Erica smelling a flower from the Mme. Peirre in the spring of 2000.
 
 
 
 

Introduced:   1964, Armstrong & Swimm, USA
Class:  Large-flowered Climber
Zones:  5-9
Parentage:  'Buccaneer' x 'Circus'
Flowers:  Orange-yellow blend, with shades of scarlet and pink; 4"; rather open, informal form. 25 petals.
Size:  8 - 12  feet
Fragrance:  Light
Disease: Prone to mildew and blackspot. Poor winter hardiness.
Bloom: Remontant, consistant.

2004: I dug this up and got rid of it the summer of 2003. Too sickly for our climate.
 

La Reine Victoria

Introduced:   1872, Lebruyere, France
Class:  Bourbon
Flowers:  Classic  globe shaped
Color: Lilac pink to medium pink; 3", double; medium green foliage
Growth:  4 to 5 feet
Fragrance:  Very strong
Disease: Very resistant and cold hardy needed for zone 5 or any further south.
Parentage: Sport of 'Madame Peirre Oger'
Bloom: Repeat
 

One of the most popular Old Roses. Prolific bloomer through season. Very strong fragrance. The flowers last a long time as cut flowers. You can see a photo of the flower here. Gorgeous rose.

Lady Bank's Rose

Introduced:  Cultivated since 1796
Class:  Species
Parentage:  Species
Flowers:  Double yellow - R. banksiae lutea
Size:  20 feet or more
Fragrance:  None
Disease: Almost completely disease resistant.

The single form, Rosa banksiae normalis, is believed to be the original wild form.  More commonly grown now are the double varieties.  The white double form, Rosa banksiae banksia, was the first to be widely grown; it was introduced into Britain in 1807, discovered by Sir Joseph Banks (who named it in honor of his bride).  Rosa banksiae was used for medicinal purposes in China much earlier than its introduction into Europe.  The most beloved and popular of the Lady Banks' roses grown today is the double yellow form.

'Lady Banks' Rose' blooms once per year in spring.  The attractive narrow leaves are disease resistant and evergreen in zones 9 and 10.  Canes are thornless and extremely vigorous.  How vigorous?  The Guinness Book of World Records identifies 'The Tombstone', a double white Lady Banks', as the single largest rose plant in the world.  Located near its namesake, Tombstone, Arizona, it covers 8,000 square feet (by the way, it may take some time for your Lady Banks' to reach such impressive proportions; the record holder was planted in 1855 by a homesick bride).

Lady Banks' Rose is best grown where its enthusiastic vigor need not be restrained.  Grow it as a naturalized plant or over a sturdy (very sturdy) structure.

Madame Isaac Pereire

Also Called:  'Le Bienheureaux de la Salle'
Introduced:  1881, Garçon, France
Class:  Bourbon
Zones:  5-10
Parentage:  Unknown
Flowers: Purple edges towards pink shades; Cupped opening to Quartered, double, 3-4".
Size:  6 to 7 feet
Fragrance:  Strong
Bloom: Remontant; best in Spring and Fall
Disease: Blackspot will appear from time to time but very good resistance.

Madame Isaac Pereire' is a must for every rose garden. Well-formed, fully quartered blooms are a lovely color which is somewhere between purple and pink...very electric colors. Fragrance is memorable, rich and intense.

Long canes grow to six or seven feet; 'Madame Isaac Pereire' may be grown as a pillar, pegged, or as a somewhat unruly shrub.  Foliage is dark green and resistant to disease, although blackspot may appear from time to time.  'Madame Isaac Pereire' is remontant, with best bloom occurring in spring and fall.

2004: Blackspot overtook this favorite of mine and no matter of cutting back and being careful to get rid of the leaves with blackspot, I just couldn't take the ugly and thorn-filled canes. I cut it down and dug out the rootstock.

'Nearly Wild' is classified as one of the first Floribunda roses with habits much like the Polyantha class. The flowers pack a great wallop of color from a distance as well as close up.

You can see photos here.

2004: This plant broke my heart the same way the Mme. Isaac did. It too was dug up and discarded.
 
 

Other names: 'Queen of the Violets'
Introduced:  1860, Millet-Malet, France
Class:  Hybrid Perpetual
Zones:  6-9
Parentage:  'Pius IX' seedling
Color:  Velvet purple ages to violet
Height:  4 to 5 feet
Fragrance:  Intense
Disease: Blackspot
 

Notes:  Best of the purple Old Roses. Excellent re-bloom.  Needs good growing conditions to thrive. Picky. Picky. Picky. But so very worth it for the color and fragrance. The flower form is much like a Gallica rather than a Hybrid Perpetual. Strong, tough plant. Needs well drained soil with a lot of compost added. Hmmm. Guess I need to put some down for mine. Maybe that'll help.

Foliage is interesting gray/green and the canes have almost no thorns. Gotta love that.
 

Seven Sister's Rose

This was supposed to be the Seven Sister's Rose that is so old. I received it in a trade from a lady naimed Daisy in Texas but the thing looks just like 'The Fairy' which I already have. I'm a bit not happy. And it was very suseptible to powdery mildew. I cut it back to almost nothing about 2 weeks ago. (may '01)

2004: Dug out last summer and discarded.
 
 

Also Named:   'Fairy'
Introduced:  1932, Bentall, UK
Polyantha
Parentage:  'Paul Crampel' x 'Lady Gay'
Flowers:  Small, pale pink, double rosettes
Size:  2 feet x 6 feet (spreading habit)
Fragrance:  None

Notes:
Polyantha roses came to be by crossing a Rosa multiflora and a pink China rose.
Polyanthas received the trait of producing flowers in clusters from the Rosa multiflora and the repeat bloom from the China rose.
Polyanthas were later crossed with Hybrid Tea roses that originated with the famous Danish breeders, Dines and Svend Poulson. This brought us our Floribundas.

I'm really not fond of this rose. Why? Other than you can find one on ever corner, I'm not sure.

Zéphirine Drouhin

Also Named:  'Belle Dijonnaise', 'Charles Bonnet', Ingegnoli Predelitta', Mme Gustave Bonnet'
Introduced:  1868, Bizot, France
Bourbon Climber
Parentage:  Unknown
Flowers:  Loose double, intense pink
Size:  10 to 12 feet (climber)
Fragrance:  Excellent

Notes:

Lovely blossoms cover nearly thornless canes over a long flowering season. One of the most popular Bourbons, and with good reason.  Less flowering during the summer than spring and fall.

Growing to ten or twelve feet, 'Zéphirine Drouhin' is ideal as a pillar rose, maybe trained up a porch column or arbor. For more confined spaces, you can prune as a six foot tall shrub without losing form. Mine is only a small shrub right now but I really have fallen in love with this rose.

You can see a photo here.

One of the few roses I have left. I just refuse to use a huge chemical onslaught to keep these things looking decent. They are just not worth the aggravation.

I don't know. Maybe this one is worth the aggravation. Flourescent pink flowers! Started blooming about 2 weeks ago (5/1/04 is today's date) and it's just loaded with buds. It still has all of it's leaves. This will be the best it will look all season.