I love Henry Nevard. It's an HP that grows sturdily and has huge fragrant deep red blooms. Sorry I'm not sure where a photo is.

Souvenir de la Malmaison

Was the highlight of my roses last summer. Everything took a hit with the drought, but not her. She chugged along. She's fairly new for me. Survived our faux winter last year. Hope she makes it through a real winter here this year.

'Mystic Beauty' and other sports of 'Souvenir de la Malmaison.' These are more blackspot-resistant and repeat better than long-caned bourbons, HPs, and Portlands, while the flowers of MB and SDLM are unsurpassed. They would not develop properly in zone 5, however.

For me it also has to be Souvenir de la Malmaison which seems to love my hot, dry climate and blooms profusely at least ten months of the year with virtually no disease. This is a rose that seems to be very climate-specific, but where it's happy it's unsurpassed.

Ingrid

I can't wait for SDLM to arrive in Feb!

My best rebloomer with fragrance is SdlM but my favorite is still La Reine. It just edges out Madame Issac P. because she has a nicer fall bloom here where it's warmer. I love the shape-color -fragrance-bush shape. Beautiful, beautiful La Reine.

I have Mystic Beauty, which is supposed to be a sport of SdlM. In its 2nd year, Mystic Beauty is only about 2 X 3 and blooms turn white almost as soon as they open. I haven't been really impressed with it, but I'm still giving it time. MichaelG, why wouldn't SdlM develop properly in Zone 5?

Rose de Rescht stole my heart years ago and continues to do so every year.

Diane

To quote Bob S. an 85 yr old fellow rosarian friend and customer of ours....its the last one you saw or smelled.....♥

Cydney

Here is a link that might be useful: The Old Garden Rose Blog

For me it's Dupuy Jamain, a rose I never seem to see mentioned anywhere!!

This year my Souvenir de Pierre Notting has final matured enough to show himself and he's is beautiful! He has wonderful, full blooms that nod in a very charming way. The blooms seem to last forever. The bush is very nicely shaped, also.

Can you tell I like this rose!?!?

gardenerzone4, I think the SDLM family is only cane-hardy to around zero F. They could be grown as dieback plants (like hybrid teas in the North) provided summers are warm and sunny. However, to be at their best, they need to develop a shrubby structure. My 'Mystic Beauty' took a while to get going and did suffer some winter damage its first year. Now it is about 4' wide and blooms like crazy.

For my North Texas garden (Joshua) , definitely Ducher (but it needs at least a year in the garden to establish itself. My next candidate would be Duchesse de Brabant. I wish I could list Belinda's Dream, but this is an earthkind as opposed to an old garden rose. If she qualified she would be my number one.

Baronne Prevost. She produces loads of fragrant, many -petalled flowers for much of the year, lives in partial shade, produces hips for birds to eat in the winter, gets no fertilizer, requires no pruning, and thrives in dry summer heat with no supplemental water. She's healthy to boot! To me this is is wonderful low-maintenance rose.

Melissa

This is a good question, but I'd like some clarification. Are you talking about old roses or including modern roses with old-fashioned form like the Austin roses? And are you interested in hearing about tender roses like the Teas, which in some climates bloom year round, or do you want to limit your inquiry to cold hardy varieties that go through a winter dormancy? Thanks,
Melissa
P.S. What's YOUR favorite?

Hi Melissa, I had in mind to learn about any rose with an old fashioned form, so Austins are definitely in. Since I live in Zone 5b, I'd love to learn about cold hardy roses, but anyone who has a tender favorite is absolutely welcome to share too. My favorite is a rose called Antico Amore. It's a modern rose, but with a nostalgic bloom, and a bushy shape.

Here is a link that might be useful: Antico Amore on HMF

Heritage. Have 3 grafted ones. I have done nothing to these but prune them when they get over 6 feet tall. Never even fertilize them. They are bulletproof. And the scent is to die for... very little leaf spot. totally hardy. Only year I had problems is the year we had a freezing rain which completely covered the canes in ice. I am zone 5. Rose de rescht is a close second, but the japanese beetles love the foliage and completely decimate this entire rose. The jbs only like the flowers on heritage.

I couldn't live without the climbing sport of LA FRANCE (Cl. Hybrid Tea, 1893), SOUVENIR DE LA MALMAISON (Bourbon, Mme. Desprez x unknown Tea, Jean Beluze, 1843), or REINE DES VIOLETTES (Hybrid Perpetual, seedling of Pope Pius IX, Mille-Mallet, 1860).

Among the reproductions I'm extremely fond of EVELYN (English, Graham Thomas x Tamora, David Austin, 1991), HERITAGE (1984) and her white sport ROSE-MARIE (2003), MOLINEUX (1994), THE PILGRIM (1991), and WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 2000.

Gardenerzone4,
Thanks for the additional info; I had an idea that's what you had in mind but wasn't sure.
I think your favorite is quite an interesting choice; I didn't know the Barni roses were in commerce in the U.S. or that they were that good. Barni hybridized a number of roses of the type of 'Antico Amore' that I saw back early in the last decade--I used to get their catalog--but I haven't followed them or heard anything about those roses or the company's more recent breeding efforts for several years. Nice to know you got a good rose from an Italian hybridizer!
Although we do have a real winter here it's not long and consistent enough for me to experience that thrill that you cold zone gardeners feel when the first rose blooms. We have mild weather intermittently through the cold months so that the garden as a whole never shuts down for more than a few weeks at a time. Actually, 'Old Blush', 'Sanguinea', and 'Mme. Jules Bouche' all have a few struggling blooms at this moment.
My best and favorite reblooming roses with old-fashioned blooms are almost all tender kinds--the Teas "Bermuda's Anna Olivier" and 'Mme. Antoine Mari' are among my many favorites. But I do like 'Sharifa Asma', which makes a stout shapely contained shrub and has wonderful fragrance. And I have a soft spot for 'Mme. Boll' (often sold as 'Comte de Chambord') and 'Jacques Cartier'/'Marchesa Boccella', both with soft pink, very fragrant blooms and an old-fashioned look to the foliage and canes, and good tough plants. I don't know much about the Hybrid Perpetuals--yet--though DH and I just planted a good number of them this fall as an experiment.

oooh, I had to think hard here because I realised that I didn't have any. Or at least, I don't have any reblooming ones. I have quite a few gaps in my rose collection where a number of entire classes (centifolia, damask, HP, teas) are not represented in my garden while the remontant roses (noisettes, chinas, bourbons) are notoriously miffy so I am not inclined to count them as particularly beloved. Which leaves me with Hybrid Musks, I guess, although even they are not particularly old fashioned looking. On the other hand, there are various ramblers and species which are truly loved and a couple especially I could not be without - the lovely, rampant field rose - R.arvensis Splendens and R.pomifera duplex (aka Wolley Dod's rose).

This will probably change in 6 months, but right now I'd have to say a tie between:

Sophie's Perpetual
Marie Pavie
Pretty Jessica

Kittymoonbeam, I'm happy to see you putting in a vote for La Reine. I bought that one very late this year, so I haven't seen it bloom yet. I'm looking forward to spring, but I have doubts about it long term. Many people say it doesn't repeat well in warm climates.

Melissa, I didn't even realize you were in Italy until I saw your post again. I've got a bunch of Barni roses now, including Stile 800, Etrusca, and Anna Fendi. Their names have always puzzled me. Can you tell me what Antico Amore means in Italian? What about Stile 800 and Etrusca?

Molineux, I've been thinking about adding Molineux to my garden. Can you tell me about its growth habit (shrub shape and size), BS resistance, and fragrance? Overall, is it worth growing? (I probably shouldn't ask you that question!)

Gardenzone4 I don't recommend MOLINEUX for your garden. He isn't hardy enough. A better alternative is CHARLOTTE, which should do fine in zone 5b. CHARLOTTE is a very beautiful English Rose that reminds me of a yellow HERITAGE. Growth habit is bushy, medium-to-tall in height, with nicely spaced, nearly thornless canes well clothed in disease resistant foliage. Dependable repeat bloom too. Her only faults are the light fragrance and short vase life (I did say she reminded me of Heritage). Now don't get me wrong, Charlotte IS fragrant, just not as fragrant as I'd like. The scent reminds me of carnations and Tea Roses. As for the vase life the mature blooms tend to shatter quickly, so if you want roses for the house you'll have to cut the flowers while they are still in bud. CHARLOTTE is widely considered to be an improved version of Graham Thomas, and is David Austin's most winter hardy yellow.

Since you want to know about MOLINEUX, I'll tell you, but again I stress he will not be hardy enough for your garden. So without further ado:

MOLINEUX is my favorite rose because it has everything. It is beautiful, fragrant, and easy to grow. If you like the color yellow you will die over this rose as he presents an ever changing blend of hues in the yellow range from pale primrose to rich orange-yellow. No two blooms are alike. The flower form is a cheerful pompom and has a decent vase life. Stems are strong so the blooms are held straight up for flower arranging. The moderate Tea Rose fragrance is very refreshing on a hot day, but becomes richer in the late afternoon when the Musk Rose scent comes to the front. Growth habit is upright, similar to a Floribunda. Shrub height is short to medium depending on your climate. In places like the Deep South or Texas he can get bigger but for the most part is easy to maintain at 4 feet tall, my favorite height for a garden rose. This makes him amazingly versatile in the garden. For a denser, wider "shrub" he can be grouped in threes, or planted singly if you need to tuck him into a tighter space. The bright green foliage covers the shrub well and is more resistant to disease than most other yellow roses. Here in black spot hell he needs infrequent spraying, about once every three weeks is enough to keep him clean. In areas outside of the Mid-Atlantic he is a good candidate for a no spray rose. Thorns aren't bad either. Yes they are there (enough to remind you that you are dealing with a rose) but aren't so bad you have to worry about getting wounded every time you handle the plant. Fully hardy to USDA Zone 6b. Lastly, repeat bloom is very dependable, better than most English Roses in fact.

MOLINEUX is a study in balance. Yes there are yellow English Roses with stronger fragrance or more sumptuous flower form or more gracefully arching growth habit or better hardiness, but all of these roses lack in other areas, which puts MOLINEUX as my top pick for newbies who want a beautiful, easy to grow garden rose.

Here is a link that might be useful: Charlotte at HelpMeFind Roses

Gardenerzone4,
'Antico Amore' means "Love from the Past"; 'Stile 800' means "1800s Style"; 'Etrusca' means "Etruscan", with the feminine ending that means it could refer to a woman or to a rose.
Melissa

This post was edited by melissa_thefarm on Fri, Jan 4, 13 at 9:34

SDLM times 3. One is nice, but three together is outstanding. I have 4 sets of three. The only thing that does not work is by the mailbox to put them in a line. They need to be in a triangle -- in my opinion. I love those roses.

Sammy

Does 'Gruss an Aachen' count? The pink version aka 'Irene Watts' is a gem, too. Asks for so little, gives so much.

{{gwi:327031}}

LOVE it Hoovb!!! How big is the plant here in So Cal?

One more to add to my "list"

Hi Molineux, thanks for your description of Molineux. I've decided to get one, despite your warning that it may not be hardy in my zone. That's OK, about 90% of the roses I grow are not hardy in my zone. I grow own root only, and the cold winters "decide" the pruning for me. I have not lost a single rose yet. I picked Molineux over Charlotte b/c I like that the flowers turn apricot at some point in the bloom cycle. Apricot is my favorite color. Is Molineux more disease resistant than Charlotte?

Marie Bugnet is my most awaited because it is the earliest to bloom.Madame Hardy is my most beloved and signals the end of the first bloom cycle for the roses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Musings blog on Marie Bugnet.

Kippy, Gruss/Pink Gruss stays at about 3x3, and roots fairly easily from cuttings.

'Gruss an Aachen' is certainly one of my favorites for its fast, heavy repeat, beautiful, changeable flowers, and perfect compact shrub habit. Here it needs regular spraying for blackspot, though. Pink Gruss is just as good but not as interesting, because all the flowers are the same.

One that is winter hardy, no protection in my z4 area & repeats very well is Stanwell Perpetual. Has a good fragrance & because it is part Spinossisima(sp?) has a different leaf & shrub look to it from other roses. Also have & like Comte de Chambord which is has good hardiness in my area. I also have a mini, Sweet Chariot, that has very OGR looking & fragrant blooms that I wouldn't be with out.

This post was edited by wirosarian on Sat, Jan 5, 13 at 16:34

I agree with the earlier posters--Mystic Beauty (identical to or close relative of Souvenir de la Malmaison) is a wonderful rose. Loveliest full blooms, fast rebloom, little BS problems. Sometimes I wish her blooms had a bit more color in them, but mostly I admire the delicate pastels (nearly white) of her blooms.

For more color, I love the big fat medium pink blooms of the hybrid perpetual Mrs. John Laing. Quite upright and showy in bloom, she unfortunately suffers a bit more from BS and isn't the fastest on the re-bloom--but wonderful when she does bloom.

I guess hybrid musks, as a class, are old roses--except that mine are the newer versions of these old roses--Buff Beauty and Jeri Jennings. Love them but don't really think of them as 'old garden roses."

I have about 15 David Austin roses--if they count (as "reproduction" roses) then I nominate all of them--although my newest one--Lady of Shalott--is my favorite and a most becoming but MODERN shade of golden-apricot. I will be getting Austin's Wedgewood and The Pilgrim and Scepter'd Isle in the spring, so they might become my most favorite Austins. Certainly their colors probably blend in better with old garden roses. Oh yes, and I'm also getting Austin's Munstead Wood--not sure how modern or old-fashioned that dark color will be.

I also set off a section for some polyantha roses--they are OGR's, aren't they? The Fairy, Mothersday, and what is that "sweetheart" rose called? etc. They are all fairly new and haven't done much yet, but I'm encouraged by their first season in my garden.

I like experimenting a bit with different types of roses, but most of my roses are moderns.

Kate

Hoovb....sure wish I lived by you-would want to raid your post pruning trash cans!

Is there a favorite scented red none single that would look good sharing an arched arbor with Don Juan anyone can recommend?

I'm like the description in ladyg8l's post - I acquire a new favorite every year (or even more often). Mostly Teas, but lately falling for other classes as well. First love: Devoniensis, then Mme. Antoine Mari, then Betty. Year before last: Fell madly for Mme. Lambard and Mons. Tillier. This last year: Superb Tuscan, Mme. Isaac Pereire. The thing is - as I fall for new discoveries, I don't lose my regard for the earlier ones, so my "Favorites Shelf" is getting rather crowded!

Also, I really should list Mlle. Jeanne Phillipe, a smallish apricot Tea that I had until recently. Very graceful and always putting out lovely smallish blooms, ranging from pale yellow with hint of rose on edges (cool weather) to stronger yellow, to a real apricot, depending on the season. A rose that doesn't seem to get much talked about, but I thought it was lovely and dependable.

Laura

Anna Olivier, definitely. It blooms here 10-11 months of the year. It is a tea rose, so not for everyone. I love the buff to pale yellow to pale pink color (with a darker pink on the reverse), and how elegant it is. Also that it has been growing in our garden for 90+ years. That is, the oldest one has. I have 2 others that I rooted which are big now, but not as big as the original.

Jackie

ooooh, Jacqueline - if only I could grow roses like that! I am not really a fan of many petalled roses but I will forgive everything as long as the foliage is graceful and matte and the blooms are loose-petalled with nodding langour - for sure, your Anna would be blasted to shrivelled misery in the windy east anglian fen but if I ever had a sheltered southfacing high wall, that would be just the rose I would enjoy growing.

My favourites, are definitely those roses with the strongest perfume. I like to be overwhelmed by it.
Here, so far, they are Sombreuil, Pat Austin, Buff Beauty, Colombian Climber, Abraham Darby, Teasing Georgia and Lady Emma Hamilton.
In wet and windy Cornwall, in the south west of England, they were, Spirit of Freedom, The Pilgrim and Mme Isaac Pereire.
In Surrey, in the drier, sunnier, south east of England, they were, Mme Alfred Carriere, Trolius, Comte de Chambord, Constance Spry and strangely, because it has no perfume, Cerise Bouquet.
Daisy

I love the color, scent and vigor of 'Rose de Rescht', but in a bad year it can be a martyr to black spot.

I planted a tiny band of 'Pink Gruss an Aachen' in fall 2011 that survived the following winter unprotected and the subsequent hot and dry summer with little supplemental water. To me, this is NOT a photogenic rose and almost invariably looks boring in photos. In person, however, I am amazed by the delicate shadings of the blooms. Quite tea-like. Good, variable fragrance that can be mild or strong depending on weather conditions. Very rapid rebloom. I will watch this one mature with interest.

Many old friends mentioned in the above posts, so maybe I'll say I'm most looking forward to some new additions to see how they work - a plant of 'Homere' budded from the 150 year-old plant in Sussex; 'Diana Moore', a repeat flowering sport of 'Francis E Lester' sent me by an Australian friend; the 1902 'Peace'; a 'limited release' Austin called 'Josephine Hooker', named for the granddaughter of Joseph Hooker of Kew Gardens and an excellent Hybrid Musk from Pamela Temple's garden named for my dear friend 'Joan Taylor' which should flower this year.

Doesn't matter how old the garden - or the gardener - there is always something new to add spice to the established loves.

Best wishes
Jon

Pink Gruss, sometimes sold as Irene Watts, is variable here. Can be solid pink but also often has shadings. Regular Gruss is very variable. Both rebloom well. I don't know what my favorite old rebloomer is but Madame Alfred Carriere is one of the best reblooming climbers. Vick's Caprice has great rebloom. Here's Pink Gruss:

Climbing Etoile de Holland
It grows like crazy, stays clean here, is red & it has one of the best fragrances of all the roses ~ Jay

Many roses are beloved both once-blooming and repeating. Of the remontants I look forward to the heavy scent and rich red of Mme Victor Verdier when it blooms it is special. Mme Ernst Calvat is one of the best scented, though it is very blackspot prone and grows awkwardly for me. Of the english roses I love Sharifa Asma and Munstead Woods the best.

Hi Mindy

Just wanted to follow up on what Patrick had mentioned about Molineux. Since you're now zone 5b like me, I think you'll be fine with that rose if you put it in a somewhat protected spot. Mine is by my garage on the west side of the garage and it has been quite hardy for me. Not a terrific rebloomer in our Nebraska heat, and I rarely see the apricot tones you talk about (Pat Austin that's next to it has more apricot), but not at all fussy for survival.

My best reblooming traditional roses off the top of my head have been: Frederick Mistral, Barcelona and Maggie (for their swoon-worthy scents), Baptiste Lafaye, Larry Daniels, Wilhelm and Petite de Terre Franche for sheer volume and extent of bloom in part shade, and Carding Mill, Queen of Sweden, and Scepter'd Isle for Austins.

Cynthia

Reblooming? Has to be Glendora. She is so generous, so fragrant, so healthy and yeah, so, um, vigorous. I will toss in a plug for the delicate-looking but tough as tempered steel Tina Marie who doesn't seem to realize it's January and below freezing. "Honeybunch," I said to her yesterday, "please stop blooming. You need a haircut" She waved her leaves at me and, I'm pretty sure, blew a raspberry.

Of the non-remontant, the one I love the most is the Duc d'Angouleme. Some year, I promise myself, I'll take a chair and a blanket and move into the front yard and watch his yearly show of lavender-blue glory.

This is a great question, I've enjoyed all the posts. I haven't had a real rose garden since 1995. The bloom I most looked forward to then was not remontant, but the best moment in that garden was when Madame Legras de St. Germain threw out her sweet, prolific blooms up the front of the garage and over the door.
I am still in structural mode in my new garden, improving soil and building paths and arbors, etc. It will probably be 3 more summers before I plant new roses. So hard to wait!!!

@ gardenerzone4- Molineaux should be fine for you, I saw it growing in the Minnesota Arboretum this summer. I believe they used soil and mulch at the base of the plant for winter protection. DH is trying to convince me to grow it since he is a philosopher who loves the name as well as the color.-- Also, I am curious about your italian roses, what do you do to winter protect them?

Erin

I've been growing Souv de la Malmaison and Barron Prevost for a LONG time (mid 1980's). Can't wait to see them year after year. I'm kind of spoiled with my SDLM"s. I've been growing them on fortuniana rootstock since the get go. Big, beautiful bush's covered with great foliage and tons of beautiful blooms on LONG stems. I've exhibited it at many shows and have won a bunch of best OGR trophys with her. Barron Prevost has always been ownroot. Two bush's planted real close to each other. Huge bush effect. Love the bush habit, foliage and the big blooms. Both of these bush's will always have a home in my garden.