Glad to hear you and your DH are fine. Looks like you're going to be dealing with the ice for a while. I hope the roads are at least safe to drive on.

For a really bold statement from a gallica you should try Charles de Mills. He's the tallest and bushiest of my six gallicas. The blooms are huge for a gallica, a deep beet red with incredible shadings from red to purple. If you get him own root he will wander and make a dense thicket. Lots of babies to share with friends. If you don't want him to sucker get him grafted. Blooms for about six weeks for me.

It does so depend on what look you want. Charles de Mills is always wonderful as stated but large. Smaller would be Duc de Guiche, for a really dark velvety red Tuscany Suberb, I really love Hippolyte for a deep purple red or of course Cardinal de Richelieu-very fragrant. Camaieux is a great bold Stripe. These can all be kept at about 4 or 5 feet. Charles is the only relatively thorny one of this lot. Most Gallicas have only small bristles. Dramatic red but thorny is Perle von Weissenstein..that one can get large. Since you cant do much go to Helpmefindroses and search Gallicas, Hybrid Gallicas and Hybrid Chinas. There are some wonderful obscure ones but they are hard to find.

patricia who has 84 Gallicas

Thank you lindyb & patricia, your experience is very helpful to me!

I have a huge amount of room, so the largeness of the bush is of no real matter.

I may have a problem with the suckers, since I wanted to place these against the fence, and suckers could go under the fence into the neighbors yard. Where do they sell grafted Gallicas? I was looking at Rogue Valley but they are all own root. Thanks again!

Nat

I'm generally in your same zone here in Baltimore County, MD. I only have, currently, two gallicas; Tuscany Superb and Duchesse de Montebello. The latter is beautiful with petite fleshtone white-pink cupped flowers, but since that color isnÂt your liking, I wonÂt recommend it. ItÂs very Âdemure and sweet.

Tuscany Superb however is beautiful if you want it purple and I mean it rich red-black-purple velvet. The petals fall and get mauve tones but some days they look like velvet, others they pick up more on scarlet. Overall merlot colored!
I have three pictures of Tuscany Superb up on HMF.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.2456.2&tab=36

For concord grape/slate coloring there is Cardinal de Richelieu, but here in Maryland it is more blackspot prone than most so I don't have it. But it has BOLD coloring for sure.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.971&tab=36

Another would be the rose 'Evêque' or 'The Bishop' which sometimes isn't labeled as a gallica, and sometimes is.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.2477.10&tab=36

Others that I donÂt have but recommend in the gallica clan for shock value in terms of color consulting the books I have would have to be:

'dÂAguesseau', I guess the color is watermelon-crimson. I'm intrigued by this one this one, Suzy Verrier in her book "Rosa Gallica" says the color is very clear and unique, you don't see it too often in the plant kingdom.

http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.1413&tab=36

'Scharlachglut' (also known as 'Scarlet Fire' or 'Scarlet Glow') single red-scarlet crimson. Bred from a hybrid tea and the gallica 'Alika', so healthwise may be slightly less gallicaish.

http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.2415&tab=36

'James Mason' Opens true RED and ages to blue-red, so a cooler crimson. A cross of 'Scharlachglut' and 'Tuscany Superb' so it takes more gallica, with the coloring from the hybrid tea grandparent.

http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.1917&tab=36

A moss rose 'Henri Martin' has nice clear cerise-crimson flower and has good health like the gallicas and would be at home in the same bed.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.3247&tab=36

If you want stripes and spots, gallicas are great for that too, but I just wanted to cover some purple and red bases!

Pickering roses in Canada sells grafted roses. I highly recommend them. My favorites are Charles de Mills, Tuscany Superb, Belle de Crecy (a lovely purple), Duchess de Montebello, Alice Vena, and Duc de Guiche.

My favorites in your color scheme are Charles de Mills, Tuscany Superb, Belle de Crecy, Beau Narcisse, Alice Vena, Duc de Guiche, Surpasse Tout, Rosa Mundi and Apothecary Rose. I also love many others, but these are just for start :)
They all can get quite big in zone 6b/7a. 5-6 feet high and wide is possible with good pruning, otherwise they will be even bigger. Duc de Guiche is currently more then 7 feet tall for me.
Olga

I ordered two Belle de Crecy, after seeing the pictures on a different thread. There were some beautiful ones. I'll find it and bump it up for you :)

Thank you all so much, I have so much to look at and to research tomorrow! Time for some sleep, looks like I will have the sound of freezing rain instead of counting sheep tonight. Yippee lol

novice gallica grower here too but have a fixation on singles and semi-doubles. Not wanting pink either so am hoping that the basic apothecarie's rose or la belle sultan will fit the bill.

You've gotten some great suggestions. You may want to think about adding one or two lighter-colored roses for contrast? Maybe the striped Rosa Mundi, one of my favorites.

I love the packed-full-of-petals form but also appreciate the charms of the singles. It's always good to have some variety. I am interested in both La Belle Sultane and Alain Blanchard (it's spotted!) but have read that they are bs-prone in my climate so have hesitated to add them to my garden.

Oh good grief. What a winter..It's been a weenie winter for us here in the PNW. Anyway, I am glad you are okay! Woo wee for all the new planing coming up

You can keep them from spreading by using really large pots in the ground, or if those are too hard to find trash cans cut in half to make two per or line the planting hole with double landscape fabric-dig a big hole and give them plenty of room. You can let them get as tall as you like which here in the northwest some can get pretty tall but I keep mine cut back to keep them good and bushy and get lots of bloom.

patricia

campanula, the varieties 'Alika', 'Scharlachglut', 'James Mason' and 'Tuscany' are all single or semi-double. They might also be good for you! =)

campanula, La Belle Sultane is GORGEOUS. Another good thing about the singles--the bees adore them!

Here's a link to some photos in the gallery of some gallicas in my yard--the colors are pretty accurate on my monitor. The oldest of them are just 3 years old this year, so they're still shaping up, but they've all done pretty well no spray and no extra water.

To take it over the top heres a wonderful link of many many gallicas

Here is a link that might be useful: Gallicas

Lucretia, what gorgeous blooms for me to contemplate, thank you so much for posting, the Belle de Crecy is Amazing!

Labrea, It is sooo very wonderful to see full bush shots with your close up's of the blooms, what a great way to end the day :)

Everyone has been so much help to me, I surely do appreciate it!

wow, no wonder some of you great gardeners wait around all year for your once blooming Gallicas!

Natalie

Thanks, Natalie. I think the gallicas are about my favorites.

labrea, what a great link! Now I have to spend some time checking out spots in the yard for MORE gallicas...

Another great site: Roses Loubert.

Okay, I am definitely getting 3 Belle de Crecy's, I love the color and adore those button centers! Also, I think I am going to get 2 dÂAguesseau's from Vintage, but I have to wait till next spring to get them, they have to custom root it. I can tell it will TOTALLY be worth it though! That color makes me want to eat watermelon so badly! Thanks for the suggestion Oath5 :) The colors and blooms on these Gallica's are to die for, thanks everyone for your help, I am bookmarking this thread because I am sure I will be making more room for several of the other suggestions you all have given me!

Natalie

Your welcome Natalie! =) The picture in Suzy Verrier's 'Gallica' book stood out to me, the color is far more bright than the other pinks, so I thought it would suit what you were looking for.

Belle de Crecy and D'Agusseau together would be really nice, but you probably should throw some other colors in to make it really flow. You should plant some various moss phlox and then nice airy/soft crimson-rose and purple things like red valerian, verbena homestead purple, verbena bonariensis, bright colored phlox like 'Starfire', 'Nicky' 'Blue Paradise' and 'Orange Perfection' or even an early yellow rose like 'Canary Bird' for the background.

And while you said no apricot or yellow, shots of either bright lemon-yellow or warm golden yellow, verging on apricot would look really attractive spiked throughout the spring/summer. Just a few ideas!

Max

Thanks Max, I have a climbing yellow rose I have been meaning to move, this may be just the spot for it, and I love verbena! Phlox would be beautiful as well, it's so dainty and comes in some great colors.

Thanks again everyone, I can't wait till spring!

Natalie

Natalie, I'm late to this thread but you chose exactly the rose I would have suggested. Belle de Crecy was my first Gallica - given to me as suckers after I fell in love with the bloom. Watching her change colors is fascinating (she does that graying thing as she ages). I think when you see her you will want to find room for more Gallicas (I'm working on that this year.)

andre krigar - i WANT this rose. Also, Olga, your namesake here is a gorgeous one too (on labrea's list)