Carding Mill (shrub, Austin, 2004)
This is one of the best Austin roses for my area. Beautiful blooms with a heavy myrrh fragrance come in regular flushes and stand up to heat well. Very clean.
Cécile Brunner (climbing polyantha, Hosp, 1894)
An aggressive space-hogging house-eating monster....
.... with dainty blooms and tiny perfect buds worthy of a Victorian buttonhole.
Many "clones" of it are essentially once-blooming (as is mine), although the sheer abandon with which it blooms in spring surely makes up for the lack of flowers the rest of the year. It is very healthy and low-maintenance (other than keeping its exuberant growth in check).
 |
| Embracing Zephirine Drouhin |
Chandos Beauty (hybrid tea, Harkness, 2005)
Beautiful fragrant blooms, and a good healthy plant own-root. I was so impressed with Chandos Beauty, International Herald Tribune and Easy Does It (which I don't grow but have heard many good things about) that I specifically sought out other Harkness roses. I bought L'Aimant and remained very impressed. Then I got Tower Bridge and my enthusiasm deflated rapidly (it is a miserable weakling even in our perfect rose-growing climate). I guess it is a hit or miss with any group of roses, although I remember hearing that Harkness floribundas are generally better than their hybrid teas, so maybe that's a better guide to acquiring their roses :)
Chrysler Imperial (hybrid tea, Lammerts, 1952)
A classic hybrid tea, it is my favorite rose for cutting. The blooms are extremely fragrant. It is one of the dark red roses whose blooms "blue" as they age (which I don't mind at all). My rose mildews a bit, but has no rust.
Classic Woman (hybrid tea, Meilland, 2007)
A typical stiff hybrid tea with giant blooms on thick stems (often in clusters).
The blooms remind me of big scoops of vanilla or strawberry (depending on temperatures) ice cream.
They are fragrant and seem to last forever in the vase and on the bush (hanging on as big dried-up brown globs long after they should in all decency fall off). Damage from thrips (brown petal edges) is very noticeable all summer long. It also develops late season rust.
Colette (climber, Meilland, 1994)
I saw it blooming at a nursery and fell in love with its clusters of old-fashioned blooms with swirls of soft apricot, yellow, cream and pink petals. Even though my plant is grafted, it is not a vigorous climber for me. After a few years, it has finally covered most of a 7'x15' fence. I can detect no fragrance :(. Rebloom, as with many other climbers, is rather short of excellent. It is a healthy plant.
Comtesse de Provence, a.k.a. Liv Tyler (hybrid tea, Meilland, 2001)
This is another good cutting rose, although it tends to bloom in clusters. The blooms are beautiful, old-fashioned in form, with many petals and very fragrant. Typical hybrid tea growth habit :)
Condesa de Sastago (Pernetiana, Dot, 1930)
One of the first bicolored roses, it starts out brilliant red with yellow reverses, and ages to pink.
The colors are eye-wateringly bright, which sometimes makes me wonder about the personality of Pedro Dot's benefactress, for whom the rose is named.
My plant rusts in spring. The blooms are only moderately fragrant and not long-lasting.
Crépuscule (Tea-noisette, Dubreuil, 1904)
A wonderful landscape rose which provides lots of color at frequent intervals with its informal blooms. In fact, few roses rival it for generosity of bloom. It is thornless, which is always a bonus especially in a big rose. I grow mine espaliered against a fence. At the Heritage it is grown like a giant haystack between four sturdy posts. My two plants mildew a little on and off.
 |
| At the Heritage |
Crown Princess Margareta (shrub, Austin, 1991)
It is a big rose with strong canes, and can be grown as a free-standing shrub. I grow two on both sides of an arbor.
It is essentially spring-blooming for me, with only sporadic rebloom. I cannot detect any fragrance from my two plants :(. The spring flush is very generous, the blooms are sumptuous, well-formed with a beautiful color. My plants are healthy.
Cynthia Brooke (hybrid tea, McGredy, 1943)
I bought it after reading its description in the Vintage Gardens catalog.
It said more or less that it is a rose whose blooms look like those of Soleil d'Or (i.e. beautiful)
but which behaves like a good garden rose (which Soleil d'Or is not). I tried to grow Soleil d'Or twice for the beauty and fragrance of its blooms and for the historical significance of the rose, and I killed it twice (still don't know how). Cynthia Brooke's blooms do have a superficial resemblance to Soleil d'Or in color, although it is obviously a very different rose. Mine is grown in a pot where it blooms a lot and stays healthy all year long.
It is a twiggy plant. Blooms have a strong tea fragrance, but don't last long at all in spite of their deceptively substantial appearance.
Cyril Fletcher (hybrid tea, Bees, 1983)
I bought because it is supposed to be vigorous, healthy and fragrant. Mine is a young plant, so not much to say at this point.
 |
| At the Heritage |