Well, I can't imagine anyone NOT having Souvenir del la Malmaison--she is so beautiful, both the climbing & bush form did well for me in a hard climate (central Gulf coast).

"Maggie" enjoys a good reputation, here, too.

Mme. Isaac Periere has done great for me in both the old zone & this new one. She blooms heaviest in spring with some fall bloom, too. Not a constant bloomer, but the flowers are so huge & fragrant. I had her pegged in my old zone & she would have dozens of flowers.

Mme Pierre Oger did very well in a large pot. Very pretty flowers, cupped shaped & fragrant. Good repeat

Same with La Reine Victoria.

Hi Alameda, I have SDLM and Maggie, which perform great all summer here in the Dallas area. Also have Zepherine de Drouhin, get a gorgeous spring bloom but just a few blooms here and there after that...

Hi Judith- I've found bourbons love N and Central Tx. SDLM, Kron Viktoria, souvenir de st Anne's and Maggie are very rewarding performers in Dallas.

Sadly, neither SdlM nor Maggie are successful in my part of Southern California. Mme. Pierre Oger climbed to the top of a 14-ft. retaining wall -- but had few blooms and dreadful foliage; and Zephirine Drouhin is said to mildew where that is a problem -- so it's smart to ask.

Jeri

I have an established SDLM that is fabulous, and a small Maggie still in a pot [by the way, is Maggie a sprawling shrub, a rounded shrub or a climbing type? Can it handle full sun or should it have part shade?] I also have Kronprincessin Viktoria in a pot that is going beside SDLM.

I want to order a few Bourbons that look interesting - Mme. Cornelissen, Pierre de St. Cyr, Eugene Desgaches and before I did.....was curious to know how the bourbons as a group might do in this climate. I am 2 hours NE of Houston.

Are there any others that do well here in Texas? Reine des Violettes looks lovely. I had Madame Issac Perriere once - she was really a blackspot magnet. I really love my SDLM and was hoping this wasnt the only bourbon that did well in my area. Would love to see some photos if anyone has some........and thanks!
Judith

Ooo, I love Reine des Violettes. Have a young 'un from Pickerings. Had it in my old zone & she was a fine bloomer.

In my old zone (sw of Houston, on the coast), many Bourbons & HPs did get some blackspot. HTs, too, for that matter. Sometimes I'd spray with baking soda or sulfur if it was especially bad--most times I didn't bother. I think it's just an individual thing about how much it bothers you. I enjoyed the wonderful Bourbon & HP blooms & fragrance & overlooked BS leaves--the plants were robust overall--& most showed less bs as the plants matured.

General Jack & Marchessa Boccella did well also.

Souvenir dlM was probably the least inclined to bs for me.

Judith, you should read some of Randy's past e-mails to this forum and see his pics of Reine de Violettes. He lives in DFW and is a huge fan of this rose. Lou

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesant/gal0916121119005.html

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesant/gal0914414020353.html

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesgal/msg092201263020.html

If you're pleased with 'Souvenir de la Malmaison', consider adding some (or all ) of her existing sports. With the addition this season of the quite rare 'Capitaine Dyel de Graville', Roses Unlimited became the only nursery I know of that lists all 6 SdlM sports -- AND actually has them in production and available for sale.

In addition to 'Capitaine Dyel de Graville', the SdlM sports are 'Kronprinzessin Viktoria', 'Climbing SdlM', 'Mme Cornelissen', 'Souvenir de St Anne's' and 'Mystic Beauty'.

(RU lists 'Mme Cornelissen' as 'Edith de Murat'.)

Another short Bourbon in the SdlM mold is Levesen-Gower, once thought to be a sport of SdlM. My two plants have stayed short but I'm very fond of the very full, deep pink flowers. Romaggi Plot Bourbon is also lovely, although harder to find. It has smaller, more open, soft pink blooms that are a nice contrast to the normally very full-petaled Bourbons. Mme. Dore, also a very petite bush (it must be me), has very beautiful blooms, and is a rose well worth having.

I don't care for the larger Bourbons since in my area tea roses have a much longer bloom season without sprawling in every direction, but of course the teas don't have that intense fragrance.

Ingrid

Ingrid, Have you had Romaggi Plot Bourbon long enough for it to reach its mature height? If so, how tall is yours? Thanks.

No, it's not mature yet, windeaux, but Vintage lists it is category 1, which is the smallest size of the Bourbons, along with SdlM, but I think this rose will stay smaller than my SdlM, which is planted in similar conditions to Romaggi.

Ingrid

Ingrid -- Thank you for the info on RPB. Mine will soon begin its 3rd season here. I still have it potted, but am hoping to select a garden spot for it this spring and am glad to have your assessment. So far, I'm very pleased with this rose, altho it's been incredibly slow to build. Perhaps that's just the nature of a truly compact Bourbon. I'm hoping that it does remain small -- in fact, I purchased it primarily because of reports that it's a compact bush at maturity.

Another "compact" Bourbon that I finally added after years of waiting is 'Rev H. d'Ombrain'. Apparently, that one actually does remain quite small in milder European gardens. In the sultry South, however, it's displaying astonishing upward vigor. I think it may prove to be a small climber here. Consequently, I've learned to be a bit skeptical about claims of "compactness".

Mystic Beauty is a bloom machine here in the heat and foliage stays very clean. It has the refined beauty of SdlM but seems more vigorous, easier to grow.

'Course we have only about 6 weeks here that even approach Texas hot.

Maggie's a good performer in heat too but does not come close Mme. Isaac in bloom size, color, form OR fragrance. I settle for Maggie because Mme.Isaac is a blackspot MESS here.