I grow only one: Blanc Double de Coubert. It was very slow to settle in--just kinda sat there doing very little the first couple years. Now, in its fourth year it is growing fine and blooming regularly, as long as I remember to water it (seems to want more water than my other roses). It has never had disease or bug/insect problems of any kind--which is one of the reasons I got it in the first place. It's only short-coming is that rain will ruin all of its blooms within a few minutes.

Don't know how typical BDdC is of rugosas in general.

Kate

Scardans -- One thing you need to be aware of, before planting rugosas in any number,
would be the pH of your soil.

Most roses prefer a pH somewhat toward the acid range, but many of them will
tolerate some alkalinity with decent results.

Rugosas, however, REALLY don't tolerate alkaline conditions well.
In an alkaline situation, rugosas grow poorly, and they suffer very badly from
chlorosis -- no matter how well-fed.

The part of Southern California in which I garden is an area of alkaline soils
and water, and can accurately be described as "where rugosas go to die."

Jeri

My soil is clay, but pH on the acidic side. I've found rugosas are slow starters--the first year they always look near death. But then they take off. I am growing more and more of them. No diseases, the Japanese beetles eat the blooms but not the foliage, the deer leave them alone...When everything else is defoliated from blackspot and bugs, the rugosas are still lush.

I have wonderful luck with Roseriae de l'Hay but Hansa has not taken off. Therese Bugnet gets red spider mites, but otherwise she's wonderful...although not much rebloom. The only really rugosa that I have that is not disease resistant is Rugelda. Some stellar performers include RdlH, Grootendorst, Pink Grootendorst, Frau Dagmar Hastra, Moje Hammarburg, Snow Pavement, Blanc Double de Coubert, Sara van Fleet, Linda Campbell, Sir Thomas Lipton...I'm sure there are more, but, you can get the idea.

Robert

I have wonderful luck with Roseriae de l'Hay but Hansa has not taken off. Therese Bugnet gets red spider mites, but otherwise she's wonderful...although not much rebloom. The only really rugosa that I have that is not disease resistant is Rugelda. Some stellar performers include RdlH, Grootendorst, Pink Grootendorst, Frau Dagmar Hastra, Moje Hammarburg, Snow Pavement, Blanc Double de Coubert, Sara van Fleet, Linda Campbell, Sir Thomas Lipton...I'm sure there are more, but, you can get the idea.

Robert

For some that have not been mentioned-Belle Poitevine is a good clean reblooming Rugosa-nice medium pink. Mrs Antony Waterer is an exceptional red with good rebloom and nice rugose foliage-and Amelie Gravereaux an especial favorite of mine. Dr Eckener has great rebloom but I find the bush to be bony and awkward. I havent figured out how to prune that one to make it bushy-it took several years to come into bloom but blooms very well now. My must do for today is to set up the sprinkler in the Rugosa bed so I do get a good rebloom.

patricia

I grow 'alba', 'rubra', 'Roserie', 'Coubert', the two Austins in my garden. Have grown the Zemblas and kin, and grow most of the usual other culprits at Mottisfont. Motty is alkaline, my garden is almost pure chalk - they do fine. I guess California alkaline is something different?

I also prune them all - I know, shame on me!

Best wishes
Jon

I guess California alkaline is something different?

*** Probably VERY different!
In my specific area, the "soil" is very degraded decomposed sandstone, once part
of sea bed. I suspect that most of the "topsoil" this place might have had washed
down over the millenia to become part of the 10-ft-deep topsoil that makes
the Oxnard Plain below us incredibly fertile.
Our water is bad-tasting, very mineral-laden, sometimes sulfer-scented stuff
with a pH between 8.3 and 8.5.

There are, undoubtedly, parts of Southern California where rugosas do reasonably well.
Our area is not one of them.

Just a guess, but I suspect that Rugosas may also like a bit of winter chill.

Jeri

I have only two rugosas, Mrs. Doreen Pike from Austin which I just moved from a too-shady spot and cut back severely, but I loved the blooms. Therese Bugnet seems to not mind the heat at all, no disease or bug problems whatever, and is now repeating for the third time in what is its first year in bloom. I believe Agnes is more or less a once-bloomer, so I wouldn't expect much rebloom. I grew Magnifica once when I lived in Sacramento and it was fragrant and beautiful, but I left before it matured. Jeri may be right about the winter chill for pure rugosas, but perhaps that's less true for the hybrids.

Ingrid

I grow several and all rugosas that are close to the species are wonderful and healthy. More heavily hybridized ones are not resistant at all for me (Robusta, Rugelda, Agnes, etc).
One really good one that was not mentioned above is Polareis. Really vigorous and has excellent repeat.
Olga

Perhaps there is another issue in addition to alkalinity-the one weakness disease wise is Rust which I believe Jeri has to perfection. I get a little rust on some naturalized R. r. rubra that came with the property but they dont seem to notice..as for the Heavily Hybridized black spotty ones like Conrad F. M. and Nova Zembla and so on I have found that a couple of Lime-Sufur Dormant sprays takes care of the problem-I do it in January or there about. Agnes is different-seems to have weird looking foliage reguardless. Mine did well for 8 years but is in decline now. Jon needs to give us some hints on how to prune without dieback?????? I have not problem heading back new basals but if I try to prune old wood it is gone.

patricia

Have seen problems with the Grootendorsts in public gardens both east coast and midwest Z5/6. Those and Fimbriata never appealed to me, somehow. I admire pix of Scabrosa but not sure how it would do here. Hansa & Sir Thomas Lipton doing well here with afternoon shade. Even after all these years when the foliage starts to get its fall color I always think, yikes, what's THIS? Then I remember that it's just what they do....

I have these established rugosas listed by my most favorite for hips, rebloom and hardiness at the top and on down:

Magnifica (my best rugosa for rebloom and hips)

Fru Dagmar Hastrup (second best, but a close second!)

Belle Poitevine (right in there with the top two)

Marie Bugnet (love this little rose - unfortunately the stem girdlers do too and rarely leave poor Marie with more than one or two canes.)

Martin Frobisher (gotta love a rose that sets such pretty blooms over the whole season yet asks for nothing at all)

Mrs. Doreen Pike (if only she'd let go of her spent petals, she'd be a perfect little rose. Love the pink blooms against the apple green foliage.)

Carmen (when she's in her spring flush she is awesome! Very little re-bloom the rest of the year.)

R.rugosa rubra (I like this rose, but it won't stay home. Suckers badly in every direction!)

Therese Bugnet (Not much rebloom from Therese and just like her sister, a regular victim of stem girdlers.)

Sweet Cecilia (a bit too tender for my zone; it's hanging on but just barely. Pretty white blooms.)

Fimbriata (not too impressive in bloom, ho-hum out of bloom which is usually. Canes only half hardy up here.)

Dr. Eckner (definitely longs for a warmer zone, has severe die back and awkward growth thereafter with few blooms that blow in a heartbeat. Needs to be shovel pruned except that it takes up so little space it's easy to ignore!)
**
Agnes (I just bought her this year so I haven't ranked her yet - but being a once bloomer doesn't bother me as long as I get *lots* of yellow blooms when she *does* bloom!)

The less "rugose" they are by hybridization, the less hardy they are for me plus all of my rugosas are prone to stem girdler which can be most frustrating. As far as blackspot or powdery mildew, I don't think any of them with the exception of Dr. Eckner (which hardly even looks related to rugosas at all) are affected. If it weren't for the stem girdler problem, they'd be pretty care free. They rarely even get fertilized or watered or deadheaded.

I have several rugosas and all do very well on the northern prairies. The chlorosis is bad some years but I had none at all this summer. Polareis/Ritausma has been outstanding for continuous bloom and also for the lasting quality of the blooms. They even make a long lasting bouquet in the house if you can get through the thorns to pick them. As for hips, Fru Dagmar and Dart's Dash are big enough that the neighbouring boys were convinced they were tomatoes until we let them taste one.
For fall colour and toughness the R. nitida-rugosa hybrids can't be beat. They are once blooming but the shinny foliage make up for that. I have Aylsham,locally bred but you should be able to find Dart's Defender or Corylus.
Leo

This person speaks of Blanc Double de Coubert and says:
" - Pale in comparison to Pierette Pavement and Snow Pavement."
FYI
My Moore's striped gets some BS. Rotes Meer is wonderful, clean and very vigorous. Therese seems to do better with age but still a little stingy with blooms.

Carla