Sara-Ann--you do remember that some people grow hundreds and hundreds of roses, don't you? Are you sure you want them to list all their favorites? LOL

I will restrict myself to an even dozen--either that or I will have to list almost everything in my garden. : )

Munstead Woods (Austin)--still my favoritest of all
Lady of Shalott (Austin)
Molineux (Austin)
William Shakespeare 2000 (Austin)
Braveheart (Clements shrub)
Red Intuition (Delbard ht or florists rose)
Double Delight (Swim and Ellis ht)
Easter Basket (Meilland floribunda)
Buff Beauty (Bentall hyb musk)
Mystic Beauty (Bourbon)
Peter Mayle (Meilland ht)
Well Being (Harkness shrub)

I've got several others that should make the cut in a year or so if they live up to their early performances--some Austin climbers plus the new hybrid musk/rambler Ghislaine de Feligonde I'll be planting in the spring--I'm really looking forward to it.

Kate

Gosh.

1. Double Delight
2. Blue Girl
3. Lady of Shalott
4. Tequila Sunrise
5. Bow Bells
6. Dainty Bess
7. Judy Garland
8. Any and all of the icebergs
9. Rambling Rector

10. Ballerina

Favorites:
1. Evelyn
2. Mayor of Casterbridge
3. Firefighter
4. Red Intuition
5 Claude Monet
6. Munstead Wood
7. Tea Clipper
8. St Swithun
9 A Shropshire Lad
10 Wisley 2008

11. Camp David
12. Perfum de Paris

My interest has suddenly shifted to long hybrid tea roses - their blooms can last for a LONG time and smell as good as the English roses (i.e Red Intuition, Firefighter).

Oh this is fun!

1. Memorial Day - a fav
2. Paradise Found - a fav
3. Betty White
4. Mr. Lincoln
5. Gemini
6. Pink Peace - a fav
7. Old Fragrance
8 Chicago Peace
9. Ch-Ching

10. Peter Mayle
11. Rock & Roll - a fav
12. Perfume Delight
13. Julio Iglesias
14. Queen of Sweden - a fav
15. Valencia - a fav
16. Gina Lollobrigida

So most are HTs. Only 1 Austin rose - they don't seem to do well in my pots. I always want those roses! Sigh :)
Carol

I will restrict mine to one, an Australian bred rose called "Black Boy" by Aslister Clark, childhood memories.

A spread of just about everything; Souv. de la Malmaison, Pink Pet, Rosa Rugosa, Green Rose, Abraham Darby, Munstead wood, Princess Alexandrea of Kent, Hot Cocoa, Stadt den Helter, Lady of the dawn, Shelia's Perfume, Louise Estes, Brinessa, Moonstone, Peace, Chicago Peace, Tineke, Royal Highness, Touch of Class, Tiffany Lynn, Whirlaway, Regina Lee, Violet Mist, Pierrine, Sweet Melody, Black Jade, Glowing Amber, Fairhope, Joy, Soroptimist International. Those are the ones that REALLY stick out.

My first post here. I have a sentimental favorite that is apparently no longer to be found--Summer Fashion.

Otherwise, I really like my Clotilde Soupert.

Is summer Fashion already unavailable? It has not been off patent for very long.

My list:
SDLM and sports
Evelyn
Polka
Golden Celebration
Princess de Nassau
Pussta/New Daily Mail
Fragrant Cloud
Cl. Sunflare
Alba semiplena
Alba maxima
Therese Bugnet
Germania
Parade
Cherryade
Rosarium Uetersen
Ivory Triumph
Titian
Pergolese
Mme. Francois Pittet

Kate, isn't Dublin Bay one of your all time favorites? Just curious, partly because of your user name, and because I'm seriously thinking about growing DB, and I'd like to know what forum members think of this rose. Diane

Yes, Dublin Bay is my user name, and back when I first signed up for this forum, it ranked as one of my favorites--but if I could have gotten Eden for my user name, I would have preferred that.

DB has been superceded by other roses I have planted since then, but it is still a good climber. Attractive red blooms and reasonably good on disease-resistance. I could wish it would rebloom a bit faster and more heavily, but so far, every climber I've tried has had those problems, so DB still ranks good in comparison. It gets about 10 ft tall.

I also grow a white clematis on the same pillar--for some blooms when DB isn't blooming.

By the way, I also picked Dublin Bay as my user name cuz I liked the Irish reference--lot of Irish blood in my family. : )

Kate

DollyinTexas Roses Unlimited has SUMMER FASHION ownroot.

Here's my current list of all-time faves (in no particular order):

BUTTERSCOTCH CL
SIMSALABIM
MICHELANGELO (the striped one)
ROEDEAN
RED INTUITION
STRANGER
TWILIGHT ZONE (the original one)
BERYL BACH
IRISH CREME
ABRACADABRA (not the striped one)
SPELLCASTER
EDDY MITCHELL
KORBASTA
VENDEE IMPERIALE
BLUE FOR YOU
SUPERSTITION
BLACK TEA
CAFE
JOSHUA BRADLEY
REBECCA SUSAN
MAIDEN VOYAGE
RUSTY
NOSTALGIE
MISCHIEF
NEPTUNE
CREME CARAMEL
KOKO LOCO
SPICED COFFEE
GYPSY CURIOSA
SHOWTIME
FIRST ENTERPRISE
WANGUAFONG
SHI-UN
OKSANA
ICED GINGER
TABLE MOUNTAIN

I could go on and on... But these stand out the most. One other rose I've always loved, altho I don't currently have it, is CHICAGO PEACE.

Thanks for your participation so far everyone, this has been interesting.

Every time someone asks this question I struggle with it. It's like asking people to pick their favorite child. No one can. Besides that the roses change all the time. One season Garden Party is spectacular and the next it's a dud. So I never have a stable list of favorites. That said here are a few I love most of the time in no particular order, lol. Mostly it's because they bloom consistently through out the season year after year.

Double Delight
Pinocchio
Garden Party
Julia Child
English Sonnet
Brilliant Pink Iceberg
Winter Sunset
Home Run

ken-n.ga.mts,

Brinessa is beautiful!!! This one is going on my wish list:)

My favorites are:

Iceberg and its sports
Don Juan Cl.
Pleasure
Pink Perfume
Crimson Bouquet
Just Joey
Julia Child
Marijke Koopman

Lynn

when someone asks this question, I usually respond with an answer that goes along with seil's response above...."whichever one is doing the best in my garden." Here are some that always seem to do well for me:

Fragrance, not necessarily the strongest but these are the ones that give me a rose fragrance I like....Double Delight, Darlow's Enigma, Prairie Harvest & its parent Sunsprite, Golden Wings, Maiden's Blush

Blooms....Veterans' Honor, Tineke, Double Delight, Dainty Bess, Julia Child, Purple Tiger (if only it were a more vigorous plant, "...sigh..."), Caramel Antique, Honey Sweet, Funny Face, The Fairy, Hope for Humanity, Gizmo, Sweet Chariot, Green Ice & most any of the dark Gallicas such as Tuscany Superb, Cardinal de Richelieu, etc. & finally Twilight Zone*. Why the star on Twilght Zone, its new so I need more time to see if it will pass the test of time in my garden but because of its high petal count and its velvety black & purple tones in the cool spring & fall seasons, it gives a real Gallica vibe that I like.

This post was edited by wirosarian on Sat, Dec 28, 13 at 13:49

Mutabilis
Bishop's Castle
La France
Souvenir de la Malmaison (probably my best rose)
Le Vesuve
Souvenir du President Carnot
Aunt Margy's Rose
Romaggi Plot Bourbon
Spice
Potter and Moore (one of the older Austins)
Mrs. B.R. Cant

Favorite bloom - Louise Estes

Favorite white - PJPII

Love the reds - Let Freedom Ring, Red Intuition, Veteran's Honor, Black Magic, Grande Amore

Healthiest, productive bush - Tahitian Sunset (got Beverly 2013, will evaluate 2014)

Must haves - Hot Princess, Randy Scott, Snuffy, Paradise, European Touch, St. Patrick, Rose', Whirlaway, Conundrum, Autumn Splendor, Moonstone

Too soon to tell: Mohana, Pacific Celebration, Martina Monadori

I noticed several of you had Red Intuition on your list, also Munstead Wood and Peter Mayle. I had already decided to try Peter Mayle, so I ordered it recently. The other two have been on my maybe list. Since I am wanting to venture more into the older roses I am glad to see SDLM and La France mentioned, I'm planning to try those also. Someone mentioned Marijke Koopman and I planted an own-root one this year, it really seems like a good one. There are many good ones listed here. I have included a picture of my MK, an own-root band from Northland, I planted in late April. It bloomed fairly good all season.

Every 4-5 years I am picked up and planted in an entirely new part of the country. Right now I am in a little house I bought by the sea in Virginia Beach, VA and thought I'd finally try my hand at climbing roses. This is my first investment as a coastal novice...'Pearly Gates' after just one year. What a boost to my confidence! I've bent and tied the new canes and already see about a 30 percent increase coming this season. They get salt spray and no systemics...just sprayed with oil 2-3 times throughout the season and some rose tone. It just goes and goes, more blooms and lovely fragrance than I could have dreamed. It literally looked better than this picture all summer and into October. I just cut another 5 flowers even yesterday.

I was giving the flowers away in 'take me home' bouquets in recycled can and jar vases at the end of my driveway (although this year I think I will take small donations for the bouquets for our local wildlife rescue). Now I am searching for a good red climber that will do the same (or better)...and have my eyes on Dublin Bay. Any other suggestions?

Rose_toes - Wow, that is one healthy rose! Just beautiful. You're doing a great job!. I think Dublin Bay is a good red climber, but I'm not sure it would be that vigorous so soon. I know several really like Don Juan too. Maybe others who are more experienced with climbers than I am will have some good suggestions. I'm trying to decide on a few climbers, you make Pearly Gates very tempting.

Pope John Paul 2
Eden
Don Juan
Alchemist
Peace
Paradise
Heaven on earth
Abe Darby
Teasing Georgia

Anastasia
Memorial Day
Double delight

Sara-Ann, thank you! Funny but I have been debating between Dublin Bay, Don Juan and Improved Blaze. Shared experience/advice with those would be appreciated!

Thanks, Rose_toes. It occurred to me that if you start a new thread about a good red climber you would probably get a better response.

Rosetoes, your Pearly Gates is among the prettiest climbers I've seen posted here--and have grown it in one year. Just amazing.
If you head back up in this thread you will see Kate aka Dublin Bay's answer to my question about DB. She's very informative about that particular rose. Diane

Thanks Diane! Will do, Sara-Ann. It occurred to me I was off topic, duh :)

Rose toes , is that a critter in the window?

Rose toes, Pearly Gates is a sport of America & both have the same beautiful form, bounty & perfume. Grow them west of you in Charlottesville & they are wonderful together. Weeks lists America as a coral pink, but consider her more of a coral red, softer than Fragrant Cloud. Pretty contrast between the two.

Your Pealy Gates is spectacular! Click on America under parentage in the link below to compare.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pearly Gates & America

Susan - I never noticed - but you're right! Looks like a Harlequin Great Dane. :)
Carol

Almost everything in my mother's garden or in a pot with me was planted too recently to say whether they can be called favorites, but the handful that were here long enough to say/recent additions that are clearly winners would be:

White Lady Banks (I added Purezza and Lutea as well this year and both are great so far).
Iceberg (And the color sports.)
Distant Drums
Hot Cocoa

There are dozens upon dozens of hopefuls for this list, but it's just too soon to say. Reine des Violettes' first blooms for us are putting it at the top of our list for now. And both Rubens and Rosette Delizy just look great as younger shrubs. Gilbert Nabbonand is putting out a fair amount of new growth also and the plant is very healthy in appearance.

The Teas are looking very good here on the whole. Francis Meilland has been one of the best HTs this past year. Renae as a weeping standard has been very promising so far as well.

Jay

Sonia Rykiel
Abe Darby
Peach Silk
Kathryn Morley
Ambridge
Jude the Obscure
Bolero
Francois Rabelais

Gruss an Aachen
Pink Gruss an Aachen
SdlM
La Reine
Reine Victoria
Madame Issac P
Belle Portugaise
Perle d'Or
La France
Little White Pet
Clotilde Soupert

Gourmet Popcorn
Sweet Chariot
Yantai

Sterling Silver
Honor
Tiffany
Pink Peace
Medallion
My sport of Medallion ( changeable pink color)
Eternal Flame
Memorial Day
PJPII
Amazing Grace
Chrysler Imperial
French Lace
Johann Strauss
Radox Bouquet
Chicago Peace
Bride's Dream

Since performance varies with location everyone should be saying where they are.

Carol and Susan...Yes, that's my harlequin Great Dane. A real stud muffin...he nibbles my roses and I let him :)

Vasue...thank you for the information. I may order 'America', especially since you are having success in Charlotte. I'm very pleased that the 'Pearly Gates' can take salt spray so I'm happy to stay in the same family

Sigh, Beth's list always reads like The Impossible Dream, since so many of her favorites are not commercially available in the US. Thanks to her, I've had Roedean, and Superstition, and Gypsy Curiosa, and Stranger, and Joshua Bradley on my wish list of unobtainable roses, and also thanks to her I've been the reluctant murderer of many of the other relatively weak russets and stripes and lavenders on her list (I'm giving Irish Creme and Black Tea one more try from Burlington this year). At least I can happily agree that Spiced Coffee and Table Mountain and Neptune and my previously unobtainable Nostalgie are on my current list of favorites.

Here are my suggestions for other current favorites that pop off the top of my head (glad we don't have a limit here):

Heart & Soul
Meilland Decor Arlequin
Dream Come True
Love & Peace
Nigrette
Edgar Degas
Ascot
Andre Willemse
Red Intuition
Alfred Sisely
Jack's Wish
Nimbus
Poseidon
Savoy Hotel
Disneyland
Distant Drums
Hot Cocoa
Black Magic
Cherry Parfait
Acropolis
Papi Delbard
Champagne Moment
Sweet Fragrance
Messire Delbard
Frances Dubreuil
Maggie
Mme. Isaac Periere
Frederic Mistral
Jude the Obscure
Sharifa Asma
Versigny
Folksinger
Darcy Bussell
my dearly departed Bella Renaissance

... and for sheer exuberance of bloom: Bad Worishofen, Wilhelm, Quadra, Illusion, Smiling Jean, and Petite de Terre Franche

Cynthia

Kitty and Cynthia - Good to see your lists. You both have some lovely, healthy roses. Cynthia, I remember seeing some pictures of your spring flush, your roses were so lush and beautiful.

any/all of the asian spring flowering roses with special mention for 'our' rose, the locally bred Cantabridgiensis.

my small hulthemia collection, including the stellar Eyes for You

several Lens hybrid musks - Pleine de Grace (although enormous), Sibelius, Matchball and Jacqueline Humery)

Helenae, Splendens, moyesii, Scharlachglut, Madame Gregoire Staechelin - a mix of once flowering lovelies. Hebe's Lip

my few pimpinellas - Double White, Marbled Pink, Red Nelly, Falkland and Dunwich rose

a couple of multiflora ramblers - Goldfinch, Aglaia

Workhorses - Golden Wings, Moonlight, Blue for You, Darlows. Iceberg. Tolstoi (my only setigera). Alba semi-plena, Nevada and (surprisingly) Aimee Vibert.

My current favorite is: Midnight Blue, because it's my only rose at this time. Even when I have more roses I think Midnight Blue will remain a favorite. It seems very hardy and vigorus even in my less-than-ideal soil and without spraying. It even gave me 10 blooms in its first year! They were very pretty and smelled nice.

I also LOVE what some of its offspring look like (thanks to Helpmefind), and since I'm interested in breeding roses that's a big deal to me.

Thanks Sara-Ann - glad you enjoyed the list and the photos of my garden from this spring. I appreciate the complements, and am waiting with resignation to see what has given up the ghost this year from much colder than usual temperatures already this year. Like all of us, we do what we can to help and we'll enjoy whatever results in blooms, even if it's not the extravaganza we had last spring.

Cynthia

My current fave is Pink Peace I am just madly in love with her. Her delicate and whimsical fragrance and her vibrant color. She is a standout in my garden.
Other faves:
Double Delight
Gold Medal
Oklahoma
Charlotte Brownell

Fairly new to this passion and as I am in a town home all in containers on my patio so limited space. But those are my standouts.

This is a tough question to answer. I have grown so much and seen so much that I cannot decide. Hm.

Midas' Touch
Veteran's Honor
Bonica
Fragrant Cloud
Mint Julip
Amberlight
Halloween
Table Mountain

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure I can think of more.

It is good to do these lists periodically, as over time, they do change. Mine has changed since my post above in this thread.

I am taken with Love Song which has finally produced a bloom plus is developing in a manner that helps me understand why others are so taken with it, and IMO South Africa, for my garden, is much more of a standout than Julia Child. So J.C. Is off the list.....

Lynn

This post was edited by desertgarden561 on Mon, Jun 9, 14 at 17:31

My very favorites are Hot cocoa, Sharifa Asma, and Jude the Obscure. Pearly Gates is my favorite climber. I love the way the flowers nod.

My current favorite rose is A Whiter Shade Of Pale which not only looks good but has an outstanding scent. The bloom turns pure white after a couple of days.

This post was edited by bendipa on Sat, Jun 21, 14 at 17:54

Bendipa - I can understand why that would be a current favorite, it is gorgeous! I'll have to keep it in mind.