Jackie -- The only Bourbon that's ever been happy in my coastal SoCal garden is Ragged Robin.

I have sworn off Bourbons, as every OTHER member of the tribe HATED it here, and produced loads of fungal disease to emphasize the fact.

Jeri

I'm in a very dry low desert climate and while I see bourbons like Zephirine Drouhin, Louise Odier, Mme Isaac Pereire and Mme Pierre Oger in the local Heritage Rose Garden, I haven't tried them at home. The only one I currently grow is Souvenir de la Malmaison, and I understand there may be some doubt as to whether she's a true bourbon. Anyway, she's won me Dowager Queen at three local shows and is about 10 years old, own root.

Oh, if I lived in a drier climate, I'd for sure grow SdlM.
Here, she mildews and balls, but it's always a pleasure to visit the lady in a climate she likes.

Jeri

What about the rose called "Maggie"? Isn't it a Bourbon or at least part Bourbon? It has done well in my hot and humid 8b-9 garden.

Jackie, I had also wondered the same thing in my hot, dry garden and then finally went ahead and tried one, Mme. Cornelissen, a sport of Souvenir de la Malmaison. It did beautifully, no disease whatsoever and lots of bloom even when first planted from a band. I then planted another sport, Kronprinzessin Viktoria von Preussen, a gorgeous white Bourbon which has done equally well, and have now added Mme. Dore (one gorgeous bloom), Romaggi Plot Bourbon, Appoline, Souvenir de la Malmaison, SdlM Rouge, Leveson-Gower and Coquette de Blanches. I can't say how they'll do over the years, but so far so good. I'm thrilled that another class of roses seems to have opened up for me. I'd suggest that you also start with the Souvenir de la Malmaison clan, since they seem to bloom the most of the Bourbons and like hot, dry weather. I'm very anxious to see what kind of spring bloom I'll have with these roses, but even now with nights in the low forties Mme. Cornelisses is still putting out buds. I have a feeling it would be worthwhile for you to try at least one of these. I'm certainly glad I did.

Ingrid

Jackie, we have at least ten Bourbons in the Sacramento cemetery, so take a look at them the next time you come. The one that does best is Mlle Blanche Lafitte, which apparently has a lot of noisette in its lineage. It is one of the best roses in our collection, in my opinion, tall and graceful with large, fragrant flower clusters. New Orleans Cemetery Rose may be Pierre de St. Cyr, and it's another fabulous rose for us. There's a lot of China in its background, making it similar to Hermosa, but in my opinion much better. We have Reine Victoria, Mme Isaac Perriere, Zephirine Drouhin (mildew and rust, not a good California rose, I think), and a few others. I know that you have more marine influence than we do, but I wouldn't rule out Bourbons based on our experience with them.

Like so many of the rose classes, one Bourbon is not like another - depending on their breeding, they can vary considerably.

We rarely find a Bourbon when we go out rustling, and I've always wondered whether they just weren't as popular in the time that California was being settled, or if they need more water and care to survive, compared to the teas and chinas that can live neglected for decades. I do think that they are much less drought-tolerant than other classes of rose. For some reason, Maggie is never found (to my knowledge) and rarely grown in Northern California. I've always been curious about it, since it's so popular in the Southeast, and also in India.
Anita

I thought bourbons originated in a warm climate?

My understanding is that they are named Bourbons because the first of the group was a hybrid seedling found near a hedge of a mixture of a European once-bloomer and one of the repeat-blooming Chinas or Teas (forget the details now) on the island now called Réunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean (near the island of Madagascar), but then called the Island of Bourbon (Isle de Bourbon). So yes, the first Bourbon was a warm climate rose.

In another Forum, there's been a continuing discussion about the truth of the origin of Bourbons.
I think they DO need some heat.
I second Anita's enthusiasm for Mlle. Blanche Lafitte, which I think is absolutely splendid.

Anita -- You're right. I hadn't thought about that.
We find HPs often, and LOTS of Teas. Banksiaes. Many Noisettes. Chinas. Hybrid Chinas. Older HTs and Polyanthas. But not Bourbons.

Jeri

Thanks so much everyone! Now at least I know that Bourbons can do OK without a cold winter. I never spray anything anymore, so the mildew is a problem.

I now remember that years ago I did try Zephirine Drauhin and Madame Isaac Perriere. Unfortunately, ZD turned white from mildew (the entire bush, including the blooms), and stayed that way, unless I drenched it with fungicide every day. Also no luck with MIP - 100% balling of the flowers. I got tired of going out each morning to open them manually, although when 1 in 100 did open successfully, they were gorgeous.

So, maybe I will try "local knowledge", and try growing Pierre de St. Cyr or Mlle Blanche Laffitte. Noisette and/or china in their makeup might help. We are at least 5 miles from the ocean here, but only 4 blocks from SF Bay. Hot dry summers, but we do sometimes have foggy/ overcast Springs.

Campanula, I smiled at your comment that they might get very large in our warm climate. The ONLY roses I have in my garden (aside from some sad HTs and some other roses that are growing in shade) that are NOT huge are miniatures and a few polyanthas. The rest of them seem to feel that it is necessary to get at least 3 times larger than the rose books say they will. I know better now, but when I was first planting roses 20 years ago I did not. Consequently our garden is sprinkled with free standing structures and large arches that my husband had to build after the fact to support roses that I planted that were not supposed to be "climbers". Actually, some of them probably are not climbers - they are just 10' x 10' x 8' .

Jackie

I am within the coastal zone of southern CA albeit the eastern edge (inland & uphill from Venice Beach). I had great success with a grafted Madame Pierre Oger altho it took nearly 5 years to mature to the point that rust no longer bothers it much anymore. She blooms regularly, appreciates water and a good feeding. I've tried a number of Bourbon roses since and probably only 1 of 3 has thrived here including Coquette des Blanches, Maggie, Boule de Neige. Most have mildewed & rusted. Madame Isaac P. languished on an arch for 3 years, but when I moved it against a warm wall, it immediately started growing and looks like it may thrive. Gruss an Teplitz also grows well in a warm sunny spot out of the breeze. The inconsistent heat in my coastal microclimate seems to be the biggest detriment for Bourbons and Teas. Planting against a warm sunny wall out of the ocean breeze makes a big difference. Also adding shrubs & hedges to shelter roses from the ocean wind helps a lot with roses.

AH! Boule de Niege!
It is an offspring of Mlle. Blanche Lafitte, and is the OTHER Bourbon that grows well here.

It has never mildewed or rusted AT ALL.
It did sit there for three years before it condescended to bloom, but once it started, it's never stopped.

Coquette des Blanches, OTOH, after 3 years, produced one perfect spray.
After that, nothing.
After two more years, we gave in and removed it.
But I know it is excellent further inland.

Jeri

I am following this thread with great interest, since I love Bourbons and I am also wondering if I am able to grow them well here in my garden in San Diego (zone 10).

So far I only have Zephirine Drouhin. The rose is two years old and was blooming very prolifically this year in spring (the fragrance was breathtaking), with an occasional bloom here and there in summer and and a very "humble" flush of blooms in fall. The foliage was surprisingly clean altogether (I garden organically and don't spray), but the leaves did not look that great at the end of summer, when it was really hot. If I remember correctly, rust was a problem at that time and the rose lost quite a bit of leaves. I didn't have problems with mildew, though. My ZD is growing in a slightly shaded position. Since I am 15 to 20 miles away from the coast, humidity is not that high and it becomes rather hot in summer here.

My evaluation: disease resistance is acceptable for me, I am a little bit disappointed about the repeat, but I will keep the rose for the absolute stunning spring flush and the great fragrance. And who knows, maybe with becoming more mature the re-bloom and even the disease resistance will become better?!

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I definitively will try out some other Bourbons in the future (got Souvenir de la Malmaison as a band two month ago already)!

Christina

Christina, ZD looks really lovely. I hope with time it will look that way for a good part of the blooming season. As it grows larger it's going to make quite a statement in your garden.

Ingrid

Jackie, in Mildew Valley, most bourbons are a bust. The only Bourbons worth growing there are the Tea-Bourbons derived from Souv. de la Malmaison. I grow Mme Cornelissen, and it blooms constantly. It's not a climber but rather a vase-shaped shrub. Those described by Anita are indeed enticing, especially New Orleans Cemetery Rose, which has captivating scent.

Boule de Neige did splendidly in my garden. It grew very fast and ended about 7-8 ft. by 4 years. It was a much more slender graceful shrub than Coquette des Blanches which is quite rangy and tall, plus Boule had very healthy dark green foliage, even here on the coast. The foliage looked beautiful against the stark white snowball flowers, and it bloomed very dependably. Unfortunately, at around 5 years, it mysteriously declined and never recovered. I really have to try it again!

So happy to find this very helpful old thread!

I also had assumed Bourbons might do well in warm climates due to their origin, and it's especially helpful to me to read the feedback from those of you in coastal areas.

Thanks @jerijen and @mudbird , I was wondering about Boule de Neige! Into the cart she goes. She will be in my zone 11 garden in a few weeks competing with the rugosa Blanc double de Coubert for best hot and coastal weather white rose.

Two other bourbons I am curious about are Variegata di Bologna and Honorine de Brabant. The pink stripes on those two look adorable.

Does anyone grow these in a warm climate?

V di Bologna and Honorine de Brabant are both sold by Antique Rose Emporium, and they have had them in stock for some years. they generally don't hold on to anything that does not do well in heat. They have about a dozen other bourbons, including Souv. de Malmaison and a couple of its sports and a number of others in the dark red to deep pink range which are tempting but all rather sizeable.

I have not tried to grow any but Maggie, which is a trooper; growing as a climber in a difficult corner where I have not been able to get any other roses to grow. .Fantastic in spring, a more modest flush in fall, scatters the rest of the year.

Thank you @Claire Fanger I didn't know about Antique Rose Emporium! I can't order from them but still a very useful website to look for rose varieties that might work in my zone.

As others have mentioned here though there are also other parameters for coastal gardens to keep in mind, so it's great to read the comments in threads like this one!

Good to know about Maggie, thank you!