This is really ancient history I'm about to get into, but nonetheless....

MANY years ago, my grandmother grew Talisman in her garden in Burlingame, on the Peninsula. I was in high school, but I loved her roses, and Talisman was my complete favorite. Naturally, I wouldn't have known blackspot, or probably even noticed it, so I can't comment on that. But I don't think I would remember that rose as being so glorious if it had any serious problem of that kind. I'm only posting this, actually, because of the close similarity of climate. If anything, I think Burlingame might have been a little damper than wherever in the Bay Area you are, because I don't remember it as ever getting very hot.

Laura

I can tell you that I saw a nice Climbing Talisman at Hearst Castle a couple of years ago. I've grown the bush varity and pulled it out because it was so unvigorous. I also grow Climbing Red Talisman. It has beautiful flowers here through July and alot of blackspot.

Thanks for the info. I am afraid I will have to pass - life is too short to be trying to deal with a lot of blackspot, when there are so many other roses that don't get it. I always have to remind myself of that when I see or hear of fabulous Pernetiana roses - I think they must have been what started the need to spray roses all of the time. Oh, well.

Jackie

Jaqueline,
here is some local information:
there are more than a dozen Pernetiana rose cultivars that thrive in the S.F.Bay area,
-at Morcam Parks old rose garden (corner of olive and Oakland ave. If you stand at the NOrth side of the Victorian rose circle bed, (in the center of the Old Rose Garden, where Mme. Ernst Calvat is planted on 6' tall poles, the main Pernetiana bed will be in the N.E. corner bed, and Talisman on the N.W. bed to the left.
-Morcam is a no-spray garden by official vote.
These are thriving there, and blooming normally, with little blackspot. These do get P.M. but not enough to defoliate or reduce blooming.
'Talisman'
'President Herbert Hoover' my favorite climbing Pernetiana for its delicious fragrance, which I've grown in Emeryville, in my organic rose garden.
'Gruss an Coberg' very floriferous and fastest re-bloom of this group.
'Mari Dot'
There are c. a dozen other Pernetiana roses planted there.
I would reccomend most Pernetiana roses within a small microclimate in the Bay area, where temperatures are rarely high enough for blackspot to spread. This includes all the areas within 3 miles of the s.f. Bay.
From Hayward to San Jose, blackspot might be more of a problem, but not for you.
The only Pernetiana I would not reccomend for you, is 'Lundys Lane' which defoliated c. 20% of its leaves, from blackspot despite being sprayed with Cornell in Emeryville, where I live.

Good luck, I love the Pernetiana group best among all the other H.T.s, along with the few Tea Hybrids.
Lux.

That's very interesting, Lux - Morcam's Park must be wonderful, especially the Mme. Ernst Calvat!

I have Angel's Mateu, a Pedro Dot Pernetiana. I got it last Fall. It finally gave out 2 blooms a few weeks ago, and they were stunning. Wonderful fragrance, too. I thought about getting Mari Dot, because the pictures of it on HMF were so lovely, but I needed SMALL, and the Vintage photo of AM was equally seductive.

I've read that Talisman swept the country when it came out. I also thought seriously about getting it, but it wasn't available at that time. Now Vintage has it, but I am doing some very necessary down-sizing, so CANNOT buy roses (at least for a while)... Oh, and incidentally, I should mention that I live in Sacramento, not the Bay Area, so I'm not having any of the blackspot problem - so far, anyway. I don't really know for sure if it can afflict roses here.

Laura

Thanks Lux, for the great info. I will definitely go to see Morcam Park's old rose garden and the Pernetianas there.

Jackie

lexcook - I am sorry, but I never did get Cl Talisman. I decided to only add roses to my garden which don't get ANY disease here, which mostly means old tea roses, chinas, polyanthas and some of the hybrid gigantieas. I do have around three HTs which are "family heirlooms" from my DH's grandparents and great grandparents, and all of them get PM or BS or rust occasionally, and I decided not to add to that number.

Please let us know how your Talisman does when you get it -

Jackie