Hi Ingrid,

My CW is new, very much an impulse purchase. I only saw one flush, so my experience is very limited. She looks like a white Yves Piaget, same heavy blooms with frilly petals. Very beautiful. I thought she has a bit of fragrance. I never cut blooms off young roses, but I do know that they last FOREVER on the bush - mine lasted probably about a week if not more in the heat of the summer, no crisping! I believe she will have as much trouble opening in spring as her parent and I am fully prepared to see all the blooms balling. Sometimes the blooms assume a faint pinkish yellowish tinge, sort of like Mme Cornelissen only on the edges, which I think is very beautiful. My rose has been a bit slow to rebloom, which is to be expected from a new rose with very heavy blooms. Foliage has been good so far, but my YP mildews, so no high hopes there. The plant, as you said, is very upright and pretty sparsely foliated, not too good looking. The blooms are gorgeous though.

Masha

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Thank you so much Masha. Your middle bloom looks just like the single bloom that's on my five-gallon rose. I hope that lasting long on the bush translates to lasting long in a vase, which would seem logical. I'll be curious to see whether this rose or YP balls in the spring, and that would be disappointing, but probably not a deal breaker. You just can't ask one rose to have all the virtues. I was astounded to see on the label and then in HMFR that CW reaches 6 feet. Six feet of hybrid tea foliage would be a bit of a bummer. I'll just have to see. Thank you kindly for the info and the lovely pictures.

Ingrid

Funny, the middle bloom is what sold me on the rose too! Of course I never saw another one like that :-(. The blooms look so much like scoops of vanilla ice cream, just gorgeous!

Six feet of an upright HT is a great excuse to plant companions. I will perhaps let a gaura grow through mine. Endless choices:-).

Masha

You're right Masha, one can always hide knobby knees. Hybrid Teas simply cry out for companion plants and fortunately this one will already have a purple-blooming pygmy crape myrtle at its side and Hidcote lavender in front of it and a silver-leaved something-or-other with small pink tubular blooms on the other. I just looked at the rose and I can't believe how huge this bloom is; in the heat of summer it measures over 4 1/2 inches. Even now at 9 p.m. the rose looks fresh, after spending time in a hot car parked in the sun while we had lunch at a restaurant and then the drive home. I really hope it will like my garden.

Ingrid

I think I have just been sold, too. the top photo did it for me.

Ingrid,might I suggest...morning glories? I planted a reintroduced old time morning glory called Carnivale di Venezia, lavender and blue streaks on a creamy background, no flower like another, which has covered the uugly foliage of my Mr. Lincoln.

Be very cautious about Morning Glory.

In colder climates, it dies back in the winter, but here, where there is little or no frost, it becomes an all-devouring monster. Something like Junior Kudzu. Seriously.

This is a "devil plant."
It not only seeds, it tiproots.
It will strangle roses, and any other plant unfortunate enough to be in its path.

If there is a way to eradicate morning glory, short of a complete bath in Round-Up or a nuclear bomb, I'd love to hear about it.

Jeri

nastarana, that is a very unusual morning glory, a plant group that I don't yet have any experience with. I'll have to look up more info on it, especially how well it does in hot climates. Thank you for drawing my attention to it.

Ingrid

Ingrid, though I don't have any information to provide about Classic Woman I just want to congratulate you on your newest rose acquisition. Looks like you got a terrific rose! And it is great that you have the fitting companion plants already in place. I am curious to know if you detect any fragrance on your CW.

Masha, your photos of this rose are mouthwatering! I think to combine it with a Gaura is a very good idea.

Jeri, to my knowledge there are annual morning glories and perennial morning glories. My understanding is that the annuals also die here each year in CA without getting frost because that is just there genetic life span and if you want to have them again, you have to grow them from seeds next year. I don't think that they do any harm at all to the rose and they are easy to pull out. I believe nastarana is recommending one of those.

But the perennial morning glory, which I think is called 'Blue Dawn Morning Glory' and is blue with lavender streaks and throat "is the devil" you are talking about. I have them in pots and I make sure that they don't wander away and root themselves somewhere close at the ground. My neighbor has these morning glories and they constantly come over the fence, through the fence, under the fence and try to find a place to live in our garden. It is a pain to not let that happen, a constant battle of pulling and digging!

Marsha and Ingrid:

Would you mind sharing some more pictures of your "classic woman rose?" the picture links on here no longer work.

I would love to see what entire plant looks like as a mature plant... To help me plan out how to best incorporate it into my garden. I would also like to know if you still love the rose after all these years? I just discovered it yesterday while strolling through a Rogers Gardens. It stopped me in my tracks as i was strolling the rose section in search of an Eden Rose. Its large, baseball size blooms are jam packed with romantically cupped blooms are something to behold. When I leaned in close to admire its blossoms, it captivated me with its lovely fragrance... It had such strong Floral + Fruity scent on its newly opened buds. The scent reminded me of that of my Bolero rose... One of my favorite scented roses. I'm not usually one for tall hybrid tea roses that are lean and lanky, but this one is special and may have earned a place in my garden. I'm wondering if it's a good repeat bloomer, and if it has lots of blooms and whether it's given you much trouble? Additionally, if you haved any other helpful insight on this rose or other recommendations, I would love to hear. Thank you!

Hi,

Ingrid, I hope 2021 is better for you and yours.

@Kitty , @lilyfinch is trying to answer your question in a thread on the rose forum. The thread is here: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/6052662/someone-posted-about-classic-woman#n=0

Thank you! I found Lilly and she showed me where to buy Classic woman from Pat at Roses Unlimited and I just ordered it. Thank you. You both are so thoughtful! I am so happy! How wonderful!