Figure with a space 25x5 you have room for at most 5 roses. Choose carefully.

The pillars are not to be in this bed, so they won't interfere with the new bed's potential. I should have clarified that.

I have the space to make it more like 28' x 6' or 7', but I'd like to keep the depth to more around 5.5' or 6'.

I'm up in Livermore, which isn't quite Santa Monica, but a mild zone of California at least: USDA Zone 9b, Sunset 14.

My 7-year old own-root 'Francis Dubreuil' is 5' tall and 7' wide one way, 6' the other. Of my older teas, it is smallest because it is the only one I find amenable to constant, significant pruning. The reason for this is probably that FD in commerce is said to actually be a hybrid tea ('Barcelona') and this rose does look and act more like a hybrid tea than a tea.

Of the other teas you mention that I have had: 'Monsieur Tillier' became 6' x 6' in just two or three years, own-root (blossoms had zero heat tolerance, so no longer here). It's listing on HMF says it can become a very large, 10'x 10', and I believe it -- wouldn't be surprised to see it larger.

When I think of teas now, after some years of constantly being shocked at their eventual magnitude (having been constantly gulled by the sizes given by the literature, which are probably very accurate for England!), I tend to think 10' x 10' (or 8'x8' at the very least). There are likely some that can happily stay 5'x5' in mild-zone CA, on which other forum members can perhaps weigh in, but I don't know of any myself. Even a younger 'Mme. Bravy', delicate and slow as can be, is starting to promise some heft here after a few years.

I have 2 plants o 'Buff Beauty'. It is very vigorous: one goes 10' up and then 15' or more horizontally; the other covers 25' of a 6' fence. The canes are frequently stiff and inflexible even when young, so pillaring may be difficult. It is very good to train along a fence, being happy to be horizontal.

Old Garden Tea rosebushes, are typically massive, with a few exceptions, so I agree, 5 rosebushes is about the highest number of rosebushes you have room for in that bed.
That being said, Tea roses bloom massively and frequently, so no loss there.
I've gardened in the San Francisco Bay area for the last 20 years and our most frequent problem with rose disease is powdery mildew followed by blackspot. I never spray with anything.

with 25 by 5' you only have one row for rosebushes.
These are my favorite roses for beauty and fragrance and disease resistance:
"Westside Road Cream Tea' if you have conditions that favor p.m. this is a rose that is far more resistant to that disease than 'Ducher' which defoliated in my garden from p.m. and refused to bloom, so I got rid of it. It is a marvelous rose, beautiful and very fragrant. When mature it grows to be c. 4 and 1/2 feet tall by just as wide. roguevalleyroses.com sells it.

Fabivier' is also disease resistant, here and has fast rebloom. Here it reaches c. 5 feet by the same.

Archduc Charles is much favored over L. Phillipe by those who grow it on gardenweb. It is one of my favorite China roses for rapidity of rebloom, but I also love Gloire des Rosomanes, which can be espaliered for a background red, at c. 6 feet tall by 10 feet wide.
Celine Forestier is more white in my garden than yellow, but I love her all the same, she and Alistair Stella Gray can be grown as self suporting shrubs of c. 6 feet tall by 5 1/2 feet wide.
Buff Beauty keeps its color better than the yellow Tea and T-N's in hot weather, here.

Mrs. Dudley Cross is my favorite Tea rose this week, gorgeous large blooms of yellow and pink, more pink in cool weather.

I envision two A.S. Grays on either side of the bed to give it "punctuation" with a Mrs. Dudley Cross in the middle and trio of westside road cream Teas in the center planted in a equilateral triangle shape, for a pale color scheme of white, yellow and pink, with companions of hidcote lavender and white or purple alyssium in between.

Luxrosa

Many of the true Tea Roses may be larger than your space allows.

Mme. Berkeley can easily fill 7 ft. of width, and is likely somewhere over 6 ft. I know I have to look up (I am only 5-ft. tall) so while I love her, I think she is too much rose for you.

Be cautious in ordering "Mlle. de Sombreuil." That name would indicate a true Tea Rose, of bush form, not suitable for espalier purposes.

If you are looking for a climber, 'Sombreuil' is a prickly Wichurana climber, which performs well here at the coast.

In our coastal area, Louis Phillipe is a good 6 ft. x 6 ft, and tough as nails. It's a continuous-bloomer, and has NO disease.
White Pearl In Red Dragon's Mouth is smaller for us -- maybe 3.5 x 3.5. -- as is 'Cramoisi Superieur.' I agree with all praise of 'Archduke Charles.' Also of "Ragged Robin" ('Gloire des Rosomanes').

The rose in commerce as "Francis Dubreuil" is a Kordes Hybrid Tea Rose from the 1930's -- 'Barcelona'. Not particularly vigorous on its own roots, here at the coast, it is said to be 5 x 5 or larger, when budded onto Fortuniana rootstock. My problem with it (the bloom is gorgeous) is that it mildewed here. Thus, it is long gone.

For your smaller, lighter-colored selections, how about the Poly/Teas -- 'White Cecile Brunner,' and 'Marie Pavie'? Both should be disease-free for you. I almost prefer 'White Cecile Brunner' to its sport parent -- the pink bush form of 'Mlle. Cecile Brunner.'

All of those should be in your size range, and good bloomers.

You should also do very well with "Grandmother's Hat" which can't be beat in our area. (See below.) You can grow her as a tall, upright specimen plant, you can espalier her, or prune her down as a bush. Your choice. The Lady is ready to oblige.

Jeri

I forgot to include 'Alister Stella Gray', who grows to about 10' here and about as wide against a fence, own-root, Vintage clone (said by Vintage to be more restrained, apparently, than other clones). Zero trouble, always in bloom, practically trains itself -- all I do is cut out the dead wood every few years. Great rose.

One of the smaller teas is white Devoniensis, but it may look lost among the other, larger teas. I must be the only person for whom Westside Road Cream Tea was not a success. It was great in early spring, but soon put out very small, grayish-brown blooms, the likes of which I've never seen anywhere. I don't mean that they turned that color, but they actually developed that way. It's gone now and I have White Pet in its place. It's a new band but it laughs at disease and the heat and put out buds as soon as I put it in the ground (which of course I'm taking off to promote growth).

Eugene de Beauharnais will stay smaller, and is more in the purplish range, but can be difficult to grow. It did well in my previous garden, which was also warm and dry, and it's very fragrant.

Cornelia would make a good pillar rose; I've seen it grown that way. I have a young Mlle. de Sombreuil. According to Rogue Valley Roses it can be grown as a climber. With mine it's too young to tell but it's been very healthy and eager to bloom as a young rose planted late last fall.

As a beginner I wouldn't go with Baron Girod de l'Ain which may not be as healthy or continuously-blooming as others. I'd opt for Sophy's Perpetual instead, which is fairly compact and to my eyes prettier.

Ingrid

Thanks for the feedback!
I may look to slightly expand upon the bed size to accommodate for two smaller shrubs on the ends making a sort of I shaped bed. There is more room and light expanding the depth than there is extending the length.

I will definitely be reigning in the plans a bit after some of these reported sizes. I would like to go from light cream/white or yellow to pink to red in the bed. In general I don't have many pinks amongst the roses I have now, or really much of the flora of the yard, so I would like them to stand out as somewhat vibrant or varied in blend.

I'm doing the pillars in a very sunny spot on one side of the front yard to make up for an absence of height. I'd like to do the two yellow pillar roses sandwiching Gloire Des Rosomanes, but it those Teas/Noisettes are a little too rambling for pillars I can always opt for a new scheme.

I may have space in a year or so when I redo the other side of the front yard for some of the larger teas like Madame Berkeley and Dudley Cross. A few of those would make for a splendid welcome home every day.

I have read a few back dated posts that mention some having trouble with Duchess De Brabant in coastal climates. Can anyone verify this? I would assume the same would go for Mme. Schwartz?

I really like Archduke Charles. If I were to go with that as one of the pink blend roses, what do y'all think would pair nicely amongst the many other pink blend teas and chinas?

And yet another question, would Clothilde Soupert be comfortable here? I can't say I have looked into many Polyanthas or their growth habit, but I find it quite charming and the bush seems to be somewhat reasonable in size.

Thanks once again for the help! It's quite reassuring to find such an encouraging and knowledgable bunch of rose enthusiasts.

Jay

Jay, Clothilde Soupert will ball like crazy. I think it opens in the Deep South, or S.E., but not on the CA coast. Been there. Done that.
Don't even think about it. Grow, instead, 'White Cecile Brunner.'

Harsh Reality:
On the SoCal coast:
"Eugene de Beauharnais"/'Le Grand Capitaine' set new standards for rust.
'Mrs. Dudley Cross' mildews. She even mildews a few miles inland from me, in Newbury Park.

Duchess de Brabant: I have grown two plants with mildewed to an astonishing degree . . . And one which is clean as a whistle. It just depends upon what clone you luck into.
The same may be true of 'Mme. Joseph Schwartz,' but I have ONLY seen clones of that which mildew.

Mention of Newbury Park reminds me that there is a garden of mature Old Roses not all that far from you. The Stagecoach Inn, in Newbury Park, has a lovely little garden, with many Tea Roses. It was planted in 1994, so you can see mature plants.

It is located at: Located in Newbury Park off 101 Freeway

51 South Ventu Park Road, Newbury Park, CA 91320
(805) 498-9441

Jeri

Here is a link that might be useful: The Stagecoach Inn Museum

Jeri-

That looks absolutely lovely! I'll have to make a visit out there soon! Rather serendipitously I acquired a Marie Pavie today. I was getting some wood glue and other supplies at an Anawalt lumber and found her tucked away in the most inconvenient spot amidst the miniature roses. (Always look at every single one!) It is quite small, but fairly healthy looking. It is not in flower, but it had some of the "characteristic" browned and undropped old blooms. I figured it was a worthy gamble for 8 dollars.

I think I may end up using her as a container rose by the front door, but I have some time to fiddle around with my plans for the new bed. In any event, I was unusually confident with this purchase having your recommendation on my mind. Thanks!

May I ask y'all if you have any experience with Rosette Delizy? I've been a little stuck on this particular rose of late.

I have decided to go with a lighter color scheme (no pure reds) in this bed, and this seems to me the perfect centerpiece. I've been toying with, surveying, and finding nothing wrong with making a 30x6 bed with a central semi-circular bulge 7' in length and 1.5' in additional depth on each side. I feel like that would really allow me to have a substantial shrub as the centerpiece. I would like something with pink and yellow hues in the middle, but even this sized space seems cramped for a Madame Berkeley type.

Cheers,
Jay

I grow both Rosette de Lizy and Buff Beauty here in No Cal, 5 blocks from SF Bay.

I would not try and grow Buff Beauty on a 10 ft pillar. It is massive, sprawling all over the place, and its canes are very stiff and I think would be hard to manage on a pillar.

Rosette de Lizy, in my garden, totally left to its own devices, is very upright, narrow, mannerly, and blooms almost all of the time. Mine is growing free standing, but is 7-8 feet tall already, and I think would do great on a pillar, and could easily achieve 10 feet.

Jackie

Baronne Prevost could probably be trained on a pillar but it is fiercely prickly - the big, pointed kinds - I would not want to be the one to tie it up!

We have Mme Joseph Schwarz growing in almost total shade in the Sacramento cemetery where it stays clean and blooms. I'm pretty sure it's a sport of Duchesse de Brabant since it sometimes throws pink flowers, but it performs much better. DdB gets mildew here, too, although our summer heat discourages it so the mildew is spring and fall. I heard a European speaker (don't remember who) extoll Mme Joseph Schwatz's virtues as a much superior plant to DdB, and that's been my experience too.

Some teas are big. Some are huge. Mrs. Dudley Cross is in that category. Mme Antoine Mari is the closest to a moderate-sized tea that I've encountered but even that is building in our garden.
Anita

Good advice here, but with one addition re. your original post: 'Agrippina', as sold and grown in the USA is simply a synonym for 'Cramoisi Superieur'. Perhaps most of the nursery stock sold under the name 'Agrippina' came originally from Bermuda, via our quarantine garden at FSC, and was simply allowed to maintain that name. But it is in every way identical to the 'Cramoisi Superieur' sold here.

Thank you for even more input y'all!

Malcolm- Since looking more into it, I've variably found Agrippina listed as the climbing form of CS, a supposed dwarf form, and heard (from you as we'll as other sources) it is effectively the same plant. It's pretty confusing! Your take generally seems to be the right one though.

Cheers,
Jay

ArbutusOmnedo,

Being a former Santa Monica resident, and not knowing where exactly in Santa Monica you are; I resided near Montana and Lincoln, often walked through the neighborhood down Montana towards Peet's and farther. I also walked to the beach which was west of me.

We were able to grow a lot of roses, some that folks closer to the ocean may have different experiences with. I would take that into consideration when deciding which varieties to choose. You could also push the envelope, although Santa Monica is close to gardening utopia, so, happy gardening!

HMF is also a great resource if you want to see the beauties suggested by members; although I wouldn't trust the mature size information there either.

Lynn

Jackie is absolutely correct about 'Rosette Delizy.' It's upright and tidy, doesn't need any fussing, and has no disease problems along the Southern California coast. It is a generous bloomer, and you'll get the best color in your cool conditions.

You might also consider General Gallieni, one of the parents of Rosette Delizy. While I find it a bit more spreading, it is likewise disease-free and bountiful. Blooms open pale, and darken as they age, for a terrific multicolored effect.

Jeri

Jerijen, General Gallieni is absolutely stunning. Thank you:) If there was a beauty of the day, it would receive my vote.

Lynn

It gets mine, too. :-)

Jeri

Just when I think I have a grasp on my plans you go and send me in quite the tizzy with those pictures Jeri. Oh boy, that is a gorgeous rose.

Lynn- I'm quite close to the Culver City border in the Sunset Park neighborhood between 17th and 18th streets (even south of Ocean Park). Do you think those ten blocks or so will have much of an impact on my particular microclimate? I can't say I live on the beach, but I take walks to the beach every week from here as well, so it's not too far removed.

I have certainly found Santa Monica as a haven for growing any and all things that have interested me as a born and bred resident. Roses are new territory for me though, so I am treading cautiously. Happy Gardening to you as well!

Cheers,
Jay

ArbutusOmendo,

You will likely find that there's an abundance of beauties that will thrive where you are located; which if I am not mistaken is closer to the civic center and the junior college? You are in the www midst of very knowledgeable rose lovers. I have been gardening for many years but am new to OGR's. It seems as though I either learn something new or am exposed to a great rose almost daily in this forum. Members have recommended great roses and my experience is " they know their roses". Keep logging in:)

Lynn