Shari I never spray anything. These are the roses I've had for a while that have performed the best for me so far. I just throw horse manure on them and don't do anything else.

Rugosa roses, including Rosa rugosa alba, Purple Pavement, Purple Pavement seedlings, and a Therese Bugnet seedling. These plants have had no disease problems. The ones I grew from seed were rather shy bloomers until their 3rd or 4th year, when they were spectacular in the spring. Good rebloom too. Will sucker on their own roots but easy to control.

Mermaid: flawless shiny foliage, never any disease. Semi-evergreen. One large flush, followed by a sprinkling of flowers the rest of the season. Huge very thorny monster.

Renae: A thornless pink remontant climber. Beautiful foliage and limber canes that are very easy to train. Smallish flowers but very good fragrance.

Rosa palustris from Antique Roses Emporium. I've posted about this rose a lot and I love it. No disease to speak of, lovely colored foliage, spectacular spring bloom, and very tough. A once bloomer and big. Gets to at least 5 x 7'.

Climbing Old Blush. Wonderful color and fruity fragrance. Big bloom in spring followed by flowers until winter. Vigorous. Gets a little blackspot for me but not bad at all.

Teas, noisettes and chinas do very well here. My Climbing Old Blush has been great. I think I've killed my teas with kindness and need to cut back on the chow. One of the greatest attributes of teas is the beautiful evergreen foliage.

Sombreuil. Gets some blackspot but a wonderful spring bloomer and also good repeat.

Shari, although I don't consider myself much of a rose grower, I haven't ever sprayed the ones I have: Marie Pavie (an old polyantha, reblooming), Unrootable China Red (a 'found' china rose from New Orleans, reblooming), Knockout, Pink Pet (another old polyantha, or another old China rose depending on who you read, long blooming), and a small cascading red that was the original 'Reba and Roses' rose. Most of them are heavily budded at the moment. I've also recently gotten Lady Banks and R. mutabilis, which are going to get the same neglect. There are two native roses on my property, Rosa carolina and R. palustris. There were also a bunch of hybrid teas on the property when I moved here but the deer ate them all. I'm looking forward to expanding my garden with the ones I'm acquiring from the swaps (meaning Tammy), and Alicia, someday I'd love to get some suckers from your rugosas.

Karen is your R. palustris just growing wild there, with thorns and single pink flowers? I got a R. palustris from the NC Botanical Garden last year and it's got thorns all over. The one from ARE is listed as R. palustris scandens but is probably an unknown hybrid.

I'll try to dig some suckers and for insurance also try layering.

I'm not a serious rose grower. My roses are Knock Out roses and one potted minature rose. I don't spray anything in my garden...although I may use Neem Oil for Japanese Beetles. I use organic fertilizer.

Cameron

The palustris was just there, along the barbed wire fence. I ID'd it from photos on the internet and from my Vascular Plants of the Carolinas book. It's thorny and has single pink flowers that open in a way that has this angular quality, very unique, and there was a dead ringer photo on the internet that clinched it. The patch died back a bit last year in the drought, as the location isn't particularly wet in the best of times, but I checked a few weeks ago and it's got new growth emerging. I was fairly surprised when I first found it growing there.

I'm not a big rose grower, but I do love roses so the ones I grow are ones that are no spray. Like a lot of gardeners, I have Knockouts and I can't say enough good things about this workhorse. The following roses do well for me here in eastern NC with no extra care and the foliage looks very good all season. They are Rosa mutabilis, Perle D'Or, Don Juan, Sally Holmes and The Fairy. This year I'm adding Night Owl which is supposed to be the dark purple counterpart of Sally Holmes.

Thanks y'all. I've been looking at all the antique rose websites and reading a little on the forums but there are so many! I'll be planting my first Knockout(Rainbow) this year. I also have a Lady Banks and rooted cuttings of Aloha(from Tammy), Mutabilis(Alicia), Seven Sisters(hopefully we'll learn which version this year) and Sir Thomas Lipton. I've had fairly good luck rooting cuttings so I want to try more of course:)

Karen, I have an extra Sir Thomas Lipton if you would like that in exchange for your epimedium. Unrootable Red China sounds like a good one. R.palustris too.

Best no-spray performers for me are:

Archduke Charles - china - red
Bubble Bath - pink hybrid musk
Pink Pet - polyantha
Comtesse du Cayla - orange china
Cramoisi Superior - red china
Crepuscule - apricot noisette
Ducher - white china
Lyda Rose - pink shrub - single blooms
Mrs. B. R Cant - pink tea
Mutablis - china
Nur Mahal - crimson hybrid musk
Red Cascade - miniature red climber
Rosette Delizy - yellow tea
Sombreuil (Colonia White)- white climber
Sophie's Perpetual - pink china
Souvenir de la Malmaison - light pink bourbon
Devoniensis - white tea

I don't spray any of my roses, either. There are a couple that would probably benefit, but i'm a sink or swim kind gal for the most part and i won't be spraying for blackspot or mildew or the like. I do very occasionally foliar feed with hose end sprayer, as a whim strikes, but most just give everyone a dose of espoma bulbtone or gardentone (what i use for everything) once or twice a year. now that we have a well composted horse manure source in the spring & fall i spread some of that, too.

my roses, in semi order of ease of care:

red cascade- mini non fragrant climber (10'+ canes), blooms in 2 or 3 heavy flushes and on & off most of the year. Blooms are mini sized- look perfect in bud, then open and are just ok formed, but stunning en mass. Blooms in sprays. Dries nicely. Nice foliage- no blackspot that i've noticed. JB's rarely bother this one. Fairly thorny, roots easily. Grows fast & bulletproof.

veilchenblau- once bloomer- crazy pinky purple bloom color that changes to grape purple, with an occasional white sport. Blooms in one huge flush- muliflora type blooms- covers the bush, but no scent. Vigorous climber that can grow 20' vines, some medium thorns widely spaced apart. light green foliage, never noticed black spot- does seem to be a JB magnet, but rebounds quickly after they attack. Out grows any problems it encounters. Sets very few hips, and they are small and bright orange. Roots easily.

Dehlia's purple. Once bloomer- heavy flush, early. wonderful classic rose scent, unique deep magenta purple color. Very, very double, but shallow cup with tiny petals. Pretty reddish foliage in fall & spring- seems to attract aphids. semi- evergreen. Small prickly thorns, no hips at all. No blackspot noticed; Jb's don't bother it. Once established, grows well. Doesn't root well, but suckers.

Pink Pillar- thorny climber to about 12'. Really pretty red, pink & yellow mix that looks pinkish apricot from a few feet away. Color glows- Open form, slightly doubled petals. Deep fruity scent. Blooms heavy in spring and on & off again rest of season. Jb's like buds but don't bother foliage. Does get some blackspot, but not bad. Hard to root. Wonderful reddish hips, but they taste bad.

New Dawn- Wickedly thorny climber than can get to amazing heights if not restrained (likes to climb into trees). Pale vanilla colored pink flushed blooms that rebloom all season, lightly scented. Does fairly well in part shade. Pretty glossy foliage- mostly evergreen. Little blackspot noticed, vigorous vine that shrugs everything off. Jb's don't bother this one much. Roots easily.

Work of art- mini climber. Has mini, perfectly formed roses til fairly open. Apricot to orange roses, that have a nice light fragrance. Reblooms on & off til very cold. Wonderful rose that's done well in the shade of a jap maple. It started slow because of that, and i haven't tried to take cuttings many times, so i don't know how well it roots. Noticed a slight amount of blackspot, no Jb's. Cute little bright orange hips.

Dortmund- Wickedly thorny climber to about 6-8'+, forms fountain shape. Huge, single cherry red roses with white eye, in sprays. No fragrance, does rebloom in flushes 2 or 3 times a year. Wonderful fall & winter color- red, orange and yellows. Great elongated hips, good for teas. Doesn't root. Jb's ignore, and i haven't noticed blackspot on it.

Aloha- Thorny semi climber- gets to about 6'. Perfect classic rose flower form. Red buds open to medium bubblegum pink withe a very intensely fruity fragrance. Reblooms on & off through heavy frost. Does get blackspot, but doesn't seem to mind much. Gorgeous foliage- glossy and deep green in summer, reddish in cool weather. Mostly evergreen. Jb's do go for the buds on this one, but leave the foliage alone.

Fantin Latour- Pretty very fragrant light pink heavily double blooms; only blooms once. Tall bush shape to fountain; not too thorny. Bloom is 'quartered' when half way open. Jb's like this one and it gets blackspot, but i grow it for the form and fragrance. Nothings seems to bother it for long- just roughs it around the edges some. Roots ok.

Mermaid- Alicia did a great job of describing this one already.

Baysey's Purple- Rugosa type- millions of fine sharp thorns, and some bigger ones. Gorgeous deep black purple lightly fragrant blooms on purple stems with dark foliage, reblooms a little. Gets to about 6'. Suckers- doesn't root. Because of the thorns i have this in more shade than is optimal, so mine doesn't bloom great. Jb's really like the buds on this one & foliage, too a little. Strangely, no noticeable hips for me. I'd like to try this in back where it would have room to spread.

Rozette de Lizy- Pretty pink & yellow mottled blooms- looks like old fashioned colors. Nice fragrance. Does rebloom some. Jb's decimate blooms, and weirdly, bees eat them sometimes. Mine's never gotten much size- it's in a bit too much shade. Does get blackspot, but not too bad. Roots ok.

Why not- mini bush type, thorny, with adorable red single flowers with a yellow eye that fades to pink & cream. Very cute, but for me hasn't performed that great, and hasn't grown big at all. Still it hangs on and blooms a little, so i leave it be. It's prolly in too much shade, and too crowded where i have it. No jb's or blackspot. Never tried to root- not enough material.

Eugenie de Bearnhouse (or something along those lines). Supposed to be the best scented rose, period, but has preformed poorly for me. I've read it does better in pots- may move it. It does bloom a little and smells nice, but is similar to dehlia's purple in color and scent, so i'm not convinced it's worth the bother. It drops all its leaves shortly into the season and sulks the rest of the year. Needless to say it's never gotten very big. Blackspot magnet. Jb's never see it as foliage is gone by then. I should shovel prune but don't have the guts.

I have a bunch of roses, mostly HT's some OGR's. I don't spray, except the horticultural spray right after hard pruning in February. I'm new to gardening and roses, I've learned a lot from the Roses Forum. I put down alfalfa meal after the horticultural spray with good results last year. A lot of them do get bs in late summer but recover with light pruning and extra hand watering once per week. Last year I noticed Mirandy and Chrysler Imperial were healthy when others were not. Don Juan defoliates but keeps on blooming and starts to recover when the weather cools.

I've also been using the Bayer All-in-One soil drench once/year but I'm going to stay away from that also and just stick to composted manure and osmocote(or miracle gro granular for roses). It seems the drench may be causing the bees to decline and after seeing the Bee movie I don't want to cause any damage to the environment for the love of roses. I'm sure they'll do fine without it and probably get stronger with age. I'm going to try the liquid kelp this year and see if that helps them during the heat.

I love roses...I probably have about 80 here in my yard. In previous years I have sprayed...erratically. I have been looking for all natural products to take care of my roses and I think I've found them...the Peter Beales All Natural Rose Program.

These products have been extensively tested at Ashdown Roses, they have gone completely green as far as all the roses at the nursery. I recently came home from there with six new roses and they were the picture of health!

The premise of the whole program is soil health that produces healthier roses that also require less water. I have a car full of their Good Morning Roses (fertilizer for spring feeding) that I plan on putting out today if the weather cooperates. Probably as soon as next week there will be an all natural fungicide available....Good Health Roses. And a bit later this season an all natural control for Japanese Beetles called Goodbye beetles.

For more info google Ashdown and I'll post a link for Organic Plant Healthcare's website.

Carole

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Plant Healthcare

Hey!

I'll also post a link to a message board where Paul Zimmerman (the guy who owns Ashdown Roses) talks more about these products. This weekend Paul is up at the New York Botanical Garden speaking about this product line at the Great Rosarians of the World meeting.

Carole

Here is a link that might be useful: Peter Beales Message board

Some of my most disease resistant of the lot are Marie Pavie, Iceberg, Gourmet Popcorn, The Fairy (incredible), Ray Boerner, Austin - Molineux, Dickey, all the Knockouts (of course), Home Run, La Marne, climbers Fourth of July and New Dawn, Austin -Abraham Darby.

I try not to buy any hybrid teas now, having had horrible luck with roses like Double Delight and Peter Mayle. My part sun conditions do not allow such pleasures.

Does anyone know of any other roses that thrive in part sun?

I also grow Zepherin Drouhin, but it gets a little spotty.

To me "own root" roses are totally preferable to grafts.

Claire in Sanford

Claire, nearly all of mine do fine with about 5 hours afternoon to late aft sun or a little less. Veilchenblau gets about 6 hours, as does red cascade, but i know red cascade can take less- not as sure about veilchenblau. Dortmund may get about 5 & 1/2. There was a thread really recently about shade tolerant roses... i'll see if i can find it.

This forum sure does churn fast! That thread's already on page 2:

now, it was about climbers, but should help some.

Here is a link that might be useful: partial shade climbers

I have about 200 roses, a mix of OGRs and modern roses. While recently, hybridizers have worked harder at breeding disease resistance into roses, most modern roses require protection regular protection from BS and occasional protection from other fungus diseases. A lot of the OGRs, however, will florish with little or no spray.

I will vote wholeheartedly on the side of good health, good soil making a difference. I would like to add that a good clone of the plant makes a hugh difference also.

I can vouch for Red Cascade (my husband's favorite rose - just don't plant it by the front door), Marie Pavie, Gruss an Aachen, Lynnie (Ashdown), Carefree Sunshine (by the hybidizers of Knockout--absolutely the cleanest rose I have ever seen, doesn't even get the fall crude as Knockouts sometimes do), Souv. de un Ami, Clementina Carbonieri, Maggie, Comtessa de Cayla, the Buck, Prairie Squire (big shrub), the climbers, New Dawn and Awakening (a sport of New Dawn). Some roses that do well with minimu spraying are Hot Cocoa, Gourmet Popcorn, most of the Buck roses, The English Miss, Belinda's Dream, Playgirl and Playboy, Mellow Yellow.

In my garden, the teas tend to be robust and carefree. The Buck roses are robust and need very little care. Based on that general experience, I keep adding them to my garden. I've found one or two specimens that didn't measure up, but exploring the tea list and Buck list from RosesUnlimitedOwnRoot and Ashdown Roses is a great way to have fun, grow fragrant easy care roses and become obsessed for life.

I haven't sprayed in - oh - almost 10 years!! I used to grow gorgeous hybrid teas when I lived in California. They were on a strict schedule for spraying and feeding. And they showed it - luscious. But here, with this hot, humid climate and my work schedule...not happening. I've dropped back to one Sombreuil and a few Knock-outs.

That's not to say that roses don't still know my name. I got right weak kneed and short of breath at the garden center last weekend when I found big, beautiful, healthy looking Julia Child roses. Oh..oh...

While I don't consider myself a "rose grower," I do have a couple of old roses in my garden that are grown organically. The only thing I've ever sprayed on them is a baking soda/water mix for black spot one year. They are wonderful bloomers and seem quite hearty.

Crepuscule - Noisette
Knock out

I definitely want more noisettes - they are so easy and beautiful!

I don't spray mine. I get a little black spot, but just pull the leaves and so far that's been enough. I have no idea what it is, but I have a wonderful bush rose with smallish white flowers that blooms non-stop from spring to fall if deadheaded. It has a lemony scent. Never gets black spot. I'm gonna try to propagate it and see how it does in part sun.

I can't say enough good things about Belinda's Dream. The plant gets huge with a nice rounded shape. It has very little disease. But the best thing about it is the blooms it churns out for months on end - very cabbagey and a pretty soft pink. If I were down to one rose this would be it.

And Knockouts are great bloom machines too but the individual blooms are nothing much. Don't get me wrong: I have three and love them. But they are barely roses.

Thanks to all of you who responded. I've saved your lists and will refer to them whenever I feel like I must try a new rose. I picked up Red Cascade and The Fairy at the swap last Saturday- was tickled about that. Now I just need to do some planting and see what happens.

Add me in. I grow mine on the sound side of Topsail Island so despite constant soil amendments they really are growing in sand in addition to not being sprayed. So while the ones below generally do very well, they don't get as large as roses planted in good soil. And I don't get at all excited about a little black spot, just pick the affected leaves off. Here are the ones I have that are thriving:

Georgetown Tea -- fabulous, always in bloom
Belinda's Dream
Miss Atwood, a Bermuda rose
Mme Joseph Schwartz
Lavender Lassie
Super Dorothy
Cottage Rose
Tamora
Celine Forestier

Allie

I grow my roses no spray. I have a complete list on my member page.

Sharil....give that lady banks about a 12 x 12 area or you will have to chop at her several times each year. Shes a biggun'!!

Also we have 2 of the best rose nurseries in the country right in SC

Roses Unlimited
Ashdown Roses

Look into Teas (NOT Hybrid Teas), Chinas, and Noisettes.
They love the Carolinas!

Good luck!

Ronda