And here is my take on Evelyn.

Diane

Ok--I'll play. This is a first for me, I think--let's see what I come up with.

I'm trying to stick with your categories, Molineux, so that we can make some comparisons. We will see how this works.

Apricot: Molineux (Austin)--cream/yellow/golden/apricot--what color is this ever-changing rose? I love it, regardless.
Bicolor: Several would fit here (Molineux and Lady of Shalott, for instance) but since they already have a slot, I guess Jubilee Celebration (Austin) can go here. A beauty.
Mauve: Munstead Wood (Austin)--or is this more dark purple-red?
Orange: Lady of Shalott (Austin)--not sure, however, that I'd actually call this rose orange, but it is the closest candidate I have and I do adore the colors.
Pink, cool: Queen of Sweden (Austin)
Pink, warm: Possibly Mrs. John Laing (hybrid perpetual)--or maybe Pretty Jessica (Austin). Flip a coin.
Red: Braveheart (Clements)
White: I only have moderns in this category--unless we want to call Mystic Beauty (Bourbon -- very similar to Souvenir de la Malmaison) a white with center pale pink highlights? Mystic Beauty certainly belongs somewhere on this list--breath-takingly lovely.
Yellow: ??? I have Austin's The Pilgrim, but it hasn't bloomed enough for me to have a real opinion of it. If anyone objects to Molineux being put in the Apricot category, we could put him here--but then I'd have no candidate for apricot. (Choices, choices!)
Other: Buff Beauty (hybrid musk)--we really need another category for these pale neutral colors (with apricot highlights) that can be quite exquisite.

Whew! I'm not much better at trying to fit into clear-cut categories than I used to be at answering multiple choice test questions. I always wanted another category called "yes, but . . . . " LOL

Kate

I thought this would be hard to choose the most beautiful white rose, because I love white roses best but:
1.White 'Rose of York' came at once to mind. syn. Alba Semi-Plena. It is my favorite ROSEBUSH ( I don't have italics and am sorry to shout) and I adore it because;
-of its' blue-green leaves as described by one author as "luxurious" are ornamental in color and shape.
-because of its' lovely golden boss of stamens and pollen.
-and because of how, in Autumn it bejewels the garden with its' bright red flagon shaped hips.
I love its' blossoms for the wide petals, and the heavenly scent, light but intoxicating, I came across essential oil made from Alba Semi-Plena made in Africa or Madagascar, once. I nearly swoon with joy at the remembrance.
I love its history, and I wonder where those three wild rose species (D.N.A. tests showed that one of those roses was R. fed.) met up and cross-bred and produced this rose.
How far west did R. fed. grow, before 1400 a.d..?
2. pink and yellow; Mrs. Dudley Cross. I adore those huge saucer shaped cupped blooms.
3.Pink: Mme. Lombard (could be listed under nearly any pastel hue)
4.Peach: Comtesse Emmeline de Guigne (in spring, in hot weather she is a pink rose, two colors for the price and space of one!)

5. Yellow; Marachal Niel
   6. Mauve 'Forrestville Purple Pom-Pom'
   7. Red.... I'm not drawn to red roses much, but Souvenir d' Claudius Denoyal attracts me and it was the first red rose I ever bought. I also am impressed with william shakespeare 2000,
   8.Pernetiana: Duquesa de Penardanana..ana banana fo fana...
   9. favorite white climber, that is non remontant: the roses known at vintagegardens.com as 'Long John Silver' Huge in every part, leaflet, to bloom. How I love you....
   10. Class: Lovely Giantess-Gigantea: 'Susan Louise'. I am interested in rosebushes as plants, more than just loving the bloom, I think that this trait is common among those of us who grow O.G.R's and I mention it because near my home in Berkeley, California near College avenue is a wonderful Susan Louise grown in the sillouette of an apple tree with lower branches removed, and those huge pink rose blossoms dangle downwards over ones head by the hundreds. The whole plant is amazing and when I think of a tree rose, I think of that plant.
   ... 10.5 all the wild roses in the world... I pick a few blooms from R. californica every week during the summer and use the new foliage for bouquets, which is almost as ferny as a spin. I think its about time I returned to the Berkeley Botanical Garden to see how R. odarata is growing and R. chinensis spontanea (the pink one) perhaps a hip has ripened...

Love and roses,
Lux.

oh, because I am being insomniac, I will have a vaguely fuddled attempt.
Apricot - MRS OAKLEY FISHER
yellow - CANTABRIDGIENSIS - any of the chinese yellows, but this is our rose, bred in Cambridge at our local botanics.
White - like Lux, my weakness but although this is a modest rose, it represents all that is beautiful about the plant so, my small pimpinella 'DOUBLE WHITE' gets the prize.
Bicolour - don't normally do stripes or flakes or picotees,,,,,but I do have a gorgeous rose, known to my family as the raspberry ripple rose - the lovely scrambling ayreshire SPLENDENS.
Pale pink (noticed you allowed yourself 2 pinks, M) - POMIFERA DUPLEX - the foliage, the blossom, the scented foliage, the prickly heps - love this rose.
Deep Pink - a hard choice here but CALIFORNICA PLENA just edges it.
Purple - cheating by breaking this up into purple and mauve so I can have both BLUE FOR YOU and PURPLE SKYLINER
Red - easy choice MOYESII
Other - just because I love this ephemeral, dainty little rose - HEBE'S LIP

White: Kronprinzessin Viktoria von Preussen - Bourbon

Red: Sophy's Rose - Austin It's really more a purplish red since red roses are not my thing

Peach: Reve d'Or - Tea-Noisette Unfortunately no longer with me, but I long for another one

Yellow: Cl. Lady Hillingdon - Tea I have no true yellow rose; she's the closest thing to it in my garden

Purple: Mr. Bluebird - Polyantha, although it's actually a China, I believe

Warm Pink: Potter and Moore - an older Austin
Souv. de President Carnot - early Hybrid Tea

Cool Pink: Souvenir de la Malmaison - Bourbon
La France - early Hybrid Tea
Aunt Margy's Rose - polyantha

Ingrid

Liv Tyler, thorny, but compact, never poke me since thorns point down, smells like ripe apricot:

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 23:58

Annie Laurie McDowell, 100% thornless rose, bred by Kim Rupert (Roseseek). Blooms become lavender with acidic soil, smells like lilac and lavender. Bouquet of sprays perfumes the entire room.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 23:47

William Shakespeare 2000 is my favorite red, so is Honey Bouquet as my favorite yellow. W.S. 2000 smells like lilac, and Honey Bouquet is honey/musk:

First bloom of a child of Yves Piaget, bred by Robert Neil Rippetoe. It's 100% thornless rose, amazing scent. Perfect round-bush, glossy foliage, no diseases, tons of blooms. Like a red-version of Marie Pavie, but with exquisite perfume. Roses Unlimited will carry if it continues to do well in my zone 5a:

I expect more petals will later blooms.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 23:49

Versigny, it looks better in real life. The color glows, it smells wonderful ... I choose its scent over Evelyn.

Pink Peace, dark pink and low-thorn ... smells better than Paul Neyron, and produces 10 times more. When the bloom ages, it becomes lavender, very pretty.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 23:55

Last is Frederic Mistral (light pink), nice in cool weather only. Also Golden Celebration, but I don't have a good picture, since I moved the bush, so it's droopy.

Deep Purple, an almost thornless Kordes floribunda, hates my alkaline clay, yet manage to be beautiful. Spicy scent is very good, amazing in cool temp. I dug it up to make the soil acidic.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 23:51

I got the date wrong with SOUVENIR DE LA MALMAISON. The rose was hybridized by Jean Béluze in 1843. Besides, it gives me a chance to insert another beautiful picture. This one by Archduke. You got to admit she really does deserve the title Queen of Beauty and Fragrance.

Molineux, I sure hope my Cl SldM is as pretty as that photo (expecting it to ball) It is the first of my winter bands to reach the top of the arch it is planned to climb

As much as I love Molineux (English, 1994) anybody who has ever compared it to either GOLDEN CELEBRATION or THE PILGRIM in full bloom knows these latter two roses are David Austin's most beautiful yellows. Of course the most beautiful yellow rose in all creation is the Tea-Noisette MARECHAL NIEL (1864). It was the first Old Garden Rose to appear in a clear canary yellow. Combine that with ravishingly beautiful globe shaped blossoms drenched in Tea-Noisette perfume that hang down from the climbing canes like ripe golden apples and you've got one glorious rose. Alas it is absolutely aggravating outside of its preferred growing conditions. That is why it didn't make my initial list because I can't grow it in zone 6, BUT if you live in zones 8-11 where the summers are hot then he is definitely worth a try - especially if you can get him grafted on fortuniana.

You can read more about Maréchal Niel at the following blog site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Maréchal Niel at A Rose is a Rose

I won't be sticking to a color scheme, but -in approximate order- the ten or so roses I find most lovely are:
(Missed that it said only antiques/Austins/et cet.. Pardon me.)
Madame Hardy
Sombreuil
Yolande d'Aragon
Gloire de Dijon
Crown Princess Margareta
Marie Van Houtte
La Ville de Bruxelles
Nuits de Young
Blanchefleur
Boule de Neige

I truly love white roses I must say, but any color can strike me.

Jay

This post was edited by ArbutusOmnedo on Fri, Aug 9, 13 at 2:59

Kippy your climbing SdlM will produce blossoms every bit as beautiful as the one in the pic but to be perfectly honest I've always preferred the shrub over the climbing sport. The smaller rose produces flowers non-stop while the climber can be downright stingy after the first initial flush. Now whether or not the blooms will ball depends on your climatic conditions. Humidity doesn't bother SdlM provided there is enough heat. The flowers ball in places where the air is cool and moist like you find along the Northern California coast. Of course you can always help the blooms along by blowing hard on the buds to force the outer petals apart, but few rosarians possess that kind of devotion.

I forgot to include the pinks. Here are two beauties:

Cool Pink: Frederic Mistral

Warm Pink (depending on her mood and the weather): Princess Alexandra of Kent

Cream Color: Jude the Obscure

Here is a pic of Jude. Diane

Molineux, thank you for the link to the wonderful blog. I know what I will be reading all Saturday.

Hi Diane: I love the ruffles of your Augusta Luise. Your picture of Jude is very inspirational, I'll baby my tiny band.

In another thread I mentioned using Sulfate of potash, salt index 43, but it has magnesium ... and my alkaline clay is tested exceedingly high in magnesium. Potassium sulfate is a better choice for alkaline clay:

Salt index of potassium sulfate is 42.6 (50% potassium and 18% sulfur).

Sulfate of potash has salt-index of 43, with 22% potassium, 11% magnesium, and 22% sulfur.

Epsoma bag of "Potash" is muriate of potash, or potassium chloride, salt index very high at 116.3 .... that's the stuff we use to de-ice sidewalks in zone 5a winter. I sent my husband to the nursery this year, and he got the wrong one, muriate of potash ... he didn't read the fine print.

That's why I prefer to order the right one from Kelp4Less, free shipping. The lowest salt index at 8.4 is monopotassium phosphate, NPK 0-52-34, I tested that this spring and no problems whatsoever. Both potassium and phosphorus are tied up in alkaline soil or water.

Romantica Sweet Promise is my favorite orange-ruffle, the color is refreshing, almost thornless, smells like apple blossoms, and never lose its scent.

Here is a link that might be useful: Salt-index of fertilizers

Each to his/her own, Molineux--and I must admit I've never seen a real live Golden Celebration so can't comment on it--but I am very pleased with my triple Molineux bush (3-in-1) and its lovely apricot/golden/yellow/pink/cream (always changing) blooms.

What's not to love here?
{{gwi:225393}}

Here's a closer view:
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Here's my 3-in-1 bush--not even fully open yet.
{{gwi:293758}}

And here is Molineux in a less apricot mood:
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Here's a pic my daughter took of Molineux in a more yellow mood:
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And Molineux even has a pinkish mood occasionally. Get a load of this pic!
{{gwi:304937}}

Myself--I like the golden apricot mood best:
{{gwi:304938}}

Now that is what I call one gorgeous rose! I also have a new The Pilgrim which has only produced a handful of blooms so far--delicate pale yellow pastel beauty--but not anywhere near Molineux's glowing status yet.

Kate

P.S. I'm not really arguing with Molineux/Patrick--just an excuse to show off a bunch of my beloved Molineux (flower) pics. LOL

Kate, I have Golden Celebration, but your photos make me want to find a Molineux too. I love a nice buttery yellow.

Since I just made my list for the moderns, I guess I'll do one for the older roses. :) These all flower very well, and don't give me much trouble as far as disease goes.

Apricot- Miss Atwood. Best flowers come in winter, and they really are charming. Not a lot of fragrance, but I love them just the same.

White- I don't have a whole lot of whites (other than newbies), but I do have Trinity and that would be my pick here. He's still young, but flowers constantly.

Yellow- Lady Hillingdon. What a ridiculously beautiful flower with a wonderful strong fragrance. I pick one everytime it blooms and put the flower on my desk so that I can smell it all day.

Orange- Lady Emma Hamilton. Pretty foliage, pretty flowers. I have three.

Red- Chrysler Imperial. This is a hybrid tea, and maybe not an "old" one at that, but whatevs, I like it. Nice fragrance from big fat blooms that aren't shrinking too much in the heat. I would also say that Francis Dubreuil is a favorite of mine, de to that intoxicating perfume. His blooms DO shrink quite a bit, but most do, so I forgive that.

Mauve/Purple- Munstead Wood for health and fragrance. I have Grandmother's Hat also, and that would probably fit this color class (ish), but she's too new for me to really comment on how she does here.

Bicolor- Archduke Charles. This is a great plant here, about 5x3, blooms like crazy. I love the winter flowers the best because they're so big.

Blend- Tipsy Imperial Concubine, hands down. Heat loving gorgeous flowers with a strong perfume.
Dark Pink- Maggie. I don't have a lot of trouble with Maggie and she seems to like me too. :)

Light Pink- Madame Scipion Cochet. This is a climber for me, and a constant bloomer. LOVE this rose.

Gorgeous photos everyone. Kate, your Molineux triple is luscious in all its color changes. Many of the darker, more apricotish blooms do look like my Golden Celebration which never really looks like a straight yellow to me.
Strawb, is Sweet Promise the largest orange, left front, in your bouquet? I love the pure orange color of that one.
Here is a GC pic looking a deep goldish (I guess, it's a hard color to pin down). Diane

nanadoll, I do like the shape of your GC bloom, but I still think the color shades of Molineux are hard to beat.

: )

Kate

This year, perhaps not next year when my frozen once-bloomers are back again after a terrible rose season:

Apricot: Sangerhauser Jubiläumsrose
Bicolor: Valdemar (white with pink edges)
Mauve: Reine des Violettes
Orange: Summer Song
Pink, cool: Rosa dumalis
Pink, warm: Lippoldsberg (Typ Kassel)
Red: Rotkäppchen
White: Madame Hardy
Yellow: Aicha (in the photo)
Climber: Lykkefund

I don't even have 10 roses that would fit this category but this season for me Graham Thomas has way out performed Golden Celebration for beauty in the yellow category. GC has been off her game for sure this year with little bloom. GT on the other hand has loved the cool, damp weather and has bloomed non stop for me with huge blooms.

WOW!! Seil .... that's the best pic. of Graham Thomas I have ever seen .. and I love Diane's swirly geometric circles in Golden Celebration ... I have never seen that before, same with Marianne's yellow Aicha, very unique.
Diane: Yes, Romantica Sweet Promise is to the left of Evelyn in previous pic.

I'll second Jay's nomination of Crown Princess Margareta beauty. It's on Pat Henry's fav. list of roses at RU. My CPM bloom is small since it's on a steep hill, rock-hard-clay, and I don't water it. The color is hard to beat, along with rasp. red Wise Portia.

Both Pat Austin and Wise Portia are the most beautiful shrubs, stunning when in blooms.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Fri, Aug 9, 13 at 19:13

It is amazing how uptight a question like this makes me. It's like i can hardly do it. All I can do is rattle off a list and then tomorrow the list would change. I love so many roses.
here's a few.
Souvinier de la Malmaison
Medallion
Madame Isaac Periere
Valencia
Souvinier de Madame Corval
Jactan
Janet
Tea Clipper
Sharifa Asma
Etude
Falstaff
I really could go on.

Chromatella
Comtesse de Rocquiny
Mlle. Blanche Lafitte
Mme. Hardy
Mme. Isaac Pereire
Reine des Violettes
Rose de Rescht
Rose du Roi
Souvenir de Claudius Denoyel
Souvenir du Président Lincoln

That is ten, and heavy on Bourbons, I admit; can we include runners-up?

Larry

Alba semiplena

Merechal Neil

Lady Hillingdon

Princesse de Nassau

Secret Garden Musk Climber

Graham Thomas

Evelyn

Mogador

SDLM

Alba maxima

It's interesting that when we talk about "the ten most beautiful roses" we all immediately think about the most beautiful bloom, rather than the most beautiful rose bush or shrub. If I listed my best blooms it would be full of vintage HTs and HPs, but a list of what I consider the best rose bushes or shrubs would be very different. Few roses would be common to both lists except for perhaps a few teas.

That is a great idea Rinaldo, you should start a topic with your favorite bushes! That would be good list.

Charles de Mills
Abraham Darby
The Reeve
Old Blush
Mons. Tillier
Crown Princess Margaretta
Bishops Castle
Smiths Parish
Variegata di bologna
Boule de nanteil

Thus far for me; these are my votes. I do not know if next year my list will be different; I have a lot of newbies on my patio that I am anxious to see:

Golden Celebration
Souvenir de la Malmaison - bush
Crown Princess Margareta
Lady Hillingdon ( photos only)
Munstead Wood
Variegata di Bologna
La Reine
Princess Alexandria of Kent ( many images of)
Marie Pavie
Mme. Isaac Periere

This post was edited by desertgarden561 on Mon, Aug 12, 13 at 0:23

1. Favorite of all time- Sonia Rykiel

This plant has made some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen up close. Mind you, some years they miss and are almost perfect but there have been times when the color and shape combine with the rich perfume -something I imagine to be like a hint of beauty from Heaven. I feel like I'm looking at something impossibly special in my own garden and I just feel blessed to have the climate to grow this rose.

2. Kathryn Morely

I saw this plant in a group of 3 at Descanso and wanted it right away. All the pictures I see of this rose don't really show you how fine it can be. Sometimes in my garden, it makes the most picture perfect roses and I love how they are in clusters. Seeing this rose up close is the way to experience the delicacy of it. The way they hang on the plant makes them even more beautiful. Somebody out there has the climate this rose likes to bloom more and to that person I say I'm wishing I had a vacation home next to you.

3.Hoovb's Evelyn

Mine is just a small plant now but I have great hopes. This spring the flowers were pretty and the fragrance so rich that I decided that even if mine doesn't have the high quality of hoovb's flowers, I will still be happy. But those pictures of her Evelyn are some of the finest roses I have ever seen.

4. Coquette des Blanches

Descanso has this. I don't have one yet. I saw it on an overcast day when the sun was just starting to come out. Everything about it was the highest quality. I didn't have my camera and haven't seen a picture that equals what I saw in person. The shape and delicate color and the translucency of the petals combined with the way they were coming on the branch was a poetic moment I have wanted to revisit ever since.

5. Othello

I haven't seen that many deep pink/reds and I know there are some trememdous ones out there. Especially in the heat,the deep reds really suffer here. I have seen some A+ blossoms from this rose as far as color and shape which would be fit for any catalog cover. I like it much better than some of the newer reds which are supposed to be an improvement.

6. Reine Victoria

I just love the shape of this rose and the color. It's so sweet

7. Francois Rabelais

This rose has been so good to me. What a champ putting these showy blooms out in all kinds of difficult weather. They stay red and don't fry except in the most punishing heat. In the cool of the spring or fall they strut their stuff. One time I saw some rich red perfect ones glittering with soft morning rain that qualified them to make this list.

8. Bolero

There's a tough competiton between Fair Bianca and this rose for most beautiful white, but Bolero finally won with a impossibly beautiful bloom this year but I am biased toward the color blended whites so it wasn't really fair.

9. Belle Portugaise

I love the silky sheen on the petals, the color and they way the flowers hang down from above. Sometimes the shapes are so perfect in the opening flowers. It was this or Boule de Neige which I have only seen from pictures.

10. Lady Banks
Cascading down in full flower. This is my favorite yellow of all time

I'm not able to rank roses this way. But I'd like to add some roses that I think are very beautiful that no one has listed yet, as far as I've noticed. Also to get away from the David Austin roses, which I wholeheartedly agree are some of the loveliest varieties around, but which I've never grown with much success.
yellow: 'Etoile de Lyon', full, shapely, creamy yellow, and on such a healthy, handsome, durable, frugal plant. All my flowers so far this year have been ruined by beetles, which have had an extraordinary season, unfortunately. 'Duchesse d'Auerstaedt' is also very lovely, full and golden yellow, and on a vigorous goodlooking plant with red new growth. And while perhaps 'Isabella Sprunt' isn't the most beautiful yellow in existence--but maybe it is?--I always go gaga for the contrast between the pale acid, almost metallic lemon yellow of its flowers and its dark red-tinted foliage. Also the silky texture of the blooms which it shares with its equally lovely sport parent 'Safrano'.
pink: 'Mme. Antoine Mari', with cool pink and whipped cream blooms, which are elegant even when semi-starved but which get quite large and full if they have a favorable spring. Graceful growth and foliage, and a strong thrifty plant. Also 'Centifolia', perfect rose pink, perfect rose form, perfect old rose fragrance. This rose blooms late for me and has a long flowering season, and beetles don't seem to go for it. Oh, heavens, I forgot 'Spray Cecile Brunner' and its pepper-and-China-scented thimble-sized blooms.
white: 'Mme. Jules Bouche', an old Tea-like HT, flowers white with a bit of honey or parchment in the center, fragrant, always graceful, and sumptuous when well grown. 'Mme. Zoetmans', low suckering growth like a Gallica, waxy-textured white double blooms, very fragrant. And 'Vierge de Clery', the white Centifolia.
red: I wasn't going to list one, when it occurred to me that no one has mentioned 'Oklahoma': not better than other reds here, but still very dark and very fragrant. And how about the very dark Gallicas like 'Tuscany Superb'?
purple: 'Ipsilante', large flat velvet powderpuffs of pink-mauve-lilac-gray, scented, of course. I must say I liked 'Rose-Marie Viaud' when it bloomed in its pot this spring: little blooms like Parma violets, which latter had a big year here this spring. No scent, unfortunately ('Rose-Marie Viaud', not the Parma violets).
orange: I do love 'Comtesse du Cayla's methiolate-colored blooms. They gave me a great deal of pleasure this spring when they bloomed in the company of yellow-variegated sage 'Icterina' and orange-red field poppies.
Melissa

Mme Pierre Oger is to my mind the most beautiful.

Definitely tough to choose a few...

White: Lamarque (perfectly arranged frilly petals, scent from heaven)

Cream: Hoag House Cream

Yellow: Etoile de Lyon (I agree with everything Melissa says about it).

Red: Rose du Roi of commerce

Dark Red: Tie between Francis Dubreuil and Oklahoma

Lighter pink: Mme. Antoine Mari

Medium pink: Rhodologue Jules Gravereaux

Orange: Geranium Red (like Lamarque, done in orange and a bit larger)

Light apricot: Mrs. Oakley Fisher (a just-opening flower, viewed from the side, is the epitome of perfect color and poppy form)

Dark Apricot: Etoile de Feu

Mrs. Oakley Fisher, June 26, 2013:

This post was edited by catspa on Tue, Aug 13, 13 at 14:20

Melissa, I chose Oklahoma as my most beautiful modern red on the roses forum. I agree with Vintage that it is the unique shape combined with the rich color that makes it a winning rose. I have some better perfumed reds ( Papa M. and Firefighter ) but when it's size and color are what they can be in mid 70's temps, Oklahoma is the most beautiful of any red HT that I have seen yet.

This one isn't quite as tough for me as the modern list, since fewer categories of OGRs thrive in zone 5 that have individually lovely blooms (as opposed to say the Hybrid musks), except ramblers and Albas/Gallicas and the like that are too much the large once-bloomer for my garden space. I'll throw in some pictures to state my case more effectively than my words.

Apricot: Carding Mill - a lovely dark to light apricot even in the sun.

{{gwi:304939}}

Bicolor: I'll go for subtlety here rather than the more garish stripes of things like Variegata di Bolognia, not to mention the much better rebloom of this Vick's Caprice.

{{gwi:304940}}

Mauve: A rose that introduced me to the Austins with a bang and is still among the more "purple" of his roses for me, William Shakespeare 2000.

{{gwi:304941}}

Orange: Hmm, not a color that abounds in OGRs outside of apricots, but I'll go with Gertrude Jekyll, who's at least on the coral side of the color scheme.

{{gwi:304943}}

Light/warm Pink: The Austins have all the fun among OGRs in this category for me, but they also get plenty of glory, so I'll go with the unsung hero of a tea who's brave enough to bloom and survive for years in zone 5, in this case Mrs. BR Cant:

{{gwi:304944}}

Dark/cool pinks: Both for scent and sheer exuberance of bloom, I'm going with Madame Isaac Periere.

{{gwi:304945}}

Red: Another winner in the scent department, but the blooms are much lovelier than this poor picture shows, even though Frances Dubreuil is only an honorary OGR with a secret identity as mild-mannered cub reporter Barcelona.

{{gwi:304946}}

White: Definitely Mme Alfred Carriere, for exuberance as well as beauty.

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Yellow: I would never presume to come between Patrick and Kate in their equally convincing arguments for the loveliness of Molineux and GC, so I'll side step it with a lighter yellow and go with Teasing Georgia.

{{gwi:304948}}

Other: Most beautiful hybrid Musk - Francesca. I said these hybrid musks aren't usually beautiful individual flowers but better en masse, but I think Francesca can hold her own on the flower side of things too.

{{gwi:304949}}

Cynthia

Nipptress--you are such a diplomat, tip-toeing so carefully between Patrick and myself. LOL

Your Teasing Georgia is lovely enough that I'm wishing I had one.

But my new The Pilgrim just put out a couple more blooms--I was looking at them today and Patrick is right--The Pilgrim is a beautiful Austin!

Your Madame Isaac Periere is a beauty, nippstress!

Kate

While we have been quibbling over which yellow Austin is the loveliest--The Pilgrim, Molineux, Teasing Georgia, or Golden Celebration--my new climbing The Pilgrim finally got around to blooming, so I thought I'd show off her little cluster.

Austin's The Pilgrim (climbing on a pillar)--I think we can agree this is a lovely yellow, right?
{{gwi:216261}}

Now, if she would just burst into bloom all over! I can hardly wait. She's my new candidate for most beautiful yellow (says proud mama)!

Kate

This post was edited by dublinbay on Fri, Aug 16, 13 at 9:35

Oh, absolutely, Kate - I love the deepness of the yellow in the centers, as well as the richly double petals and the bloom shape. You don't expect yellow to stay that vivid in mid-summer heat, but in fact we haven't exactly had mid-summer heat lately here in the Heartland, have we Kate? Gorgeous blooms, and that's one more to add to the "some day" list for new roses.

Glad you liked MIP and TG - both would do well for you in Kansas, but you don't have as much to worry about with winter kill being a zone warmer.

Cynthia

THE PILGRIM meets a lot of my criteria for an exceptional rose. It grows extremely well on its own roots, is hardy in my USDA Zone 6 garden(something that can't be said for those Tea-Noisettes that I covet so badly), and has reasonable disease resistance. As you can see the flowers are drop dead gorgeous but also wonderfully fragrant as well. David Austin describes the bouquet as a blend of Tea Rose and myrrh, but to be honest I can't smell the latter. To me the fragrance is straight on Tea Rose but with this extremely fresh background scent that reminds me of standing in the middle of an herb garden. The flowers also last a long time in the vase. Although the stems are thin, they are still strong enough to hold the flowers upright (none of that nodding nonsense so typical of the English Roses). The growth habit can be problematical as this is VERY vigorous rose, but I find he is controllable if grown on his own roots and trained either as a pillar rose or a climber. If you grow this rose as a climber be forewarned to train the canes early while they are still flexible. If you wait too long into the season they have a tendency to stiffen up and will snap and break when bent. About the only complaint I have is the repeat bloom. Now don't get me wrong. Once established The Pilgrim does rebloom (I've got some sprays on my two plants as I type this) but he doesn't repeat as fast as I'd like, and there is no autumn flush: just a slow steady stream of teasing flowers after the initial spring bonanza.

Kate take my advice and plant some Royal Aspiration delphiniums next to your rose. When two bloom together - sheer utter ocular ecstasy. Blue repeat blooming bearded irises will also do the trick. Just a suggestion of course...

Image of The Pilgrim by yahyaqu-5ontaro at the Hortiplex database.

Thanks for the info, Molineux. I was wondering if it might be a bit of a slow bloomer/re-bloomer--but we'll see as it matures over the never year or two.

Unfortunately, I can't grow delphinium here--I've tried--they are really unhappy in Kansas. However, iris love Kansas and I have lots of irises in shades of blue and purple--in fact, a big batch of some unnamed blue old-fashioned iris (they were on the property when I bought it) is already growing fairly close to The Pilgrim. I will have to take note next year to determine how well they like each other.

My Pilgrim is located on the path to my garage where I keep my car and garden stuff--which means I shall be able to pass by and take a sniff at least a half dozen times a day. Wish I could claim foresight in planting it there, but I'm afraid that was pure coincidence.

Kate

white: Gloire Lyonnaise (thanks to Cliff Orent)
red: Charles Lefebvre
Orange: Pat Austin
Apricot: Countess Vandal (really more salmon)
Crimson: Oekonomierat Echtermeyer
Pink: too many to choose from, but let's say Fantin-Latour for now, or maybe Duchesse de Brabant, or maybe Justizrat Dr. Hessert or Lady Alice Stanley . . .
Yellow: The Pilgrim (but let me put in a good word for Solera Vigorosa which is attractive and absolutely blackspot resistant)

White: Blanchfleur, a delicious-smelling centifolia with pure white double flowers.
Pink: Many to choose from, but Felicite Parmentier has the best fragrance and beautiful smallish perfectly formed flowers.
Red: I like Munstead Woods from the modern English, and Mme Victor Verdier my last remaining Hybrid Perpetural.
Yellow: Golden Wings, single with prominent lovely stamens.
Bicolored: Village Maid, or Centifolia Variegata, is very subtly striped and beautiful