I know that Peter Beales calls Perle d'Or a China, but we in the USA consider it a polyantha - Vintage goes further, and calls it a tea-polyantha. I don't think you can judge how Chinas will do based on PdO's performance.

I do think that Chinas require less heat and may be less tender than the Teas. I wonder if it's the gigantea in the Teas that makes a difference.

Do you grow Old Blush? I saw it growing in several gardens in England, and Jon said it was one of the essential roses that no garden should be without (Blush Noisette was the other than he mentioned).

I saw Mutabilis again and again in English gardens, growing much more manageably than it does here in California.

However, I really can't comment on how Chinas will perform in UK-ish conditions, and will leave that to the people who live there.

One further thought - so many of the gardens that we saw were walled or at least enclosed with hedges, which made them distinctly warmer and more protected, so the openness of your garden is another issue.
Anita

Then, there are Chinas, and there are Chinas.

For whatever reason, the red Chinas all do exceptionally well in my extremely mild (no winter chill, little summer heat) climate.
Pink Chinas, OTOH, mildew here.

Jeri

Well my climate and garden is a bit on the borderline, also from what I gathered, mostly it is not the winter that is a problem, but rather late spring frosts, especially if it was very wet before. I could probably baby one or two shrubs that I love, but generally with not that a lot of space, I would rather just get 2-3 chinas at the most and preferably those that do not need constant babysitting. :) I was thinking about Old Blush or Mutabilis, but both size is a bit of a concern, since I have rather small garden. :)

That's interesting Jeri, since I noticed that a lot of local vendors (who bother with something else than HT) carry Cramoisi Supérieur, so I assume that it does not drop dead as soon as it is placed in the garden.

Hi Elemire,
I am growing Sophie's Perpetual this year which is doing well on my dry allotment. I have had a few blooms - a lovely rose which deepens its colour to dark pink/crimson as it ages. I think it is going to be a healthy vigorous rose.

Nice to know Campanula! What is her color before it ages though, since in some pics on HMF she looks a bit fake papery pinkish, reminds me a bit of modern rose Handel?

Living more North up in Denmark - I grow some chinas and even teas well - my best performer is Hermosa and Old Blush - I have never seen better specimens of these plants than the ones growing in my garden anywhere in Scandianvian countries. It must be the Bourbon influence on Hermosa that makes it grow so well here - and makes it susceptible to blackspot ... Viridiflora also does well here - Sophies perpetual, Serratipetala, Slaters Crimson China and other Chinas are pretty miserable up here - Perle D'Or and mutabilis and cecile crunner are like miniature roses - nothing like what they can become elsewhere ... but might perform better down in your milder climate?
The problem with China Roses here is the same - the get a few rays of sunlight in the spring and starts growing ... and gets zapped by freeze thaw in march/april. But without the influx of china rose genes - there would probably not be many reblooming roses?
Lady Hillingdon and Devoniensis - both the climbing and bush form do well here - they are much hardier than stated - adn I often see them survive when many Austins die - but granted - I grow them on southern walls and in protected sheltered positions. I guess you have to try out the ones you like and see how they do where you live - sometimes we get surprised.

Thanks, I will look at Hermosa, somehow it escaped my attention before. The late frosts here can be nasty - weirdly enough, more nasty than when I lived in z5, since they really hit new growth badly, but so far only my hydrangeas tend to suffer real damage.

That's also interesting about Lady H. and Devoniensis, since over here Lady H. seems to be perfectly hardy through the winter and then can die to the ground from late spring frost.

Yes, Elemire, I found it almost impossible to get a true idea of Sophie's Perpetual colour but it is, in fact, a fairly deep and clear pink which ages from the outside. Normally, I absolutely detest bicoloured roses (such as the horrible Handel) but the colouration difference is more faded and subtle - I have high hopes for SP and it also does not seem fazed by a whole lot of sweet pea competition. It was 'discovered' by Humphrey Brooks in an East Anglian churchyard so I also think hardiness will not be too much of an issue.

More faded and subtle sounds good campanula, I really dislike some of the modern bicolors, that look like rosa paperflora. Although I have apogee of ugly in old owners rose, which starts as ugliest orange I have ever seen and fades into handel pink - on top of that, it get every imaginable disease as well! :D