Carol, that's lovely. I'm glad he's happy in the ground and has gotten so well watered with all this rain!!

Just curious - do you have a Maggie? I wondered how FD's blooms compare with Maggie.

Woo Hoo! HHRD to you Carol and Randy too.
Now that Chamblee's is carrying Frankie D I'm going to get me one so I can enjoy sniffing it again (love to dear Bill).

I'm doing a jig here myself because I moved the arborvitae branches and leaves away from Monsieur Tillier and he's got about four inches of perfectly beautiful green canes!!

Carol obviously my wimpy FD doesn't appreciate his prime spot in the garden. Do you suppose if I dug him up, put him in a pot he'd be more appreciative?
Dang that is a beautiful rose!

It is perfectly acceptable, if not obligatory, to dump a bad example of a good rose. I think it happens more than we know. Sometimes the nursery had a bad season and we bought the fungi-ridden inventory. Sometimes the propagating wood just wasn't the best, and the darned thing won't grow. Sometimes it's a garden mishap in my own garden that permanently cripples a plant. Assuming anyone in your state and zone grows it well, I suspect that the least likely reason for failure is that you can't really grow that rose because your garden doesn't have the right conditions. When this happens to me, I tend to try the plant from a different supplier in a different season. Maybe it's all numerology and superstition on my part, but that's my take. Dump non-performers after they've had a fair chance, clear your head and move on. There are waaayy too many good roses to waste energy on a bad plant.

I understand that Ripley's will be making a visit to your little corner of SC soon. But even better news is that they have made your Frank the 8th wonder of the world.

Only two words for you: horse manure.

It's coming to my garden by next fall.

i moved mine to the front garden from a spot of too much shade. I am crossing my fingers that he will be a good bloomer for me. In 5 years I have had precious few blooms....of course I admit to having him in a less than idea spot.

Carol, I swear, your roses are the stuff dreams are made of!

Ronda

Jackie, I thought of you the whole time I was moving him. I was thinking "if I kill this rose, Jackie will kill me" LOL. You need one of your very own. I knew if anyone could grow a Tea outside in zone 5, you could. :-) HHRD.

Hamp, I don't know. Maybe the fact that mine started out in a pot and was sitting where I didn't forget to water him is the reason for my success.

Cass, I swear I must be tired because I don't understand your comments. I do agree with you though, I often try a different clone if a rose doesn't do well for me and I have come to realize that just because a rose doesn't grow well for me, doesn't make it a bad rose in other people's gardens. I try not to disparage roses, only report how they grow in MY area and in MY garden. I wish everyone did that. We grow roses in so many different climates and with so many different disease pressures that a rose that performs well in one area of the country ( or even in one area of the state you live in) may perform horribly in another. If you try a different clone of a rose that does well in other areas and it still doesn't do well, then the problem is your climate, not the rose.

Carol, you are too funny. FD never got manure, just water and he got fed maybe twice a year if he was lucky. Only the roses in the ground get manure (he got some this year). That pot was too close to my back door to put manure there.

Ronda, thank you. I do that too. Move them around, move them from pots to the ground, ground to pots, whatever, before I give up on them. Sometimes that is all it takes. Sometimes nothing helps. He blooms mostly in flushes but I do get the odd bloom here and there between flushes.

Carol

I admired your rose in its pot. It's going to be simply spectacular in the ground!

It is my opinion that long term, roses prefer to be in the ground.

Rosefolly

Thanks, Paula. I agree. My Devoniensis crept along until I put her in the ground and she almost immediately put out new basals and grew. Frank has done well in his pot but I am hoping he will do just as well in the ground, if not better.

Carol

I remember how wonderful your Frank is, very impressive. You have a garden of gold. Francis, another one I lost and would like to replace as I don't have many reds.

Carla

Jackie, congratulations on your tea growing in your zone. You have the patience, for sure.

Carol, that beautiful Frank on your deck is the reason I just had to have one like it to go with my other one. Frank has always bloomed well for me, both of them, but the shape of yours is just so beautiful. Mine have tended to be less bushy than yours and bushy is what I wanted. I must not be a good Frank mommy although I really love Frank. I am going to try to make it to Greenville this spring, to see if Frank is doing well in your garden, in the soil, and if not, I am going to buy you an extra large pot for him. I don't want him not to look just as beautiful as he did when I saw him.

Hamp, yep, if he's unhappy in the ground at your place put him in a pot. Mine is happy container-dweller.

Randy

Carol, it's a beautiful rose, I love the color and cascade of blooms and petals.

If you ever want to see a beautiful garden where roses grow large and lush, where great care is taken to make sure that everything is as neat as a display for a garden show and well nourished and well fed, then call the airlines or the car rental place and get to Carol's garden. It will make you appreciate what hard work and research can do for a garden. It is obvious that Carol has a true love for roses, for finding the right rose for the right spot, for taking care of them once in the ground, and yet not being so fussy about trying everything known to man to make them work, just finding the right thing and being consistent (I think it's manure, but then who am I to say). But, absolutely, all manure aside, she has one of the most beautiful gardens, and her home's interior and exterior are equally well kept and well done. It might just be the Carol found out long ago that hard work and loving what you do works in every aspect of life.

Thanks Carla, that is very kind of you.

Randy, I think he does better in a pot than any other rose I have tried to grow in one. He would probably still be in his pot if we had been able to squeeze out of the back door since he seemed quite happy.

Krista, me too. Thank you.

Patricia, thank you for the compliments on my garden. Now, what will people think when they come here and see this plopped planting, blackspot, and bermuda grass trying to take over the beds? LOL. You are a dear lady and if it takes coming to check on Frank to get you to visit me then I'll happily accept that. If he doesn't like the ground, back in the pot he goes, but so far he seems happy as can be. New canes, new growth and even a few buds.

Carol

Carol, that plant is so very beautiful. I hope the one I picked up from RU last month does as well as yours. I am afraid the spot I have picked out will get too much sun. I need to rethink my plan.

Thanks for sharing your Frank with us.

Kathy

Having made the pilgrimage to Carol's Francis of the Pot, I am relieved to hear he made the transition to ground planting with good grace. Heavens, now if he grows as large as the rest of the roses in your garden, Carol, he will be hippopotamus size for sure, LOL! I just took my FD out of the root cellar yesterday, BTW. A bit of pruning, a good shower and out he went into the 60 degree weather for a bit. Of course, he'll be pushed back into the basement while the temps drop back into the 30's overnight. And so the dance goes...
Carol, I wonder if your FD really knows just how lucky he is to live with YOU. ;-)

Seems all the posts are from warm zones. How does Francis do in zones 5 or 6? I have FD on the way. Not sure where to put him. Does he like full sun? Afternoon shade?
Thanks

Kathy, your Frank will be beautiful and healthy, I am sure. Mine got sun in the morning and most of the day but was protected from the afternoon sun. His place in the ground mimics these conditions. If you have a spot with afternoon shade, he would love that. Thank you. You never did tell me what all you brought home from RU.

Anne, I bet he loved that 60 degree day and a little fresh air. I'm glad he overwintered well. Believe it or not, I've had a few roses that I drug in and out of the garage all winter so I understand "the dance". I knew if I killed that rose moving it y'all would be upset with me. I hope he gets to be a hippopotamus sized rose! Thank you for your kind words, Anne.

Artemis, I know that people who live in colder zones than you grow FD but I think they all grow it in pots and bring it into a garage or shed for the winter. I hope someone will correct me if I am wrong.

Carol

Yikes. On HMF it is listed as hardy in zones 4-9.
My fingers are crossed!!!

It may well be, and I may be totally wrong, but I don't remember anyone growing it outside in zone 5. That doesn't mean it isn't so. I know that Jackie grew a Tea rose outside in zone 5 last year and it has live cane this year so I suppose it is possible? Do you have an area in your garden that is a little warmer or more protected?

Carol

I grew this rose back up in zone 4/5 in a pot and overwintered it in my unheated attached garage with good results. I love his fragrance but his flowers fried in the heat up there in Wisconsin. Because I fear he'll be toast down here I have been hesitating getting it again. :-\

Carol I never did find that blackspot in your garden only big beautiful blooming roses. Here you are coming this next week and everything is buds, buds, buds--will they bloom in time? The anticipation is killing me. They are getting a serious lecture today...
la

I'm one of the admirers of your Francis Dubreuil. Can't image how I managed to buy two, but I did. I have one, that I'm proud to say, is nearly as good as yours...a nice shape and a good bloomer. It was my aim to give you a little competition :-) Only a little....

The second is in a less favorable location and not nearly as robust, tall or bloomy. Maybe I'll put it in a pot.

Peggy, find him a little spot of shade down there in Florida!

LA, those blooms better wait on me! I love that you remember the blooms in my garden and not the blackspot :-)

Jody, there is no doubt in my mind that your Frank can give mine a run for his money. I think I'll go tell mine that yours is catching up and see if I can inspire him to put out a little more effort. :-) I'm delighted yours is doing so well.

Carol

May I ask what is the largest size pot you have had for your FD?

I need another one. One of the only reds I liked, Frances.
I think the voles had Frances for desert last year.

Carla

Behold what a gorgeus specimen of that rose!!! I have always heard that it is a hybrid tea.(a tea crossed with a hybrid pertual, that explains the scent). But there sure are more tea in this hybrid, than perpetual for people in cold zones. Up here it is grown as an exclusive annual. Most grow it pots, mine is a whopping 4 twigs 1.5 feet "Tall" at the end of the season that is. I have to love the 10 to 15 flowers mine put out every year. I store the pots in the unheated attic.

Carol,

You will bless my Frank when you come to town. And, after that, you will stop by and kiss Don Juan, who will be very jealous.

Your fans await you,

Carol

Carol,

Lucky you for the travels you take to the some of the most amazing gardens. Take plenty of pics!!

Ronda

Chic, I just went outside and measured the pot. The diameter is 22 inches and it is 18 inches tall.

Carla, you do need another one. Nasty voles. They never eat the ones you don't like.

Cupshaped, thank you. You must love it to go to all that trouble.

Carol, I have clothes strewn all over the house trying to pack.....I looked at the weather report and had to unpack my summer clothes and pack sweaters and jackets instead :-) Can't wait!!!!

Rhonda, I agree, I am truly blessed. I will try to take lots of pictures.

Carol

I had Francis in the ground and he was not liking it. I moved him to a big pot last fall and he is so much healthier. I've enjoyed lots of smelly blooms already. Buff

Carol Frank is beautiful. I actually skipped this rose in all my rose buying. Is yours very blackspot prone?

Carol your picture of this rose inspired me to pull up your slightly dated but still great thread this morning.

That picture made me weak I have to admit it. May I ask where your Francis Dubreuil came from? With such amazing results I'm thinking I want to get one from the same vendor.

Thank you!

Kate

Hi Kate, if you could stick your nose into one of his blooms, it would make you weak in the knees. The most amazing fragrance and color. My plant came from Roses Unlimited. Ashdown also has plants that were propagated from my plant. I know that Hoov has a gorgeous specimen of FD, even larger than mine, I don't know if maybe she has a source of a vigorous clone in California, but you might ask her. He will be happy in a pot for a few years. I potted mine up to a bigger pot after 3 years. After 5 years I had to put him in the ground. You would love this rose.

Carol

Thank you Carol very much. Great information. I have some credit with Roses Unlimited so that is just perfect. I can see I'm going to have to send Pat an email right now..,

Yeah! I can't wait. Thanks again.

Kate

Is this the real Francis Dubreuil or is it Barcelona, the Kordes rose? I have heard that all of the FDs in commerce are really Barcelona, but it would be nice if that were not true. I just picked up Barcelona from Vintage in the belief that it is the same rose as the FDs in commerce. I sure would love a real FD!

This is Barcelona.
There don't seem to be any real FD's left around, and I doubt if anyone living has actually seen one.

Jeri

Joanne, Gregg still lists them as different roses. He's usually pretty good about saying if one rose is the same as the other once it is proven or observed by him to be so. Why don't you shoot him an email and ask him. He obviously has two plants he received under two different names. If Barcelona is the same as this rose, you will love it. Whatever it's name, it has the most amazing fragrance and color!

Carol

Thanks Carol. I already asked him and he said as far as he knows they are the same. That is why I bought Barcelona from Vintage. I was just curious if there was a real FD somewhere out there. As you say, it is an amazing rose either way. I just adore the color.

Then you will be very happy with your rose! I hope you love it as much as I do.

The scammers at the "antiqueroses.com" website, which is not a real nursery but a phishing for credit card scam site, has stolen carolfm's photo of Francis Dubreuil. I don't know how to report this. http://www.antiqueroses.com/the-repeat-flowering-old-roses-1/francis-dubreil

I don't know either. How did you know they were a credit card scam site? I'm curious.

Bumblekim, I'm bumping up your remark in hopes your message reaches carolfm. If she has an email address connected to her Houzz account you could drop her a note. I can't seem to get to one with my lame technology. Carol

They do not answer any inquiries, have no listed phone # or address, only feature a shopping cart, do not exist as a collection anywhere, have no owner name, belong to no clubs or websites, have an insane collection of roses not in commerce in the US all featuring stolen photos. Here's the clincher "we feature hardy roses that will grow in zone 6, and some even hardy to zone 7" ... that is definitely written by someone who does not grow roses! Should have " some even hardy to zone 5" you see?

I believe our friend Carol in upstate South Carolina died.

There was a thread or two some time back when that bogus website first appeared.

Does anyone know if anything can be done about having it taken down?

I believe Carolfm passed away.

Oh that's a shame about Carol. I have sent a report to https://www.usa.gov/online-safety but not sure how seriously I will be taken since I haven't actually lost money to them... the whole zone 6/zone 7 comment was hilarious. I feel like HMF could since they have infringed the copywrites.

For further discussion:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3687922/anyone-know-the-nursery-antiquerosescom?n=73

:-)

~Christopher