I am in a 6a climate and the roses will receive relatively weak sun, but it will be all day (I'm hoping this will be enough, this is a new locations for me). I'm looking for roses that I can keep relatively tame and compact in a container for a year or two until we move, that have lovely scent, and that will be able to preform well without intense, full sun. Any suggestions?

Right now I am contemplating:
Tradescant
Radio Times (I know, another pink, but I hear it smells amazing!)
The Squire
Glamis Castle

I would love Molineaux, but cannot find it in stock.

I was considering Golden Celebration or Graham Thomas, but I'm not sure if they will do well enough in a container and with the weak sun.

And while they aren't Austin's I'm also going to pick up
Clotilde Soupert
Etoile de Lyon
Duchesse de Brabant

I would so appreciate it if anyone has any input on these! I've read every message board, but still, there are so many to chose from, it is a bit overwhelming, and of course, everyone has their own unique experience with each rose.

Would Duchesse de Brabant and Etoile de Lyone be able to survive your winters? Perhaps someone else from your zone could comment about these tea roses.

A truly tough, disease-free and fragrant purplish rose is Wild Edric, an Austin that is a rugosa. I have four of them.

Ingrid

According to HMF, Etoile de Lyone is rated to 6b and Duchesse de Brabant is rated to 5a, so I think there's a fair chance they could make it since I overwinter indoors. I haven't come across anyone growing them in my area, however.

Linda

:-)

~Christopher

Glamis Castle was never vigorous at all for me and eventually died (I didn't ever spray, either). I really like Wincester Cathedral, though. That's the last white Austin I've tried. He may take the kind of shade you are talking about, depending on how strong your sun is. I usually site my Austins where they don't really get afternoon sun, figuring they do well in England, after all :D

I've never ordered from Chamblees before (just Roses Unlimited), but I might give it a shot.

Meredith_E - Yes, my Austin's will only get morning sun. Hopefully that will be enough to make them happy...or at least give me a few blooms! I figure you are right as far as that being more similar to the UK climate and why they might do better than some other roses on my balcony :)

Because of all the rave reviews, I wish I could grow Tradescant, but perhaps I'll give Munstead Wood a try when I have some more room, since people really seem to enjoy it as well. I do grow a few roses that are meant to be in warmer area that have done well because they spend the winter in a comparatively warm garage (for our area, at least) - so I may give some of the warmer zoned roses a try, just as an experiment!

This season I'm also experimenting by growing English roses in baskets...we'll see how that works lol.

I purchased a bare root of Bolero this past December and it has been a train wreck of a rose. I'm quite disappointed as it is beautiful, fragrant, and nicely compact when grown well. Rust and mildew have decimated it. I had been warned it may not succeed here -and I don't spray anything-, but it has done worse than many roses with far worse reputations for this climate. If you don't have rust or mildew problems though, Bolero could be a real winner.

As for the others, I've heard great things about Molineux from those who grow it. Radio Times is very pretty in person, but some claim it can be finicky. Every plant of Radio Times I've seen was fairly compact.

Jay

Tradescent, I have shovel pruned, too weak a grower in a cold climate and very disease prone, the flowers were perfection though few in number with poor repeat. I also shovel pruned Molineaux because it was far too tender in my climate and struggled to grow and perform. Might be ok in a zone 6 climate though.

The Squire is a bit of a Diva. I grow him in a pot and he winters indoors. He is a moderately vigorous grower in my climate, but stays small, has sparse foliage and gets moderate blackspot, always. I grow him because of the perfect old fashioned scarlet blooms. There are always a few, though there is no fragrance. But this is a collector rose, not for those who don't like fussy divas.

Radio Times is cold hardy, vigorous, thorny, blooms reasonably well, has gorgeous blooms with superb old rose fragrance, but is a black spot magnet. Another rose I keep because of the gorgeous blooms and fragrance, even though it can defoliate.

Interesting that you mention Darcey Bussell, I grow both DB and Munstead Wood. Got them both last year and both wintered indoors in pots. Of the two, Darcey Bussell was the better performer in year one. She was more vigorous, disease free and bloomed well. Munstead Wood, while growing and blooming well in early season, succumbed to the local strain of Blackspot and defoliated completely. Having said that, I often find that certain roses will Blackspot badly and then seem to acquire immunity, so I will see how MW does this season with respect to disease before I contemplate removing him.

My two bits for what they are worth.

Cheers, Rick