimson Glory. I've grown it in a sheltered location in a huge pot for many years, and it is enormous. Blooms like a maniac for most of the year, with very little care (since I forget to navigate around other plants to feed or water it). But whenever I do notice this rose it is blooming. Even today.;) Big red bundles of fragrance!

Melissa

Here is a link that might be useful: Grace de Monaco

Only three, huh? Fortunately some of my favorites are already posted or that would be even tougher. Red Intuition is to die for in complexity of color, and if the Stranger that Beth posted ever becomes commercially available I'll beat a path to the door of the vendor -that is just drop dead gorgeous.

For my picks, at least one of them has to be a striped one, and I've been fascinated to watch the brilliance and variability of color in Andre Willemse.

{{gwi:284379}}

I'm a total sucker for deep dark maroon blooms that touch something deep in my heart, so my second vote goes to the deepest darkest maroon of Nigrette. I find these blooms hauntingly lovely, enough that I'll put up with the scrawny runt of a greedy little pig of a bush that produced them.

{{gwi:320876}}

For my last favorite, I thought I'd go with something
dramatic like Gilbert Becaud or picoteed like the hauntingly beautiful Nostalgie or Imperatrice Farah. Instead, I think I'll spend my third vote on the basic pink but absolutely rock solid dependable reblooming HT Savoy Hotel. It outblooms almost any other rose in my yard, including most of the shrubs, and basically looks like the picture below all summer even through the worst of heat. Also the flowers stay looking perfectly high centered without opening up even to the last petal drop.

{{gwi:345754}}

For honorable mention, it's a tie between Dream Come True and Love & Peace, both of which I love for their stiff-petaled garish high contrast in your face wow color and form that's the very reason some people hate them. I won't post pictures since that would be cheating...

Cynthia

1.Papa Melland
2.Firefighter
3.Memorial Day
4.Sweet Intoxication- this rose is at my backyard but the scent is so strong that I can even smell it from the front door of my house.
Also I would like to add Neptune & Double Delight
Here is a pic of DD I took in the evening.

This post was edited by Smoky88 on Wed, Dec 4, 13 at 2:57

1. Magnificent Perfume
2. Memorial Day
3. Yves Piaget

Nippstress, I've wanted Savoy Hotel for years, but had some reservations about it. Now your gorgeous photo and enthusiastic
endorsement of SH have convinced me I must find room this wonderful rose. I love the dark smoldering tones of Nigrette which show so well in your excellent photo. You might enjoy checking out the old thread I brought up on the rose gallery forum, showing members' photos of their darkest red roses. There are some stunners. Diane

Neptune

Sweet Intoxication

Memorial Day & Blue Moon in Vase

Double Delight
Mr. Lincoln
and for 3rd I have GF pink. not sure about name I call it Mom's Pink as I started it from Mom's pink. She said not QE but I think it could be as it has all the characteristics of QE. If not the pink ---
Pope John Paul II or Strike It Rich

That does it--I'm going to have to buy the neighbor's property and raze the house and garage--so that I have room to plant a new bed of the most beautiful HTs on this thread!

Why did I start this thread? Just to tantalize myself? LOL

So many beauties, but that Savoy Hotel really did me in!

Kate

Me too, Kate! I swore I wasnâÂÂt going to add any more moderns to my garden...was saving my last beds for more OGRs. BUT, IâÂÂm drooling over all of these and thinking about which remaining stretches of grass my DH might agree to part with to make more room...

Cynthia, I have NIGRETTE, and I love the color, it's actually even darker, almost black. But mine has such weak necks and the blooms are small and blow really fast. They're pretty for a couple days. I just wish it grew stronger and better than it does, cuz that color is "killer!"

Has anyone else taken a look at the list of member favorite roses at Help Me Find? I've posted the link below. I think it is really interesting which individual roses, and classes, have received the most favorite votes.

Here are the top twenty, for those that don't want to follow the link:

1. Great Maiden's Blush, alba, 330 votes
2. Alba Maxima, alba, 294 votes
3. Autumn Damask, damask, 266 votes
4. Chapeau de Napoleon, centifolia moss, 243 votes
5. Abraham Darby, shrub, 231 votes
6. Cabbage Rose, centifolia, 221 votes
7. R. gallica officinalis, gallica, 220 votes
7. R. pendulina, species/wild, 220 votes
9. De Meaux, centifolia, 218 votes

10. Eden, climber, 214 votes
11. R. glauca, species/wild, 204 votes
12. The Bishop, centifolia, 203 votes
13. Jaune Desprez, noisette, 192 votes
14. Double Delight, hybrid tea, 190 votes
15. Austrian Copper, species/wild, 189 votes
16. Peace, hybrid tea, 186 votes
17. R. spinosissima, species/wild, 180 votes
18. Blue Moon, hybrid tea, 175
19. Rouge Formidable, 171 votes
20. R. persica, species/wild, 170 votes

Melissa

Here is a link that might be useful: Roses with most favorite votes on HMF

Melissa, that is interesting. When we did a more general favorite roses (all roses) survey last time on this forum, most of the top ones were HTs--just the opposite pattern at HMF. Guess it depends on which set of rose gardeners participates, doesn't it.

I'll tell you what else is interesting--Double Delight got the top HT rating (followed by Peace) on the HMF survey--and on the all-roses favorites survey here (previously) on this forum, DD also got the top rating (of all roses); if I remember correctly, Peace came in second on that one also. Those two HTs are also doing pretty good on this present survey--will be interesting to see how that turns out when we get another 20 or 30 or 50 votes on here.

Everyone is clear, aren't they? We are NOT today voting on whether HTs are more popular than other roses. We are just asking, of the group called HT type roses, which ones are your favorite.

If posters are interested, we can later try the same thing with other categories of roses also. Just don't want to overdo it all at once here.

: )

Kate

First, one I can't grow in zone 5, Autumn, for its rapid rebloom, and ever changing colors.

Fragrant Cloud--I love the heavy fragrance and the polished red/orange/.brown colors. This one I am willing to grow as an annual @ $5 or so bodybagged.

Mr. Lincoln, still the best red HT I have seen or grown. When it gets lots of water, the perfectly formed, heavily fragrant blooms are as big as dinner plates.

I'm enjoying this thread a lot! Besides all the beautiful photos it's fun to see what grows well for one person that was an absolute horror for me, lol!

I have enjoyed seeing the photos and hearing the comments. One that hasn't been mentioned is
Valencia
Forever on the bush and in the vase. Blown blooms gorgeous. Nice scent. Variable coloring. Nice veining. Good petal thickness and strong growth.
Susan

Spiced Coffee with Valencia behind it
So variable in color and always gorgeous. Looks very pretty with any other shade of rose.
Susan

Great picture of Sweet Intoxication, Smoky88 - is it as dark as you've pictured it out in the garden? How is the disease resistance for you?

Susan I love Spiced Coffee and Valencia too - they'd be in my top 10 or 20 HTs, and since I have a lot of HTs that's an accomplishment.

Beth - I agree that Nigrette is darker in real life, but that's as dark as I could get it on my camera without the leaves starting to look funky. I have absolutely no skills at manipulating pictures once taken (don't even have Photobook), so all I do is reduce the contrast levels on the camera. I haven't found that mine are all that weak necked, but since the plant never gets much above 2 feet tall it's not like they're at sniffing level (if they actually had a fragrance, that is). Mine will last on the bush in my dry climate about 4-5 days, so I wouldn't say they blow as fast as yours, but Nigrette is not remotely a cutting flower. Shame, as it would make a dramatic statement. I'll have to check out the gallery for the rest of the dark red roses - thanks for the tip Diane - though these colors are notoriously difficult to capture accurately on film.

Glad to enable you to consider Savoy Hotel, Diane and Kate. For both of your hot dry climates, I really think this rose is a great match for you. Savoy Hotel is among about 5 roses that still bloomed continuously through the wretched drought last summer, though not quite as lusciously as it did all this year. It makes such a well-behaved and BS free mound about 4' high by 3' wide, round and blooming at all angles to the ground. OK, one more wicked enabling point...Heirloom has their HTs on sale for 20% off this week and Savoy Hotel is among them. It's a great rose from anywhere so order it when and where you like - I think mine was from Roses Unlimited, so this is a good indication of what it can do own-root. Just trying to be helpful (insert wicked enabling laugh here).

What are GW friends for? I'm making my Christmas list from this thread and the Austin one myself (and Munstead Wood is an absolute necessity, Kate).

Cynthia

Palatine carries Savoy Hotel on multiflora understock.

I will not read this post again. I will not read this post again. I will not read this post again. Lol I am a big liar.

Gemini does have her moments.

And Cherry parfait does have her moments.

Thanks Cynthia
I just realised sweet intoxication is a floribunda rose.
I have to say the real colour is not as dark as the one In the picture, it is actually a deep magenta ,but will change to mauve purple if temperature gets higher. This rose is very disease resistant and vigorous. I have been thinking about getting another one next year just for the scent ,it is sooooo powerful!

Yi

This post was edited by Smoky88 on Thu, Dec 5, 13 at 5:04

What a great thread! I haven't amassed enough experience yet to list favourites, but many of the ones listed here are making me drool! I'm with dublinbay/Kate - I'm going to have to buy out my neighbours and turn their lots into rose gardens!

Poorbutroserich - I totally agree with you - Valencia is superb!! Why didn't I list that in my top 3???

Plus the blooms last weeks on the bush. Rain doesn't bother the blooms - which are HUGE!!
Carol

I listed Augusta Luise and Ascot as two of my top three favorites, but I didn't post photos of them. so--here they are now with a little different look, especially AL, which is gorgeous and has huge blooms, and grows like a weed. Diane

First, here's Ascot.

And here's Augusta Luise, who appears in many color variations, peach, bright pink, some orange, and light blended pink, usually at the same time. Diane

Diane - What lovely roses, I can understand why they are two of your favorites!

Favorite Pink H.T. 'Mrs. Lovell Swisher'
Favorite White H.T. Kaiserin Auguste Victoria' richly fragrant, I have the climbing form so I'd get more of these huge white roses.
Also known as The Brides Rose in the 1800's.

Favorite Yellow H.T ' Lemon Spice' very fragrant of lemon and sweet spices.

Lux

Diane,that Augusta Louise...oh my goodness. And Beth, where can I get my hands on Stranger? All these roses are so pretty and healthy.

Caramella (1987), Peggy Lee, and Sterling Silver.

Sorry, I couldn't just choose 3 favorites. Here goes:

Bride's Dream

Peace

Peace

{{!gwi}}

oops, sorry for the double post.

Here's Honor.

Pink Promise

view1ny,
That's the best pic of Pink Promise I've seen...just lovely! Unfortunately, here in our heat, it's much paler pink and fades to white almost as soon as it opens.

My favorite is Queen Elizabeth, not only because it is a great rose, but for sentimental reasons. My grandfather gave a QE rosebush to me on my birthday and my grandmother's name was Mary Elizabeth. Unfortunately, the bush is at a house that I no longer own. I should have taken her with me, but I didn't know I could dig it up without killing it. I need to get better at rose propagation and ask the new owners for cuttings. No other Queen Elizabeth will do. I'm sure there are other members here just as sentimental over their roses, but I didn't realize how much I would miss the plant.

For pure looks and enjoyment as a long lasting cut rose, my favorite HT is Saint Patrick which I have on order. Here it is a photograph taken 7 days after being cut, but it really lasted almost two weeks in the vase. I've posted the photo on the forum before, but hope it is worth posting again.

pat, thanks. PP is a bit paler in very hot weather, but definitely pink. The first 2 years it was cream colored & I was sure that it was mislabeled but then it changed to its true color.

Dainty Bess
Mrs Oakley Fisher
Lilac Charm

Pink Peace wasn't in my top three, but it is so dependable, disease resistant and the fragrance is wonderful!

Pat_bamaz7, 'Gruss an Aachen' is a Hybrid Tea (see Vintage Gardens, Dickerson, etc.)

Favorite blooms

Louise Estes
Pope John Paul II
Red Intuition

Another HT I forgot to mention is Orchard's Pride (Aka Miss Ashley per HMF). My mom has a standard of it and is a perfect hybrid tea for a standard. Incredibly quick to rebloom, to my nose a lovely damask type scent, wonderful cream/yellow/pink tones, and it doesn't look terrible if you get behind on dead heading. I don't think I have any pictures, but it's vaguely reminiscent of Garden Party with less of a glow and more ruffled, tissue-like blooms.

It also never gets unruly and overgrown which is pretty unsightly in a standard. I forget about Orchard's Pride, but it is a real winner here by the so cal coast.

Next to my mom's OP is a standard of Pink Promise, but it rarely produces blooms of that quality. Very lovely, view1ny.

Jay

Since responses have tapered off a bit for now, I thought I might give you the HTs with the most votes so far. Keep in mind that so many HTs were named (over 70) that most of the selections got one vote only, so I'm listing the more limited number that got 2 or more votes.

Peace--8 votes
Double Delight--6 votes
Queen Eligzabeth--4 votes
Memorial Day --4 votes
Yves Piaget--3 votes
Red Intuition--3 votes
Neptune--3 votes
Tiffany--3 votes
Pope John 2--3 votes

You know, that top list looks similar to the one I remember from several years ago. Maybe Red Intuition and Pope John are new to the list. I guess we have located what are called "perennial favorites" here, haven't we.

I guess these would go in the "honorable mention" category.

Gemini--2 votes
Firefighter--2 votes
Garden Party --2 votes
Veteran's Honor--2 votes
Mrs. Oakly Fischer--2 votes
Louise Estes--2 votes

If anyone wants to go on adding your 3 top nominations, feel free to continue. We can re-total later, if necessary. : )

Kate

I didn't even think about Double Delight and I should have. I must love it, I do have two of them after all, lol!

Seil - That photograph of Double Delight is absolutely gorgeous!

Don't feel bad--I forgot all about Peace! Where do our minds wander at times?

Won't make any real difference in the voting since both Peace and Double Delight are the top winners already!

: )

Kate

P.S. Gorgeous pic, seil.