It's the King of fragrance in a vase, holding fragrance until it falls apart. Put a couple in a vase in a small room like a bathroom and shut the door for a couple hours and then go in...heaven!

No 'Barcelona' ('Francis Dubreuil')? You need that one too...
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THAT is spectacular, Hoovb. It looks like nothing I have. I'm sold. But get with the program - I'm trying NOT to get more reds, not a bunch more reds. You are a Master Enabler! I think that beats Red Intuition, perhaps I'll just get it in RI's place.

This is more for lurkers then someone in your mild climate, but at the end of this horrendously hot and dry summer (2nd in a row), the city rose garden was in fairly bad shape by this fall. One of the roses that stood out was Firefighter. It still was pumping out nice spiral centered blooms. There were alot of red roses in the garden but this one stopped me in my tracks. I didn't ask more of it then the beauty of its bloom after these two drought ridden inferno summers, so I can't tell you what the fragrance was. But I can tell you, that it impressed me.....Maryl

I can enable some too. How about Crimson Bouquet?

Harmony,

BARCELONA (Francis Dubreuil) is a small rose that usually tops out at 2-3 feet. It should be easy to squeeze him into a crowded garden.

As for FIREFIGHTER, he is at the top of my list for new roses. My partner is insisting I put in some Hybrid Teas because he doesn't like the flower form or my Antique and Reproduction roses. Firefighter is not only supposed to be sinfully fragrant but the canes have been described as thornless or nearly thornless (see the "smooth chested" reference by Strawberryhill). That might be the UNIQUE FACTOR you are looking for.

Think about it Hon. After all the glowing recommendations how are you going to live with yourself if you don't at least give him a try?

Enabling managed.

Too funny. Ok - so Molineux - you brought me back to this thread with your response. And it's already a done deal - I bought him bareroot a few months ago, and he's leafing out beautifully. Cannot wait.

But then I read back through the thread to see you bad enablers, tempting me with even more reads. And then I get to a comment from Strawberry that I completely missed the first time through - describing Firefighter as a "strappling stud". I about fell off my stool. Well then, I have a strappling stud in my garden right now!

I must say, in my overpacked, absolutely filled past the brim garden, I still have Rouge Royale in the back of my mind as a needed addition. I've wanted Red Intuition for a while now, but I'm not sure with the lack of fragrance that I'm willing...

Bad bad bad enablers. Tee hee.

Enable we must. . . .
Harmony, how have you missed Kim's (roseseek) love letters to Velvet Fragrance? I don't need another red either, but his strong endorsement made me put but it on my list anyway!

Kay

PS: In addition to Rogue Valley and Heirloom, Northland Rosariium has it, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Velvet Fragrance

Onederw you beat me to it. Velvet fragrance is a winner and very good for our climate. Stawberry you made me laugh with your studly rose description.

Firefighter is the last of my HT reds. When the HT garden was downsized, Mr. Lincoln, Chrysler Imperial, Oklahoma and Ingrid Bergmen were sp'd. Firefighter was the winner based on overall vigor, cutting properties, fragrance, bloom production. It is the least thorny of my roses, but does have thorns.

Seven remaining HT's from original 40:

Sweet Surrender
Peace
New Zealand
Heirloom
Secret
Tiffany
Firefighter

Hmmmm ... those are all classic choices Harry but you NEED a white to balance out the collection. Since you like New Zealand why don't you put in its white sport FULL SAIL?

Here let me make it easy for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Full Sail at Heirloom Roses

Very very hot summers here near Sacramento but my Firefighter is the most prolific of my big reds. It repeats much better than Oklahoma. I did put a high trimmed crape myrtle over it last year because it got full day sun and 100 degrees. The blooms got even bigger. I have three Papa Meillands that smell just as great but I think they will be much harder to grow even though two are on fortuniana. I like Rouge Royale just as much but I had to crape myrtle it also because the blooms and even the leaves crisp in the hot sun. Mary

I would not recommend Rouge Royale. It burns in heat, and as I recall, it doesn't hold well as a cut either. But it's very fragrant, and for a short time, under the right conditions, it is breathtaking.
The real color is darker than this picture:

I don't know how Firefighter could POSSIBLY win over my Chrysler Imperial spot in my heart, but he now has the chance to do so, being a stud in my garden, which cracks me up, as there are two studs about 200 feet away - actual horse stallions - the real deal! They'd trample me calling that little bundle of leaves a stud.

Ok - I have enough smelly reds to not need any crispy critters in my garden, so maybe I'll axe the only rose on my being cut to nothing wish list, so I - like Campanula, can stop buying any more roses and enjoy what I have. I'm just thinking about the next two weeks or so, and how much mulching I have to do.

No, I'm not even looking (or will pretend I didn't) at Velvet Fragrance.

Harryshoe - two on your list (plus Firefighter) - Peace and Tiffany are new for me as of fall. I'm glad they are so pleasing to you, I really look forward to them. Heirloom was one of my first year purchases, and has been and remains one of my favorites for color, fragrance, and form.

I really don't have room for additional roses, no matter who tries to enable me. Secret is close enough to white for me.

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harryshoe I think you have a best of the best list there. The only one I ever gave away off that list was New Zealand. It never had any fragrance for me. I planted PJPII which has a good life as a cut rose.

Well, as long as we're in the enabling spirit, I have a word of encouragement back to StrawberryHill who said Francis D wasn't hardy in zone 5. On the contrary, there was a discussion a while back in the antique forum that HMF had underrated the hardiness of this rose. In my zone 5 Nebraska yard, Francis D is consistently cane hardy and laughs off even years when we have a "real" winter.

Translation, Strawbs - you NEED Francis in your yard. He's calling to you...deep luxurious dark red...fragrance to die for...and yes, totally hardy in your zone.

Now I gotta go get me another FIrefighter to replace the one that was a weak plant to start with. Shameless, all of you!

Cynthia