It's widely agreed that the dark pink rose now grown around the world as SdPL is not the original. All early sources describing SdPL remark on its very deep red color, shaded with an even deeper -- almost black -- red.

Another long-caned fragrant Bourbon in a similar "look" would be 'Deuil de Dr. Reynaud' (which also might not be the original, and might be the same rose being sold as 'Philemon Cochet'). I've never seen it (nor PC), but I was looking into them when I was trying to pick out a long-caned fragrant Bourbon.

I did buy 'Souvenir du President Lincoln' (or, at least, the rose being sold as such), but I gifted it to someone back in Buffalo. This was its second year in the ground. I'll have to find out how it did there.

There's also 'Souvenir de Victor Landeau' but I don't think it'll grow to be as big and "climber-ish" as the others mentioned. Vintage Gardens gives it a different growth habit, and the one I have here is doing more of a "sprawling, self-pegging" type of growth habit -- canes grow up, grow long, then bow down from their own weight, and bloom all along their length the following year. It's been very vigorous for me, coming as a band in April 2012. It finally went in the ground this Summer, and also bloomed for the first time this year. I have some pics of it below (taken with an iPhone, so pardon the less-than-stellar quality).

August 2012 (four months after receiving it as a band from Vintage Gardens). Those upright canes in the pics below later bowed down on their own:

April, 2013...just leafing out, one year after receiving it as a band. That one cane shooting straight up arched down like the others during Summer:

Late May, 2013...first wave of blooms weren't fully double, but were fully fragrant:

Mid-June, 2013...with more buds about to bloom (this wave was fully-double). Notice the cane that was straight-up is already leaning to the left:

Just to the left of center, in front of the stones and behind the log edging, taken August 31, 2013, it's finally planted. It's hard to see against the leaf litter mulch, but SdVL has canes arching out to the sides and forward. In fact, the cane draping over the log-edging is actually the cane that was originally growing straight-up in the earlier pics:

Another shot of SdVL, here just to the right of center (look for the white name tag with two blue patches from the cardboard under the mulch sticking up), and you can see the long canes arching out from it. The "white" flowers in the pic belong to 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' behind and to the left of it. There's one cane shooting up on SdVL now, but by next year, it will also (likely) arch down on its own:

:-)

~Christopher

Windeaux: a very good point about President Lincoln being a more graceful bush. It's less tall, and more rounded, as opposed to the gangly, sprawling canes of MIP. You know, Rogue Valley Roses has President Lincoln in stock, at a price of $13.95 for a band. I'm going to order it, because I'm now very curious to see how it will perform in my damp climate, especially as a comparison to MIP, which I already grow. How exciting! Hahaha : )

Zachary.

Madame de Sevigne looks very similar to MIP. Deuil de Dr. Reynaud looks gorgeous. Souvenir de Victor Landeau looks to be cut of the same cloth as the others, as does Madame Dubost. All are beautiful. In my garden, MIP formed a rounded bush about 5 feet high after 3 years, no gangly canes which is unfortunate because I love the gangly canes. What to choose? Alas, but I only have room for one! I am suspecting that none is more heat tolerant than the others.

I'm tempted to try another pink Bourbon.

Lux

I don't think I've been helpful, but I sympathize. Good luck if you try again with MIP. Lou