There aren't all that many yellows, and "best" depends upon where you will be growing it.
If you are in North Dakota, it would probably be the immortal 'Harison's Yellow.'
If you live in Coastal Southern California, it might be 'Lady Hillingdon,' or 'Safrano,' or or or ...

Jeri

hi, Bama,
Here in north Alabama Etoile de Lyon has done well in my yard so far. I have two that I planted last spring. They bloomed quite a bit for first summer roses and wintered fine. No bs at all for me. It is not a bright yellow, but a pale yellow with pink sometimes.

hth.

Here is a link that might be useful: etoile de lyon

You can try Nacogdoches (soon to be Grandma's yellow rose). It is a found rose so who knows if its modern rose or OGR. No one knows for sure. It was found at abandoned motel in Nacogodches. Texas A&M University went out and looked for best yellow rose all over Texas that would not need spraying,etc.. This one ended up on Texas Superstar plant list (officially in April).

{{gwi:229006}}

lou
that is a gorgeous photo. I have a tiny plant of Nacogdoches (what a mouthful lol) and can't wait until it looks like yours. My FAVorite color.
Yours reminds me of Golden Showers which although lovely drops it's petals rather soon. Does Nacog have fragrance?

Denise in FL

Hey ya'll,
Sorry 'bout that :) I live in central Alabama (Zone 7). I haven't posted in a while. I am in school and it has totally absorbed all my time....(however, that garden out there has been calling my name...hehe)
Jeri...I wonder if Harrison's Yellow would do well in the South? Is that the yellow rose that was in one of Redout's famous rose prints? (I may have that confused with another old rose)
and Jeri, I must thank you for recommending "Red Dragon w/white pearl".....what an absolutely wonderful little rose.....It is growing on my favorites list really fast....tough little bird, no bs, and stays in bounds...
I would never have known about it, and I hope to root it and give one to my sis....thanks again! :)
Duchess,
thanks for the reply....and for the link...I will look into that, especially with all the rain we've been getting lately....btw, the Queen of Sweden i planted last year has had absolutely no black spot (in the humid South)...really bullet-proof. Ellen, well, she must be sprayed, but, the blooms and aroma are worth it...pure heaven!!
Lou,
thanks for the pic of Nacogdoches! its just Beautiful!!
Thank you all for your help.
Have a wonderful day!
Michelle
PS....Any experience with Graham Thomas?? I do love those Austin's

Correction: Evelyn not Ellen....wow, I am tired! (*?*)

Denise,

Very slight fragrance. A&M wanted to try and find fragrance yet very resistant disease (and easy to root). I think Sequin was initially a favorite because of fragrance but mysterious death occurred every where at testing place ruined it. I had tried looking for it but no luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grandma's yellow rose

Graham Thomas is a nice rose, albeit a tad too modern in its bright color and shape for my taste. Scent is tea. It's also not as good a performer as The Pilgrim or DA's energizer bunny Molineux, or the most gorgeous Golden Celebration with its lovely tea-grapefruit perfume. Very beautiful is also Teasing Georgia although she needs a couple of years to develop substantial rebloom; for a touch of orange-apricot it's worth looking at Crown Princess Margareta and her perfect blooms. They've all done very well for me in North Carolina and also here in the mild southeastern UK. Spray is recommended, although they are doing quite well without it here.

Andrea

Don't kinow if all these technically qualify, but my three favorite antique roses are all monsters-- Yellow Lady Banks, Mermaid, and Fortune's Double Yellow. Another fave is Crepuscule, which is more richly colored than other noisettes but is definitely a blend of colors. I've seen Harison's Yellow in a couple collections well north of 'bama! Hope someone chimes in about Canary Bird, r. hugonis, Cantagibiensis-- which I've never grown..or SEEN even!

Jeri...I wonder if Harrison's Yellow would do well in the South? Is that the yellow rose that was in one of Redout's famous rose prints? (I may have that confused with another old rose)

*** Nah, I think you're thinking of the Persian roses, which are behind the Pernetianas.
I think -- blackspot City for those.
And, Harisons? I suspect it does best with some chill hours.
And you know it's a once-bloomer, right?

and Jeri, I must thank you for recommending "Red Dragon w/white pearl".....what an absolutely wonderful little rose.....It is growing on my favorites list really fast....tough little bird, no bs, and stays in bounds...

*** Now, THAT is a nifty rose! I love that thing.
So does my husband, btw. What a little workhorse!
I'm told it's naturalized in the Sierra Foothills, and I am sure that's true.
It's so pretty -- but tough as an old boot.

Jeri

I'm looking for a nice yellow too, a soft yellow that will not clash with my OGRs. I'm thinking about Prairie Sunset - not an OGR, but has a soft straw yellow color that should blend well with other colors. Supposed to be fragrant and very healthy. Just an idea for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Prairie Harvest

Thanks Andrea....I have heard that Molineux and CPM were exceptional Austins
Barbara....I looked up those yellows on HelpMeFind that you mentioned they are all gorgeous!
Maureen, never thought of Prarie Sunset, but it is a beauty....hope you can get it...Buck roses are known to be goodies!!
Have a great day!
Michelle

I was going to put in a good word for 'Bermuda's Anna Olivier', which I believe is Duchesse's 'Etoile de Lyon'. It's a beautiful, full, tough, healthy rose: wonderful in every way. If you want a yellow old rose that's not a climber (Noisette, Tea-Noisette, or Banksiae), I think this would rank very high for someone in a warm climate. I don't consider 'Lady Hillingdon' or 'Crépuscule' to be yellow, more of a pale apricot, although they're much loved roses. There are some other Teas that are somewhat yellow, but I don't know how definite and how constant the color is: my BAO has been a consistent soft butter yellow; a lovely color. Then there are some yellow Scotch (forms of R. spinissima, also called R. pimpinellifolia) roses, I believe, and hybrids of them such as the shrub rose 'Fruehlingsgold'; and the forms and hybrids of Rosa foetida--'Harrison's Yellow' is one such hybrid. All these are once bloomers and I think they all require some winter chill (which you may have?); and roses with Foetida ancestry are famous for their susceptibility to black spot. Not old roses but often compatible with them are the yellow species and species hybrids that Barbara mentions. Oh, I forgot one of my favorite, and definitely yellow, Teas! 'Isabella Sprunt', a lemon yellow sport of 'Safrano' and identical to it except for color. For some reason this rose is not overly popular in the U.S., at least that's the impression I get from the forum. In my garden it's lovely.

Melissa

I have Isabella Sprunt. It's available at ARE and Chamblees.

Hi mamabutterfly

How strict is your definition of old garden rose, and how pure does the yellow have to be? If you are very strict, there is not that many.

I recomend checking out any thing with rosa odorata genes (teas and noisettes). Not until Soleil d'Or was introdused in 1900 was the yellow color of rosa foetida combined with a good fragrance, but then an exeptionally good one.

I really like Gloire de Dijon (1853), but like Soleil d'Or it is not pure yellow, more like a blend of yellow, pink and peach. In my opinion Austin-roses are not Old Garden Rose, that is cheating ;-)

If Marechal Niel and Mme Berard grows in your climate they are yellow.

Good luck with your rose search :-)

I'm just about to get Mme Berard, I thought she was a yellow-orange-pink melange, I guess I'll find out.

Michelle, I think that Mme Jules Gravereaux is also in that yellow-of-sorts ballpark, I'm going to get that one too. Quite a few of Gloire de Dijon's offspring could fit your bill. Check out Guillot's website for a few nice and old yellows, shrubs and climbing forms:

http://www.rosesguillot.com/sommaire.asp?sid=WJI1PSCXB1K587KXTSVWKYH5&langue=1&prcid=7559&menuprcid=0%2C7517%2C7519%2C7559&prcidm=7517

http://www.rosesguillot.com/sommaire.asp?sid=WJI1PSCXB1K587KXTSVWKYH5&langue=1&prcid=7541&menuprcid=0%2C7517%2C7518%2C7541&prcidm=7517

Andrea

Here is a link that might be useful: Roses Guillot

I have an old tea that is yellow and seems to be spot free in my no spray garden (I just wish it had more petals) = Mrs. Pierre S. du Pont. Etoile de Lyon is on my want list. I also have Lady Hillingdon but she is more apricot in cooler weather than yellow. In the heat of summer it is almost white.

hi! I too am obsessed with yellow roses but I need a good fragrance too. I am trying the tea rose Souv. de pierre notting after seeing it is this thread and falling in love. I got mine from vintage this year. I can't wait until it looks like this pic.

Here is a link that might be useful: tea roses