One thing you might want to know is that the rose is mutable enough that the original was sold 'exclusively' to eight or nine different agents as different roses. In my yard, it grew slowly and at this time of the year provides saturated pink blooms just this side of blowsy. JimofShermanOaks.

How big has your bush gotten to be?

How big has your bush gotten to be?

Sandy,

I have the Ashdown version and here it is a very strong grower, growing wide and tall. I'd bet it's 6 x 6 or so now. Lovely blooms and healthy foliage with a lovely mahogany color to the new growth.

Jean

Thyanks Jean. Would you consider it to be a bush that can be used in a speciman position?

Hi Sandy,

I was just at the Huntington last Thursday. Their William R. is about 12 feet high, and maybe 10 feet wide...hard to tell because it's surrounded by other bushes. Immense flowers of subtle shades of pink, buff, pearly ivory.

The one I have here, planted as a 6" band in January of '06, felled by the wind last October, is now about 3 to 3.5 feet tall and maybe a little wider. It has started to send out thick basal growth. Foliage and wood is everything Jean said, except here, it will get a bit of mildew.

I think it would make a very nice specimen shrub, at least in the climate here, if you had a lot of room!

Jerome

My WRS is still small since it is in a container. However, I would expect that, like most teas, IF it is not whacked and abused, it will get to be about 12 feet tall with about half that width, over time--as teas are wont to do.

JimofShermanOaks

It grows like a typical Cochet - - rather upright and angular with age. I'd choose something leafier as a specimen. It also has spectacularly thorny basals. Don't mistake me - - I grow it, but it's not the one I put up front. I have several up front that have leaves to the ground, which is my preference. But maybe in blackspot land that isn't a good thing.

How much room are you willing to give this rose?

In West-Central Florida my own-root Wm.R.Smith is huge. He has grown into his neighbors so it is difficult to measure but somewhere around 6' X 10', with a lot of new growth. In the ground four years, I would describe the growth pattern as sweeping, very attractive, the roses very large, about the size of Mrs.B.R.Cant.. Plentiful, too. There is no sign of nemotode decline as I've had with Lady Hillingdon, Duchesse de Brabant and Isabella Sprout.

I do not spray and WRS remains very clean, 5-10% blackspot at the most.

Thorns are fewer than average, certainly not nasty.

Last year thrips were evident in the early spring with all light colored teas. This year to an even lesser degree, when it is a problem it is short-lived.

WRS would be a great specimem if you have adequate space. One of the best teas for Central Florida. If I could select only two teas they would be Mrs B.R.Cant and William R. Smith

Jerry

WOW! Thanks for all the good info. It sounds as though William gets as large as Mrs. BR. I was hoping I could keep him contained with a 7 ft. spacing from other bushes. Is that possible, or does he need more than that? I know some teas can take some pruning, and some will not. I never severely prune a bush unless it has damage, but I do like to keep things controlled and shaped.

Would the colors in William look pretty if planted near Mrs BR? For some reason I thought he was going to have more pale yellow tones to him. I need something to contrast with her a little and set her off. If he looked good near Mrs. BR, he could get a 9 or 9 1/2 ft spacing from her.

Jerry, I have never seen a Mrs. B. R. Cant to go 20' up a tree! What a sight!!! You might have a climbing sport on your hands there! You should take some cuttings of those extralong canes, and see if this phenomenon is reproduceable! (If you can get a climbing Mrs B R Cant, that would be wonderful! Also, you can name the sport anything you like, I think!)

Allison

FWIW, there already is a climbing sport of Mrs. B. R. Cant, registered in 1960 by Hjorst. However, it is not currently in commerce, according to the CRL2007.
JimofShermanOaks.

Thanks, Jim! I had never heard of this!
Do you know any of the details about this rose? Curious minds...

I wouls LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a climbing Mrs. BR Cant. If it's anything like the bush, it HAS to be gorgeous!!!

According to hmf, Climbing Mrs. BR Cant is the sport of Mrs BR Cant and is available from Hagan Ace Hardware GArden Shop in Florida and Rose Hill Garden in Louisiana.
Hjort (I added an S to his name) was associated with Thomasville Nurseries in Thomasville, Ga. (according to MRVII).

JimD

Jim, what towns are both of these venders in. I'd like to look them up.

Hagan ACe Hardware Garden Shop:
1022 Blanding Blvd
Orange Park, Fl 32065
904.272.1414
Linda.Hertz@antiqueroses.net
www.antiqueroses.com

Rose Hill Gardens
Ethel, LA.
www.rosehillgardens.com

Thanks so much Jim! I'll check out the one in Orange Park first.
Sandy