It's been a long while since I had time to invest into gardening and browsing this forum again, and I was just seeing if there are any other posters from the middle TN area. Would love to hear any tips or great OGR's that you've grown for our area, and if you'd encountered any issues that may help me dive back into this lovely hobby.

Right now I have a very small collection of Kronprincessin Viktoria, Souv. de la Malmaison, Rouge Royal, Eden, and Nur Mahal. I was thinking of adding Mrs. BR Cant and Lady Hillington, Duchess de Brabant and possible Lyda Rose this year. I was really looking for a vigorous rose, that gets fairly large (not always BR Can't large but 5x5' or larger) and is a shrub/bushy type in growth. I see belinda's dream too but the only ones I've seen looked to have RRV.

I tore up 6 rose bushes last year because of RRV and am very wary of putting too many roses in the yard this year for fear it will appear again. I guess I will just have to diligently spray to hope the mites that carry it won't end up on my roses. It seems to be everywhere when you know what you're looking for (outdoor shopping mall landscape roses & in neighborhood common areas on knock-outs in my neck of the woods)

Anywho, it would be nice to know of some local rose enthusiasts and hear from you all on what grows well around here. Nice to be back!

I am a member on HMF- and I ran across Jean Harrison's list of disease resistant roses the other day and put it in my "clippings". I think I may have drooled on my keyboard after reading that list of what she grows, If I can develop 1/10th of her gardening skills I will be thrilled :)

Lillyfinch- I have had my eden for 3 years now, and it has outgrown the largest trellis I could find. I need to get an obelisk to weave it through, it is a stunner come May, even just at 2 years old and 4' tall. Not a great cut rose but there is such a sweet quality about it's blooms and it is great for the back of the flower bed up against the house. I will take photos sometime this spring for you.

I *had* some really great climbers but had to rip them up because of RRV- I'm just glad that Eden survived the shovel pruning I had to do. Every rose in the backyard had to go, but a few in the front were sheltered from the outbreak. Photo attached of what used to be my back fence. Hoping to get back into rose gardening without going through that experience again anytime soon-

It is still a couple of hours away, but Petals from the Past is in Alabama and they have OGR's, I've wanted to make a trip down there but just haven't found the time as of yet to make the trip, link included below for their website. I'm a facebook fan and they also do fun seminars that I'd like to attend around the blueberry and blackberry season. I can't wait for Spring!

I've got all three that you listed, Mrs. BR Cant and Lady Hillington and Duchess de Brabant. I bought them as bands last spring and they did great in pots building size all summer. I may have gotten them in the ground too late to really get established before our unusually cold November and right now none of my new tea roses look very happy. I'll just have to wait and see what ends up surviving.

I also picked up a Belinda's Dream from Petals from the Past on a quick detour home from Auburn last summer. It seems very hardy and happy. I'm hoping to stop by on another drive by in a month or two when I know what I've lost from the cold and do a little replacement shopping.

I've only been doing this a couple years and I would say my biggest surprise is that the toughest thing I have to deal with isn't blackspot but rose slugs/sawfly larva.

It's so cold today, I hope your plants surprise you and do well come spring!

Black spot hasn't been a huge problem for me either, at least not on any ogr's- the only big issue I've ever had was RRV, even though there have been quite a few *huge* green caterpillars that I've discovered eating the largest unopened buds on my roses and had to have the husband come and take care of. For some reason, really quishy large caterpillars really gross me out and I don't like to be the one to dispose of them, they were quarter size around and about 3-4'' long, yuck!

I've totally just icked myself out ha, well, Spring still can't come soon enough in my book :)

I saw there is a Nashville gardening event in April (Mid Tn Plant Sale) you all let me know if you plan on going or if you go to any events gardening related in the future and we might cross paths and be able to say hello!

Stay warm & it's nice to be meeting people in the neighborhood,

-Natalie