For the Centifolia/Moss AND rambler classes I suggest Henri Martin which will fill all these roles although it is stiffer than the ramblers, more like a climber. The combination of the scent of the moss and the scent of the petals astonishes most people but you have to make them touch the moss and smell their fingers afterwards.

If you really want to wow them, you must, absolutely must, have an older established plant to show them. You start by showing the established plant, covered with flowers, THEN you give them the baby.

First year hardy once-bloomers don't look like much. They are unreliable bloomers at best, and what I mean by that is they might produce one flower to prove they are not mislabelled. There are also some varieties in those groups that really, really don't like pots, and do quite peculiar things to show their displeasure.

This really turns into a long term project. You get the roses, and wait a couple of years for them to establish. At that point, if happy, a lot of them will start to run. Then you can pot up the sucker children, and start unloading them. That also gets you around the potential problem that the rose you wanted to distribute has gone out of commerce in the meantime.

Rambler? My ears perked up and I thought of Anne Belovich's beautiful Dawson Apple Blossom:
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What do you think?

Sue

Mad-Gallica...I should have many of the once bloomers as 3 year specimens in my gardens in full bloom when they come to see the gardens. So, I think some of these will "wow" them, but, I'm trying to get recommendations on some to purchase as door prizes.
Robert

Robert,
I would suggest Alba Maxima (or semiplena), Tuscany Superb (or Rosa Mundi) and Ispahan. I know there is no Centifolia/Moss here, but all these are really bullet proof, no care roses that give you spectacular show. Majority of Centifolias and Mosses are somewhat less reliable in terms of health based on my experience.
Olga

rjlinva,
"Isaphan" is gorgeous and fragrant, and has a long bloom cycle, so it would be a good introduction to once blooming roses.
I'd suggest a rose of a class that has a unique trait, an Alba for its' glacous foliage, or a Scotch Burnet, as the fragrance is unusual, like unto lily of the valley or as a freind put it " expensive French bath soap" , or a Centifolia Moss, as they typically have more moss than the Damask Moss roses.

I would suggest making sure that the persons you're so generously gifting once blooming roses will grow them. Some folk will not give garden space to a rose that doesn't re-bloom, no matter how lovely it is. I'd also make sure someone had room for a Rambler.
Luxrosa

The door prizes have to be the same varieties that they can shove their noses in and see in your garden.

There really are a lot of people who don't want to have much to do with these roses. You have to hit them over the head and drag them back into the cave. You do that by pointing to the most magnificent, showiest, bloomiest rose in your garden, and saying 'I've got it's little brother over here'. Because honestly, what you are going to give them isn't going to look like much at all to people used to modern roses.

So the question really is, what are the best perfomers in those classes in your garden. Not mine, because they won't be coming to my garden to try and vainly figure out what that enormous pink thing in my front yard is.

The only exceptions that I've been able to unload without major, major pushing are the herbal roses. There are enough people enough into herb gardens that they won't say no to the Apothecary Rose, or Alba Maxima. R. glauca is also unloadable because of the unusual foliage. Aside from that, if they aren't already converts, it takes major, major arm twisting. And that's here, where most modern roses basically stink.

To really wow them Ispahan is the monster for you - really big and really showy from Olga's told me, enough to satisfy the masses. People need to stress that people buy cherry trees, lilacs, crepe myrtles, mockorange, etc all these once blooming shrubs- these roses are no different and are, in general, healthier than modern ones to boot!

Honestly, some of the best roses in this climate DO tend to be repeat-bloomers, but...

I would agree that you'd do the most damage with 'Rosa Mundi' or 'Tuscany Superb' for a gallica (the 'Rosa Mundi' here at the Nat'l Arb. is pitiful as a plant, but I feel that's almost entirely because of the crape myrtle it's growing under; the flowers are really out of this world). 'Rosa Mundi' might seem the obvious choice, but of course there are striped repeat-bloomers out there that compete with it, where 'Tuscany Superb' has few convincing modern look-alikes.

'Madame Plantier' would be my favorite choice for an alba (alba hybrid, but who's counting?). This one is much healthier here and everywhere else I've seen it than other, purer albas, and the floral display is intoxicating. You do miss out on hips, though. I'd pick 'Maxima' as the runner-up (if I only knew what 'Felicite Parmentier' was like in this climate! Its pictures are so very swoon-worthy).

I'm a little less settled on the third choice. I agree that people generally might not have the right place for a rambler of any magnitude. Owing to the poor health of many centifolias and mosses here, I want to agree with Olga that a damask might be in order, and then bow to the idea of 'Ispahan' as first choice in that class. This leaves you with a white, a pink, and either a deep red or a stripe - really, not a bad assortment from a color perspective. A distant second, perhaps, would be 'Leda'. There's a lot of merit to the idea of substituting a spinosissima or something else, but that wouldn't leave you with as many options for a future year. I'd stick to the classics that are known to do well here.

I'm reading all of these comments with great interest. I should have a very respectable display on Ispahan, so I think that'll be a given. I should also have a good display again on Rosa Mundi.... Now for the alba...no one had mentioned Queen of Denmark which is my most mature alba. I've got semi-plena which should be ok (but it's still rather young) and my Mme. Plantier had been moved and I lost about 90% of her....so she would not be a good one to show for a mature plant this year.

Robert

I think the observation is so true about people having no problem with once blooming shrubs/ trees, but when it comes to roses that bloom once... It is definitely a mind set that a rose needs to be a repeat flowering shrub with long stems (just like the roses at the florist), and a high maintenance plant.Oh yeah, and you also need a chemistry degree to figure out all the complex sprays they need to live.

I agree with Stefan8: in zone 7 you could give them Noisettes or teas that bloom all summer. It is easier to win over people to repeat or continuous bloomers than to once bloomers, especially if they do not have a huge yard.

"I think the observation is so true about people having no problem with once blooming shrubs/ trees, but when it comes to roses that bloom once...

Very, very true. Those who grow Lady banks and only Lady banks here usually say: I do not grow roses at all. About two years ago a lot of people who visited the Azalea Festival and saw Lady Banks blooming in various gardens, came over to our garden club's sale and bought up all the Lady Banks that one of the vendors unloaded. They were less enthusiastic about the white Lady banks than the yellow but I am not surprised about this 'color blindness' any more.

2-3 months later a lot of unsatisfied customer showed up complaining that they assumed that Lady Banks would repeat and they would not have bought this rose had they known that it was a once bloomer. But they bought Viburnum and other shrubs or trees without complaining about them later.

I fully understand Olga's point of view about acquiring more and more 'no-spray' roses and wanting once-bloomers because of the horrific Japanese beetle situation in MD and PA. I am sure I would not be able to cope with Jbs in such high numbers. The look of them -on Olga's and Harry's pictures - gave me serious nightmares.

However, your garden is further south of Olga and if you are further inland, maybe your blackspot pressure is a bit less severe. (Your member page states that you are around Richmond, so your area must be drier and hotter than Olga's garden is.)

Pickering used to carry a lot of Noisettes and tea-Noisettes, right now the do not have many but still have a few. I grow Jaune Desprez and this climber is positively "no-spray" here. Celine Forestier should be sprayed time to time; she goes on blooming and does not defoliate of blackspot (although she did almost defoliate from spider mites this past summer). Jaune Desprez is huge; Celine is a moderate size climber here in coastal z8. Since you prefer bigger roses anyway, I would rule out CF. I would not recommend Aime Vibert either.

If you could consider this proposition, we could type in or give the link to Pickering's Noisettes and maybe Chinas and those who garden in your (approximate) climatic conditions could characterize those roses, or to be more precise, those that you already grow and have a mature plant of focusing on their ability to flourish under no spray conditions.
[Too bad that Pickering does not offer Crepuscule now; if they still did, I would try to talk you into giving that as a door prize - Crepuscule does offer the WOW! effect on anyone who comes to see my garden]

I fully understand your motives. I try to collect more and more " NO- SPRAY" Bucks, Noisettes and smaller Chinas in order to show interested people that there are roses beside Knockouts (KOs, by the way, do not even do very well here). I do not have space for huge teas and only Duchesse de Brabant and Mme. J. Schwarz are mature of my teas, so I cannot talk them into growing teas, not by examples in my garden.

On the other hand, Prosperity and Buff Beauty also deliver WOW! from visitors - I think Pickering has both. So in accordance with Stefan I would suggest that you widen your options in case you have any of these as 3-4 year old, relative mature plants9 in accordance with Mad Gallica's point of view), although my Buff Beauty and Prosperity were HUGE by their second year and my Prosperity is own root.

Final consideration: I love whites; I cannot imagine a rose garden or any garden without whites. However, I noticed time and time again that most people want 'color' and beginners seldom consider white roses as their first option.

Ceterum,
Alas, Richmond is hot and humid during the summers. It has a high to very high mold count almost year around. Higher than SW Florida at times which surprised me. Japanese beetles love us dearly also!

Robert,
I have a small plant of Queen of Denmark and the flowers are just beautuful; nice scent too. I think it has a more "hybrid tea" look (though not really high centered) than some of the other OGRs which might appeal to someone only used to HTs. Lovely rose.

Jim

An old and beautiful rose is Baltimore Belle but huge. Very fragrant, covered with blooms which last a long time. No BS, at least as I remember and I also can't remember that it had any JB's. Very vigorous! Needs an area or wall that is at least 15' wide. So far hardy in my z5. No dieback

From another POV comes my totally unsuccessful effort to get members of a local HT-centric rose group to give themselves two more months of bloom, before the HTs start.
The earliest bloomers (Robert? you do grow some.....) include R. primula, R. hugonis, Canary Bird, Harison's Yellow) and in your part of the world would probably start in March and would be blooming when other roses are just awakening.
It's hard to break through. Some someone with Mc on their last name, Spinosissimas. For herbalists: I'd add R. eglanteria to Madgallica's list.
For someone who liked the Brother Cadfael mysteries, the herbal roses are also "will grow", but it takes an introduction.

Jim, I believe lori grows Baltimore Belle too and has praised it, I think that's another one you could purchase Robert.

- Max

Jim (east coast 7) I am aware that Richmond is hot and humid. Coastal NC is also very hot and practically always very humid. Still there are a few roses that are 'no spray, that is blackspot free for me and are not blackspot free for Olga.

On the other hand, compared to inland NC like Raleigh or inland in deep south it seems that my blackspot pressure is higher because people in those areas can grow many more roses without spraying than I can; in several instances my experience re blackspot is closer to Olga's than to rosarians gardening inland NC area or further south like Mississippi. That is the reason why I risk the assumption that the Richmond area may have a bit less blackspot pressure than Maryland.

I like a repeat also but if you insist my favorite Alba is Maxima with Princess de Lamballe(hard to find) Chloris is up there too a dreamy pink. A moss they are so often crisping before they fully open up here I love Madame Eduard Ory but try to find it in the US Blush moss and Cristata (Chapeau de Napoleon) are goodies
A lighter gallica not somthing that fries right away....pray for cool springs here otherwise they are like the mosses....
Belle Sans Flatterie and Belle Hermine are beauties and tend to still be perky when Cardinal Richelieu has crisped.

One 'Baltimore Belle' I see all of the time here in DC is pretty well spotted up during much of the summer, but it isn't exactly defoliated by the condition. Then again, it's pruned as a shrub and probably gets less water and food than it would like, too - but I would certainly not call it disease resistant. Disease tolerant would be a better description.

I am following this thread with great interest. Because I focused on Teas, Noisettes and Chinas this past garden visit, I am going to stick with ONCE bloomers for this upcoming season's garden visit/talk...and, it's already on the printed program for this year's events...

There's been some interest in Baltimore Belle...and, I do have a nearly mature specimen of this rose covering an arch. But, I'm not sure whether what I had purchased as Baltimore Belle is, in fact, Baltimore Belle. The decriptions seem to match except that mine lacks fragrance. I do realize that fragrance is subjective, but, I haven't met a fragrant rose that I couldn't smell. My BB is also a much later bloomer if I recall correctly.

I'm beginning to get a better understanding about the different levels of BS tolerance as well. I am starting to believe that I have an exceedingly HIGH tolerance for BS. If a rose keeps half of its leaves without spraying, it's doing great by me.

Anntn, I have put in a couple of those early bloomers, but they are still quite young. I think that will be a topic for another year...extending the bloom season with rose selections....thanks for the idea.

Thanks everyone...robert

Since they were so blown away by Veilchenblau during their visit last year, how about that one for your give away rambler?

Blessings,
Connie

that's a really good idea, connie...duh

Ceterum,
Thanks for the explanation; you may be on to something. I remember visiting Dennis Whetzel's garden near Harrisonburg. I asked him about BS and JB's and he said neither were much of a problem for him. He is in Zn6. Most of his roses are OGR's. I wonder if the elevation has something to do with it?

Robert, Veilchenblau is a beauty! Have some on a chain link fence and they are specatacular in the spring; some BS towards the end of the season but minor in my opinion.
Love those smooth canes, too!.

Jim

I think Queen of Denmark is one of the best albas, so if you have a mature one that would "wow" them. Ispahan for a damask. Charles de Mills is another great gallica to consider, though I like the other suggestions given too. The best centifolia in my garden has been Blanchfleur, but that one has taken quite a few years to get going. I think "Cristata" has the coolest looking buds but the plant sort of struggles.

Baltimore Belle does get some BS in my garden, but considering how much shade it gets it's quite a trooper. Any rambler you plant is going to take a few years to get going though. I personally think Rose-Marie Viaud is one of the best, tiny clusters of mauve flowers with good BS resistance.

Baltimore Belle has the kind of fragrance that fills the air when you are any where near it.

As far as BS, I live in a climate that doesn't have as much as those posting about it. Then I think it needs to be planted in a climate like mine because of its' hardiness