With Golden Celebration, it seems like lately this rose has become the most popular rose around. It is very grand though and that color of gold is something else, as well as the peony style bloom.

I don't know that Golden Celebration would be at the top of my list for "Most Beautiful," but if I were able to make a list at all (it would be very long) it would likely be there, somewhere.

I don't prefer one style of bloom over another.
I never did, which has always left me "Odd Girl Out" in a room of HT enthusiasts.

I stand with Dean Hole (and that's pretty lofty company) in the belief that

" . . . whether the surface of a rose be globular, cupped, or expanded,
and whether its petals be convex or concave, a perfect gracefulness
of form is attainable."

Hole's ideal was the globular.
Mine changes daily, in response to what's blooming.
But in reference to a thread followed elsewhere, I think no rose would remain here long if it didn't take my breath away at least some of the time (or DH's breath).

Jeri

I am taking notes on all your choices and loving checking them out. Thank you.

Chance

*** In all honesty, I don't think I could think of a "Top 3."
If I tried, I couldn't base it on the bloom alone, because I can't separate the bloom from the whole of the plant.

I suppose I might put 'Secret Garden Musk Climber' in my top few -- based on the wealth of bloom and the fragrance, rather than just the shape of the bloom.

Probably 'Mme. Plantier,' a rose that is to me so lovely that it's almost un-real:

Considering the whole package, probably "Grandmother's Hat,"

But then we get into a whole mix of other things, because there's not a rose here I wouldn't consider "Most Beautiful" on its day.

Jeri

Chance

Chance

Is Mme. Berard related to Gloire de Dijon? I can't tell the difference.

Sherry

Chance

Mme. Hardy:

Alchymist:

Enfant de France:

I swore I wouldn't do this, but Mme. Plantier, Celsiana, and Doorenbos Selection rank right up there. I just didn't have photos.

Sue

*** HAHAHA ... Well said!

If we had a lick of sense, we'd be removing that whole hedge of GC we have here.
It's too thirsty, in a building drought, and it's neither old nor endangered.
But, dangit -- sometimes you just gotta please your senses, and I love having all that fragrant yellow outside my bedroom window.

Jeri

Jeri, can you post a pic of your GC hedge if you get the chance. Thank you very much.

By the way cweathersby, that Mme Berard is beautiful.

Chance

Jeri

And luanne, thanks for the pic of your GC and Redoute too.

Chance

The tea rose, 'Adam'

And of course, my most beautiful rose of all, the bourbon, 'Souvenir de la Malmaison'

Randy

Melissa

Where's Molinuex (Patrick)? I would have thought he's going to drop by to say EVELYN is the most beautiful rose in the world.

SDLM looks pretty. I'm planning to get 2 climbing SDLM this year.

Luanne, the photo's were taken before my beloved Canan crapped out on me. But I think it's mostly the roses :-)

Randy

Randy

Fantin Latour

Felicite Parmentier

Celestrial

Penny Lane

The rose we call 'Threave', but which is probably the old HP 'Sir Joseph Paxton'.

and the surprisingly excellent 'William Morris'

Best wishes
Jon

Sherry

I have seen photos of Constance Spry, and I personally think Constance Spry is quite beautiful. It's a shame that it doesn't repeat.

Prettiest HT is Chicago Peace. I love the blending of colors on that rose

The prettiest bud is from pink parfait.

Some of you are fantastic photographers! Thanks for sharing.

my list would be:
'armide'
'mme. plantier'
'william morris'

luanne - Chateau de Clos Vougeot!!! I'm staggered by that color!

jon in wessex - "Threave" is wonderful. That color is usually not my favorite rose color, but obviously this is the exception that proves the rule! Wonderful also is the way the companion plantings complete the experience.

Who can POSSIBLY choose among all these gorgeous blooms? This thread has been a treat!

I have written down all the choices mentioned and am researching which ones to order for this spring. IT IS AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES to choose from. What beauty lies ahead of us this spring to add to the garden. This makes life so much more breathtaking to me, that I have been given so many great ideas from all of you that we're kind enough to share all your choices for beautiful roses. May all your gardens be blessed with so much loveliness this spring.

Chance

So far 'William Morris' has been good for me, in my garden where Austin roses don't tend to be overly happy. I'm keeping an eye on it. Lovely pictures!

Melissa

Love to all,
Luxrosa

Moonstone

Eglantyne

For OGR's, it would be Sombrieul, A Shropshire Lad and Madame Isaac Perreire.

Sombreuil

A Shropshire Lad

Mdm Isaac Perreire

A partially opened Tamora, with the tiny raspberry streaks in the peach petal is high on my list:

I have to agree that Chicago Peace produces the most beautifully colored blooms I have yet to see. Even if it isn't an antique:

For quite a long period of time, 'Pink Gruss an Aachen' was misidentified as the illusive 'Irene Watts'; a few of us believe that "Carnation" may very well BE the illusive 'Irene Watts'.

*** REALLY! I had not heard that! Very cool, I hope it turns out to be a match.

Jeri

I really love study names, for they are often very colorful, and tell you a lot about the rose, or where it was found growing.

Jeri

Don't mean to sound vociferous. It's been a long day, I guess. :))

Sherry

I think my top three would be Madame Alfred Carriere, Tipsy Imperial Concubine, Anna de Diesbach or Yolande d'Aragon. All very fragrant also.

MAC

Tipsy

Anna de Diesbach

Linda

Common Moss
Felicite Parmenter
Paul Ricault

Clementina Carbonieri
Perle d'Or
Georgetown Tea
Again, very difficult because I adore Jude the Obscure.

Carla

Brenton

1. Mme Gregoire Staechelin

2. David Austin's Evelyn

3. Mme Jules Gravereaux

The photo of Dame Edith Helen reminds me a of Yolande d'Aragon, which I just have gotten. Would you say these two roses are similar?

Constance Spry -

Geoff Hamilton -

Alba Felicitie Parmentier -

Eden -

Rugosa Polareis -

(Hi Luanne! Miss you and the old group.)

As of right now, my top 3.....out of my 9 haha

Red Eden(Eric Tabarly)-
Romantica climber. Only in it's first year but growing well so far with no problems. Blooms are deep red, extremely strong cup form, 180+ petals, and the blooms last FOREVER. It even has a mildly sweet old rose scent.

Pat Austin-
My Pat Austin is growing like a WEED! It is almost 4ft tall now and throwing out canes above EVERY 5 leaf set and even broke out some new basal canes and is budding up like mad. The blooms are a gorgeous unique spectrum of orange, coral, apricot, and yellow. The best part is how the bloom opens up as a reflexed cup and it gives the appearance of an eye opening. Pat Austin nods for me and it appears to look at all the other plants in the garden. Somewhat strong...although not real strong tea fragrance.

William Shakespeare 2000-
Smaller and putting out freakish new growth like Pat Austin as well. Blooming machine. Some blooms can be massive, while others can be nearly the size of some minis. The initial color is INTENSELY vibrant and fades off to a darker burgundy. The best part being the fragrance. A strong and unique fragrance that can only be described and appreciated from first hand smelling of the blooms.

I was caught up in the fun of this, thinking of what rose flower I liked best, when I had a thought - most of the responses and pictures here focus on the beauty of the individual blooms. This is understandable, but it is also how 20th century hybridizers thought, and unfortunately it resulted in the development of:

spindly upright ugly bushes; new roses with no fragrance whatever; & roses so disease prone that everybody had to spray poisons all over their gardens every 2 weeks!

So, I would prefer a different definition of "beauty" - roses that are beautiful not only in their individual blossoms, but as an overall bush. Banksia lutea, as it bursts into bloom all over town, suddenly appearing all over large trees, and dripping down from on high, would certainly be my favorite. All of the teas are graceful shrubs if you have enough room for them, and also have gorgeous flowers. MAC is beautiful in my garden because it has climbed up several old plum & fig trees, and I can see blossoms from my bedroom window as I speak, seemingly floating all over the top of our fruit tree forrest. This has been going on non-stop since March! Ditto Cl Peace, which is now producing blossoms all over the top of a huge pomegranite bush - its third bloom flush so far this year.

I have a dark red/purple many many petaled mystery rose that I found in our garden (from where it was growing inside of a Japanese quince bush, I would say it was planted at least in the 1930s) which I rooted & planted out by the street in the sun, right next to the sidewalk. It blooms for 10 months of the year, and is amazingly fragrant with that heady "old rose" fragrance. Our street is a busy street, as is the sidewalk. This rose is only about 4-5 feet tall, so the blossoms are very accessible to passer- byes who want to smell it. I enjoy watching people's reactions when I am near there weeding or whatever - it is truly a "beautiful" rose, as it startles people into a brief happiness!

Jackie

Eugene de Beauharnais

Camaïeux

3?... just THREE?!...;^]

Well, I can give you 3 from each color group:
PINK
'Brother Cadfael'

'Heritage'

'Scarborough Fair'

RED
'Quadra'

I can't do this...

I could pick 10 for each color group.

I surrender.

Rob
BC:)

Lafter
Heritage
Julia Child