Make sure you pick a site with plenty of room for Marianne. It gets huge (definitely more at the 8' plus size than the 5' size in my yard.) I'm going to be digging mine out after it blooms because it is just too big and I don't like the way the bush looks. At least it's not thorny. The blossoms are some of the most beautiful of any of my roses, but I don't like the plant--reminds me more of an Austin than a gallica--glossy leaves and somewhat of an octopus. It's a matter of personal taste--for a Barden gallica, I like Ellen Tofflemire MUCH better. It took a couple of years for Marianne to get started--died back by about 1/2 the first couple of years, but now it's really healthy. It's going to get stuck back against a fence in the corner where I can enjoy the blooms but not have to look at it the rest of the year.

Here's Marianne in bloom--it IS gorgeous then:


{{gwi:261322}}

No picture, but I've got 2, and I have to keep them pruned back because they do get huge. Mine started as bands, and they didn't sleep-creep-leap - they just lept.

I too have Marianne, she's great here although I am now considered zone 6. it is a tough rose here hardly dies back gets to be about 8ft tall bac{{gwi:261324}}k is about 8 ft tall

I have it and love it, perfectly hardy for me here in Maine.

I dont know about leaf structure, I mix austins and antiques and other modern shrubs together all the time, including the red tinged explorer types and rogusas crinkcles, My favorite foilage is probably the matte green of gallicas then the blue grey of the albas.

The only leaf I have had a hard time incorpating is the glossy moderns, that look like ivys, some of the darker foilage ones as well.. good thing they are on mostly moderns that dont do well here lol..

Thank you all for the pics. I cant wait for this one. Its been on the top of my list for a few years.

Silverkelt

It has really nice and unique perfume, but if you have a humid climate it might ball a little, at least mine has shown a slight tendency to.

We are in a humid climate, but usually the worst of it is after the late spring early summer flush.

Mid July - Mid august or so. So not a long season of it, but then again, we dont have a long season of anything here.. except ice. Ya Ice season seems to prevail for 6 months of the year. Some call it pretty with the white snow hanging off the evergreens, Im pretty much thinking its the worse thing in the world now.. lol, and when I was a kid I loved it.. go figure.

Silverkelt