I used to have Graham Thomas in the past - but it was a black spot magnet and died on me the next spring. It has this nice subtle tea scent (some people say it has myrrh scent). The blooms were not as exciting compare to Jude the Obcsure.

Anyway, if you are after a cabbage yellow rose - perhaps you should try:

>Golden Celebration.
>Jude the Obscure.

Both of them are best-sellers in my country with strong fragrance that waft from a distance.

I don't really know much about Pat or CD so I can't comment on them.

I remember seeing a recent thread on Chamblee's nursey on this board.

I can't comment on how the roses will do b/c I don't have them. (I prefer more loosely double ones.) Others here will help you out.

Do you know how much sun your spot gets? Most roses need at least six hours direct sun. A few, so-called 'shade tolerant," can make do with less, perhaps four hours. (People seem to have different experiences. My neighbor has two planted in the middle of a pine/oak wood -- no direct sunlight. While they aren't exactly fabulous, they are covered in red blossoms right now, and in the middle of the woods where you don't expect them, they look great.)

Morning sun helps burn off the dew that can promote fungal diseases (black spot and powdery mildew). Many old garden roses are resistant to them, so just afternoon sun can work.

Chamblee's seems to be a great source of roses. They're in Dave's Garden's Garden Watchdog's top 30 rated garden companies (link below). Other great ones in the south seem to be Antique Rose Emporium (TX) also in top 30, Ashdown (SC), Roses Unlimited (SC), and Countryside (MS) I've ordered from the first two, but all of them have had good things said about them on this forum and on Garden Watchdog.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Watchdog

I can't help you with choosing roses because my conditions are different (I have and like Graham Thomas and Pat Austin), but I wanted to say that a lot of roses are pretty easy to root, and if you're interested you ought to give it a try. You can find instructions on the rose forums, and in books--it's not a deep secret.
Good luck with your rose project!
Melissa

A peachy/pink rose I love is Abraham Darby. It comes across as looking more peach than pink but does have both colors, which to me is more interesting than plain peach. It has a wonderful fragrance. A beautiful yellow rose is Teasing Georgia.

Ingrid

Welcome, WFC! I live in Tennessee and Graham Thomas has been a stand-out for me. I don't spray and don't have problems with a few black spots. I transplanted him from our old house when we moved four years ago. (At the old house he was on the west side because that was the only spot with sun. He managed fine.) After I transplanted him to this house, I later moved him from one spot in my yard to another, and he's taken it all with remarkable calm. So I personally think he's a great rose. {{gwi:273135}}

As for cuttings--I've had some take but most of mine don't. I do NOT have a green thumb.

I LOVE Chamblee's and have had nothing but GREAT experiences with them. I'm a repeat customer and happy to be one. Yes, it will be hard to find nurseries that will ship this time of year because of the stress of shipping in the summer. :-)

Thanks for responding! Tenessee is really close to our environment, so it is good to know that GT did well for you guys, although I think I have added "Jude the Obsure" to my list based on some other people's comments. And I looked at some other photos...sometimes subtle colors don't show up well on computer screens, and I am basing my color choices not on seeing actual roses but what they are looking like on my computer! But Jude has exactly the form that I like, so I am willing to try him, even if I don't really understand his real color.

Good to hear That "Chamblees" is a decent place. (thanks, mkrkmr, for the "garden" watchdog link!) I like to get recommendations as I have been burnt before. If I had done a bit more rsearch I NEVER would have bought anything from the Arbor day foundation, for example. I ordered some sugar maples from them...figuring "how hard can sugar maples be?" but when the leaves came out the sticks I got were NOT even maples! The leaves were fuzzy & almost birch-like. Still not sure WHAT they are.

I am interested in Abraham Darby...but most of the pictures I have seen of him so far looked pink. I will have to find some more pics or see if I can "meet him in person" LOL!

it is going to kill me to wait until fall, but I will spend my time preparing a good bed for my new charges and making sure I can find a place with THE MOST sun I can get. (on the south side of the house, top of the septic field maybe...)

Laura

Very pretty, remontant. You've got me sold on that rose.

Laura,

I am in Virginia and GT does pretty well for me. It does get BS, but it recovers pretty quickly (I garden no-spray). I have Charles Austin, Tamora, and Leander, but they are all too small to really know how they will perform. Generous Gardener is a pink, but it has grown into a huge plant covered in blooms in just one year.

There is, at least for the next 27 days, a rose vendor right here in Virginia. He does not ship. And because he is retiring at the end of the month, his inventory is way down.

Kathy in Culpeper County, Virginia

Here is a link that might be useful: Sherando Roses

Austin roses are great for cabbage shaped blooms, but not great as far as disease resistant goes. I'm always on the lookout for peach colored roses, and I've got an aversion to pink. Abe Darby is mostly pink. Wonderful, but pink. So is Tamora for the most part.
Some of the Austins that you might like:
Crocus Rose - blooms all of the time, creamy light yellow, not as fragrant as other Austins but more disease resistant. Big humongous rose, but the shape of the plant is great because it's very full.
Ambridge Rose - wonderfully fragrant, pinkish. Short and compact.
Jude the Obscure - one of my favorites because of the fragrance. Tall and vase shaped shrub.
Charlotte - yellow, blooms all of the time, not as fragrant as some other Austins but still fragrant. Monstrous rose, but completely filled out.
Pat Austin doesn't grow well for me and the blooms don't last more than 1 day in the heat. Also awful black spot.
Some other roses that aren't Austins:
Mme Berard - my favorite. Not disease resistant. Lots of petals with awesome depth of peachy color. Climber that can be grown as a shrub (but a huge shrub with not as many branches as it needs).
Star of the Republic - You can only buy it at Antique Rose Emporium, because they developed it. Nicely cup shaped, wonderful fragrance. Developed from breeding Austins with antique roses. Mine is tall and vase shaped. It may work better on a pillar.
Caroline Hairston - same description as Star of the Republic. Also an ARE introduction. Even more fragrant than Star of the Republic.
Etoile de Lyon - a truly blackspot resistant rose. Wonderful branching habit. Nice and spreading.

One of my rose areas get morning shade and afternoon sun. I've never noticed a problem. The roses in the shadiest corner don't bloom as much, but make sure that your area has at least 6 hours of sun and you won't really have to worry about that.

Hope this helps,
Carrie

Apricots are also favorites of mine. You might like these,

The china, contessa du cayla
Old hybrid tea, Mrs. Oakley Fisher - this is a single
Tea, Clementina Carbonieri

I read the description on your member page and your home and garden sound lovely. Welcome to the forum; I hope you find lots of information and help here.

Carrie, I'm so glad to hear about Etoile de Lyon; I planted two this spring and am looking forward to those blossoms.
And I've been thinking about both Caroline Hairston and Star of the Republic. Thanks for the info.

Gean

My Pat Austin is too young to tell how it does with disease. I love my Jude though. It has incredible fragrance and minimal disease but I do spray. I hope Connie from VA will jump in here.

Carla

I read your page, too. I share your weakness for native plants and introduce them into my garden; we're working on improving our meadows as well. Roses can be a wonderful addition to this style of garden! Good luck, and have fun!

Melissa

Gean,
Caroline Hairston and Star of the Republic are so wonderful that I don't know why more people don't rave about them. Great fragrance, great color. The only drawback I can see is that they look like they kind of want to climb. Big, floppy, flexible canes. They both might make great pillar roses. Both of mine are tall and vase shaped.

Here is my Abe Darby, a wonderful rose, also have Graham Thomas..and I love him, too...welcome to the Forum! and my dealings with Chamblee's have been good...the same with most of the other vendors that were mentioned.
{{gwi:273137}}
and Graham Thomas
{{gwi:273140}}

thank-you-all so much for all the suggestions! I copied them down on a list and am looking them up one by one! some of them are so beautiful!

Honestly, my gardens are young and not lovely yet, but someday...I am hopeing!

Laura in VA

I grow Pat Austin and Abraham Darby here in the piedmont part of NC. Abe Darby is a beautiful rose, but for me it balls, and the blackspot is atrocious. Pat Austin does not ball and the BS is about one third as bad as AD. Pat is the winner in my yard. Denise

Laura, give your garden time. The old saying about roses is true "First year: sleeps. Second year: creeps. Third year: leaps." My garden is 3.5 years old. When we moved in there was nothing in the front but grass, two hollies and a star magnolia. I planted everything else. Given alfalfa tea and enough water and patience, things will take off for you too. :-)

Reilly