Hi Ruth,

Just from what I've seen, HMF tends to be pretty conservative in their zone listings. I'm new to Romanticas myself and planted an Eden, and have Peter Mayle and Bolero on the way.

I think Celeste (celestialrose) grows them, and she's in a colder zone. Another rose you might check out, and that she sings the praises of is Spirit of Freedom, an Austin. It's got that romantic petal packed look taken to the max...I've been enabled and it appears to do well in Celeste's zone 4 garden.

Eric

Hi, Eric. Funny you should post this. Spirit of Freedom is part of my spring order, along with Eden. Has your Eden been through a winter yet?

Ruth

Hi Ruth,

I planted my Eden last year late summer, it was an end-of-season bargain ($10 for a 3-gallon). This is its first winter, but it looks like its come through so far pretty unscathed. Its got plenty of bud eyes ready to take off. We shall see how much dieback, if any, there is come March/April.

I hope your Eden does well, looks like we'll be learning about SOF together!

Eric

Yes, we'll have to track their progress!

Ruth

One thing to remember, when you think of Romanticas, is that while they have "old-fashioned" bloom-form,
they are Hybrid Tea Roses.
And, for that matter, HTs bred in Southern France.
So if you can succeed with the average Hybrid Tea Rose, you should succeed with your basic Romantica.

Jeri

Jeri, I think that's part of the problem. Eden is usually listed as a shrub or 'large flowered' climber. Reference books I have are all over the map with regard to hardiness. I think a lot of hybrid teas are masquerading as shrubs these days.

Ruth

This is the Eden I have by Meilland:
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/pl.php?n=1708&tab=10

Help Me Find also lists an Eden Romantica, but no photos. They say it is a floribunda, cluster-flowered.

Which one do you mean? I assume most people mean the "large-flowered climber" when they mention Eden. I didn't know Romantica also had an Eden.

The Eden (Meilland) I have is a climber only after a mild winter. Otherwise it gets a lot of cane killed and never quite reaches climbing status in one growing season. The flowers are lovely but no fragrance. It is pretty stingy with rebloom compared to my Austins.

For a repeat-blooming, antique-form flowered rose that would grow to similiar size of Eden in a cold climate, I would go with one of the larger Austins instead. Or if you really need a climber, go with a cane-hardy one or one of the once-bloomers.

I haven't tried any of the Romanticas in my garden yet. They look lovely but hybrid teas don't perform well here. Someday I would love to try one of the fragrant ones, I have heard good things about Peter Mayle on this forum.

You have the one I ordered aka Pierre de Ronsard, Veilchen. I'm hoping for a decent sized shrub, and not a climber. The other one that appeals to me is Frederic Mistral but I wonder if it would survive here. It hasn't been that cold here this year, more like zone 6a instead of 5b but freeze and thaw is likely a bigger problem. We have snow cover but it is supposed to rain twice next week.

Ruth