No idea about Napoleon, but LV grows into a free standing bush here, about 8 ft tall by 7 ft in diameter. Not much fragrance - it is a china. Repeat blooms 10-11 months of the year, with a huge Spring bloom, about half as much in the Fall, and always has scattered bloom the rest of the time. This year it repeated its "Fall" flush in December, which was unusually warm.

Jackie

I also haven't grown Napoleon but on HMF it appears that there are fewer petals and that Napoleon, similar to Old Blush, will get powdery mildew, which my four Le Vesuve bushes have never done. I do think Le Vesuve is larger, so it will need more room, but also think the flowers are prettier. If it were me and I had the room (although you can keep this rose pruned to 6 feet) I would always choose Le Vesuve.

Ingrid

Matthew, I have both, but Napoleon is only a year old - and I dug him up and put him in a pot a few weeks ago to make room for Graham Thomas. Napoleon is very upright, straight and about 3-1/2' tall. Le Vesuve grew very horizontal, hugging the ground for almost 2 years, and took 3 years to get that tall. Le Vesuve has a wide V shape whereas Napoleon seems to be growing like Old Blush which I used to have. Flowers are nothing like Le Vesuve (which are quite voluptuous), not as abundant, and semi-double. All in all they are nothing alike. Le Vesuve is more tea-like, and Napoleon is more China.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

I live in the same area and have tried both. Napoleon is a great rose. It's very 'china' in it's blooming habit (it blooms all the time). Just like the other posters, my Napoleon is very vertical and grew to five feet by two feet in under a year. It held it's color pretty well during the worst of the summer heat, but the red spring blooms were hot pink in the dead of summer.

I pulled out the LeV because it never really took off. I have since tried other roses in that same spot and they all languish, so I think there's something wrong with that particular space.

Hope this helps! BTW, which roses do the best for you in North Texas?

I have grown both in coastal southern California and they're very different! Le Vesuve has softer matt green leaves v. dark smooth leaves of Napoleon. Also Le V is very thorny and I think will get quite large if it's happy. Napoleon has matured into a very manageable 3 ft high by 4 foot wide shrub -- it's quite a handsome shrub in the landscape, dark and shapely. I think Le Vesuve grows more angular and sprawly. I do not have a mature Le Vesuve, but from photos it seems to get quite big. Napoleon can take some shade, but in my yard Le Vesuve liked a a warmer sunnier spot. I prefer the flowers of Le Vesuve: elegant elongated buds that open into a graceful swirly mix of pinks. Napoleon's flowers start out very beautiful, then mature into a pointy star shape that some teas have - quilled? - which is not my favorite. Napoleon's pink leans quite heavily towards to lilac side, a very cool tone as it ages. I think the two shrubs are quite different!