My conditions are the exact opposites of yours. Few HPs succeed here -- and almost no Bourbons.

Your Bourbons -- I'm not sure what they LIKE, but I know that what they do NOT like is my coastal so-cal conditions. By the time they gave up and died, they did so, un-mourned. I tend to think they need at least a little bit of winter.

Alfred Colomb I have not grown.

Souv. du Docteur Jamain was actually reasonably disease-free here, but it turned out to have the second-worst case of root gall I have ever seen. So, it is hard to judge.

Ferdinand Pichard was a vigorous 8-ft-tall plant which bloomed like a house afire. Had I the space, I would grow it again.

Jeri

I don't know about pH specifically for those two classes. Most roses like neutral to slightly but not overly acid conditions. A few but not all are sensitive to alkaline soils. However, HPs particularly benefit from rich culture. Use lots of composted horse manure if you can get it. If not, organic fertilizer plus compost.

Pete Flowers, formerly on this forum, was our HP guru for several years. He taught us a lot.

Rosefolly

Racin, We share the same taste in roses. I received bands this spring of all of the above roses plus some other HPs. Most of them are 5' or more (although I have weighted canes). None of them have flowered yet though a few seem to have buds.
Mine are thriving with very little, if any blackspot. I attribute it to the soil in my raised bed. It's very loose and rich. Also I have watered them like crazy and we have had lots of rain here too. I've given them MG Rose Bloom foliarly 2 or 3 times this summer.
They sit in the SE corner of my garden. Nice morning sun, dappled midday ,weak afternoon.
Honestly I have no idea why they are doing so well. I'm just grateful. I haven't done a soil test on them...
Where are yours sited?
It's my understanding that HPs in particular like to be gorge-fed. They eat and drink a bunch!
I have Zephirine Drouhin new this spring. She's grown like a weed but when I splashed her with the MG Bloom Booster she really went to town.
In some of the old books I've read folks planted HPs in straight manure.
So I'm assuming they really do like a rich soil. Feed em and water them. I bet they improve pretty quickly.
YMMV
Susan

I have had results similar to Susan's with my own Zephirine Drouhin- she grows in ALL compost and I feed her like a greedy Second Empire courtesan. It seems to work, since she's covered in foliage and has sent out several vigorous new canes.

Jeri, what happened to your Ferdinand Prichard?

Thanks, all. That's exactly what I was trying to figure out. My potting soil is pretty rich and I do mix in E.B Stone compost and a little bone and blood meal. I only pot up the bands for their first season until they're big enough for the "wild world" out there in the yard with the exception of the ones that go to bigger pots.

Rosefolly, I'll work on the manure thing, I can get as much fresh as I want, but I have to wait on the compost.

Jeri, I can only hope my FP turns out that nice...sorry yours is gone. My tiny versions of your namesake are doing really well though!

Roserich, congrats on your happy, healthy HPs. I fed and watered mine today, and I'm going to gradually try giving them even more attention than the others. I have them situated in 3gal pots so that they get sun all day until the later afternoon, when a stand of sunflowers blocks the worst of it. I arranged them so the pots don't have the sun beating on them, either. Louise is the tiniest (Heirloom)and she's quite healthy and putting out a little growth.

ZJW, thanks also. I think you all must be doing everything right, so I'm going to take your advice. I sort of "wondered" about SdDJ when I got it, but I've had other sketchy-looking ones that lived. That Francis Dubreuil/Barcelona I got from RVR loves to eat too, grows like gangbusters, and has already made 4 blooms. Go figure.

Thanks again everybody!

Generally speaking the soil in Western Washington where I am located tends to be acidic with a pH down around 5.5 to 6. I would try to keep it closer to 6.8-7 and use a good amount but not TOO much organics in the planting hole. The bush will grow amazingly well but in a few years as the organic material decays the bush ends up looking like it got planted in a bowl. Both Hp's and Bourbons enjoy a really good feeding of fertilizer of whatever you personally like to use. Honorine de Brabant in particular will end up with nearly yellow leaves if not given enough or no fertilizer. Oh and Ferdinand does VERY well here.

ZJW, They gotta eat to produce those huge gorgeous blooms! "Second Empire Courtesan" has really given me some images to keep until mine finally bloom. LOL!
Keep us posted Racin. I absolutely love FD/Barcelona. The most glorious rose (I don't have "favorites" ha!)
I guess I didn't really expect mine to bloom this year but hope springs eternal.
Took a look at the bed this morning since we were discussing them.
There's a damask (I think Leda) tossed in there and also Gloire de Dijon--which looks anemic in comparison. Svr. du President Lincoln, SdDJ and Madame Isaac are they only ones with visible tags. Going to have to do some detective work on the others.
In spring I am going to have to move them so that each gets more space. It's a tangle of canes back there. I didn't plan very well (actually I didn't figure they would grow this well).
Remember too, when roses are in pots the fertilizer washes out with the water. I think it's Kim who suggests feeding them "weakly weekly". I remember that. He suggests it for bands but I feed weakly more frequently for the HPs etc. MG suggests 7-14 days at full strength. I try for 7 days at 1/2 strength. I don't want to burn them and I figure if they aren't going to bloom this year I really should focus on root growth and foliage.
Next year I'm going to give them some Osmocote in the spring.
Susan

For me, soil is less of an issue than humidity. I had lovely bourbons, including LO, and HPs in Santa Fe, where the soil was basically amended sand. Here they blackspot on a whisper, tho the soil is much better. Both locations do have real winters and, given their more northernly origins, I would presume they do need that.

Catsrose, did they do well in the sand? How would you say growth/disease compared in the two radically different environments?
I have intense humidity here (likely yours is similar?)
Susan