Anything with a high petal count could be trouble. My William R. Smith will ball occasionally, but I just turn a blind eye. Just too beautiful when the blooms are perfect, and it only balls when we have a really wet spring.

I've heard that Alexander Hill Gray balls, although not in my hot and dry garden. Mme. Joseph Schwartz balls occasionally and she mildews in the spring.

Ingrid

Arcadia Louisiana Tea balls here for me, most of the time.
That's disappointing, because the plant is good, and the foliage is perfection.
Though it's not a Tea Rose, I note that 'La Reine' balls here, when it has a chance to do so.
So does Clothilde Soupert -- I've never seen an open bloom.

Jeri
Coastal Ventura Co., SoCal

E. Veyrat Hermanos balls like crazy in her first flush which comes at the end of months and months of rain. She's beautiful enough and fragrant enough for me to put up with it and just wait for the next flush, but....it's still quite sad to see...

Susan

I'm in coastal southern CA, and ALL the yellowish Teas ball in my garden. I've tried so many of them - all grow vigorously, then every single flower of spring to early summer balls and rots. It
s not until the very dry days of late September/October, that I finally get flowers that successfully open. I'm not sure yet about Mde. Antoine Mari as she's still very young, but she suffers from the additional problem of "spotting" in moist coastal conditions. The spotting is annoying though not so disgusting as balling and rotting! Iceberg roses have a similar problem here. If planted out of the way of ocean breezes, the spotting problem sometimes diminishes.

Thanks, folks. Your responses are appreciated.

Mudbird - I have many yellowish teas on my wish-list. I'll probably have to stay away from them .

I hear you about the coastal winds; although I am on the bay and not the coast it's pretty bad here, too. My Icebergs spot tremendously. Madame Antoine Mari seems okay but she's small and I think well-sheltered to the prevailing winds by a garden shed.

Cheers,
Jo

One yellowish Tea which I've never seen to ball is 'Lady Hillingdon.' Another is 'Safrano.' They have a lower petal count.

Jeri

Papa Gontier balls a little early in the season, when there is still some moisture in the air, here in Crete.
It stops though once the dry summer gets going.
Daisy

Many of mine are balling this year. Mlle Franziska Kruger always does a bit. Duchesse de Brabant is worse, and many blooms have never opened. Mrs. BR Cant did a bit but the blooms opened, but stayed tight. The cooler wetter spring did not help.

Hi, Jo -
Haven't heard from you for a while. Glad to see you posting here, but sorry that you're having a problem with one of my favorite roses.

Some roses outgrow the balling problem. Only laziness kept me from taking out Souv de la Malmaison, which finally stopped balling after it was at least six years old.

Definitely avoid the Cochet roses. Those big egg-shaped blooms will ball and rot for you, I'm afraid.

I think it's likely that Mons Tillier would do ok for you. I share Jeri's thought that Lady Hillingdon might be good. Le Vesuve might be ok, too. Comtesse du Cayla, which sometimes seems like a tea to me, and sometimes like a china, would probably love your climate.

Definitely avoid anything that mildews, like Duchesse de Brabant and Mme Lombard. You don't get hot enough to drive the mildew to dormancy.
Anita