It will be different for every climate . . .

This is very difficult for me. My choices change constantly.

One would definitely be "Grandmother's Hat" for its overall beauty and the gorgeous blooms (and fragrance) and its freedom from disease in my climate . . .

Then, I think, "Jesse Hildreth" -- again, same reasons . . . though the plant is much younger . . .

But close on their heels are "Florence Bowers Pink Tea", 'Annie Laurie McDowell', and Tamalpais Homestead Tea' -- and "The China From Adina" because it came from my family's cemetery in TX.

I think today I would choose Mrs. B.R. Cant, Archduke Charles, and SDLM. I might say something different tomorrow :)

That Tamalpais Homestead Tea is gorgeous! When will this ever end? I don't think it will for me.

Souvenir de la Malmaison, La France and Potter and Moore. They're all pink, practically free of disease, good bloomers and La France at least has a lovely fragrance. SdlM smells like beer but some people like the fragrance. I like the fact that it never stops blooming, and the other two are pretty good in that department too.

La France

Bishop's Castle gets honorable mention for its lovely rich dark pink coloring and strong fragrance, and also being a good bloomer.

Beer - haha! Scent is so subjective and variable, isn't it? To me SDLM smells like rose + baby powder.

I'd have trouble getting below a dozen. And I agree that the selection would change drastically in a different climate. In a severe winter climate at least half would be gallicas, damasks, and albas, say two of each. Then I'd throw in a rugosa or two for repeat bloom. A garden in such a situation would have to be heavy in flowering plants other than roses. Fortunately lilacs are tough and I love lilacs.

Rosefolly

Ok this isn't easy to pick only three but today if I had to choose it would be SDLM, she has a peppery rose smell for me but I have smelled the yeasty beer smell too. Second is Mrs. B R Cant, she has been bullet proof for me and I love her big blooms. The third Duchesse de Brabant, love love her. Of course ask me this time next year and I'm sure my answer will be different.

This is tough.... but

1) I must go with roses that perform exceptionally well here and 2) it is aesthetically pleasing

SDLM - baby powder fragrance

Blush Noisette - it is a great rose here

Madame Joseph Schwartz - this one has really grown on me, to the point that I would not be without it.

Rosefolly, what kind of lilacs do you grow in zone 9? I grow one, and think it might be Miss Kim. Would like a heat tolerant one with bluer tones.

Hmmm, this is a toughie for me. Right now, I would have to go with Madame Hardy, Charles de Mills, and Henri Martin.

Madame Hardy, because it's my mother's personal favorite, and I always want it with me.

Charles de Mills, despite his naughtiness, is possibly one of the most beautiful roses a northern gardener can grow.

Henri Martin, because it is just the happiest rose ever in my garden. Happy when its breaking dormancy, happy when its growing, happy color, happy hips. Love this rose!!

I cannot choose just three! How about 30? Lol

I'll try..to get just as few..

I know you knew it would be in here

Orpheline de Juliet

Jenny Duval

Rush Family Gallica

Hypolyte

Ispahan

The Bishop

I'll stop there, but could keep going. I haven't even got to the China's and Teas, there are a few that do well for me. I can't grow them all, but I guess that's the price to pay for being able to grow my gallicas! I'll take it though :).

Only three roses means a very small garden so I would have to pick remontant roses, either quite short or a climbing rose. For climber I choose the bourbon Louise Odier. It has been very temperamental for me but hopefully the tiny imaginary garden will be healthy. For smaller roses I pick Rose de Rescht and Kronprinzessin Viktoria. But I shall miss my gallicas, albas and centifolias terribly, to say nothing of the early spinosissimas.

Charles de Mills for sure would be in my only 3. I think I would put Licorice Tea in there as well. I am torn between Oneto Home Saffron, Malespina Red China,. Sorocco House Lavender, and Florence Bower's Pink Tea as the third one.

I have a feeling this will change, but at this time my favorites are: Mel’s Heritage (although maybe I won’t count it, because it’s not an OGR, YET! I’m determined to make sure this beauty stays around for future generations. It’s THAT good!

Surprisingly, in my climate, my favorite is my star performer Louise Odier. She’s reportedly not for hot climates, but mine bloomed all spring and all through our hot summer. She rested in September and then bloomed some more in November. All that her first year in the ground, after spending a year in a small pot. I can’t wait to see what this year brings.

Louise Odier Rose · More Info

Like many others, I’d have to say Duchesse de Brabant. Mine has been plagued with powdery mildew off and one, but I’m working on solutions. I’ve increased her water and removed the invasive vinca vines that were robbing her of water. I’m reluctant to move her, so I’m working on planting something that will strategically provide her with some relief from the afternoon sun. In spite of her PM, she’s never been without a bloom, not for as long as I can remember.

9/30/17 · More Info

10/02/17 DdB · More Info

I would have to say Felicia, the Hybrid Musk, is in third place.(today) There’s something so delicate and ladylike about her blooms. Not one of my roses really wafts fragrance, because it’s just too dry a climate, but Felicia has a wonderful fragrance that’s especially detectable indoors. Her blooms are larger than the other HM roses I grow, and semi double. Her blooms hang down from the trellis in clusters of soft peachy pink, with stamens showing when fully open. She takes the shade well, and blooms often. She also grew from a 4 inch potted twig, to a 6’x8’ specimen in about two years. Go Felicia!

I think my favorites list will change by next year. How could it not? I’ve just received some very special old roses from Cliff, and they are settling in. Ingrid gave me my dream rose, Annie Laurie McDowell. She’s in a good spot, and I can’t wait to see if she likes it. Ingrid also gave me ‘Wild Edric’ a DA, that’s no longer available. If her three were happy at her place, I think the one she gave me should do fine here, as well. I still have September Morn and Sui Mei Ren coming from Angel Gardens. I imagine that some of these will become favorites.

I have to throw in a few honorable mentions: Salet, Mrs. William G Koning, Leveson Gower, Clotilde Soupert, Baronne Prévost, White Pet, Marie Pavie, and Princesse Josephine de Flandres(This one was blooming when we dug it up. It was beyond gorgeous! I can’t find much info on this one, other than it’s a polyantha from 1888, Soupert & Notting. The pink/lilac blooms have a powdery look to them, that’s unique.) The rest are either favorites, or too soon to be sure, but I have a feeling they soon will be. Lisa

Several posts came up while I was laboring over my choices! I feel like such a cheater with all my “honorable mentions”. Nevertheless, I’m happy to see you also chose Louise Odier, Mariannese, even though we are in vastly different climates. Brandon, Licorice Tea and Oneto House Saffron are beautiful! I’m going to look them up, but only to look, NOT purchase:) Alana, if I could grow gallicas, I’m sure those dark purples would be at the top of the list. You’re right, we all pay a price for being able to grow what we can.

Flamingo Gardens Tea isn’t a favorite here yet, but as it matures , I’m liking it more and more! Lisa

Hard to pick but I would go with either grandmas hat or Irene ford for #1 both are fragrant and can have packed blooms. Irene ford

Does anyone have a large Gloire de Dijon? Any pictures? It’s a beautiful rose, but it’s a pain in the neck, mine is in a pot and stays small.

My garden is young and my experience with different roses is limited, so three immediately came to mind.

First is Emmanuella de Mouchy, which I should maybe begin calling Irene Bonnet, because mine is repeat flowering. Whatever its name, it has grown quickly up my back stairs, it seems impervious to rain and to disease, and it is almost always in flower. I will put two pictures below:

These blooms are about eighteen feet up, climbing against my back stairs. In the next couple weeks, it looks like it will really explode into bloom.

The second is Général Schablikine. I like that it loves blooming in winter, and that its blooms nod and quill, and that the shading of the flowers is more complex than my other teas, with pinks and coppers mixing and melding as the petals open. Below is a picture--I may have posted this before:

Finally, number three is Fred Howard. The plant is a lanky grower, and I feel like I can treat it almost like Verbena bonariensis, as a see-through plant, but with amazing flowers. It towers about eight feet above my vegetable bed, and I probably don't prune it well, but it still is almost always in bloom. The flowers are amazingly changeable, cycling through pink, apricot and orange before finally settling on a brilliant clear yellow. I tried to capture that in this picture below, but it didn't turn out as well as I hoped:

It's hard to pick which three roses because I'd need to know where I was going. The first two could change on both. Lots of room- or at least the same as I have now: 1) Crepescule, 2) Spice, and 3) Mechanicsville Beauty. If all I had were three pots on a patio: 1) Marie Pavie, 2) Prairie Sunrise, and 3) Mechanicsville Beauty.

For people who haven't heard the story, DH brought Mechanicsville Beauty home to me in his lunch bag. He found it trying to grow on a bulldozed lot that had been a deserted church on his postal route. We made up the name based on the part of town he found it.

I’d love to see a picture of your Mechanicsville Beauty, Kes. Lisa

Lisa, I am ashamed at how low tech I am. But maybe one day I can get my kids to help me get a good picture and post it on here.

Erasmus your Maggie is gorgeous! I planted Maggie last May and I'm very excited to how beautiful yours is, I hope mine is going to grow up to be just as beautiful. I have a feeling she will be on my top 5 favorite next year.

Lisa your Felicia is so pretty, your pics are one reason I chose her when I was picking a hybrid musk, mine is still a baby and I haven't had any blooms yet but her foliage is pretty and she's growing like a weed lol.

I have no trouble saying that my top two are foundling roses; one is a NOID pink Tea that a friend nicknamed "Mighty Fine Pink Tea". And the other is a Bermuda Mystery Rose, "Smith's Parish"; my plant has never had the red stripes or flowers... it is creamy white or very pale yellow with pink tinges, so I call it "Smith's Parish White".

There are too many contenders for the third rose, so I'll stop while I'm ahead.

"MFPT":

"SPW":

Kes, do you have photos of your "Mechaniscville Beauty"? I'm sure we'd all like to see it, and perhaps someone might recognize it by another name. Although I really do like your study name...

Virginia

Edited to add that I obviously didn't see Lisa's request for a photo before I added my request. Kes, yes, get the kids to help!

Here are my 3.

Pink Pet. Just put it in the ground and let it do it's thing. Stays in bloom up till frost. Beautiful fall foliage.

Erasmus, I tried 'Miss Kim'. While it is indeed well suited to a mild winter climate, it completely lacks the traditional lilac fragrance. In fact I disliked the way it smelled, so I gave mine away.

Currently I grow five lilacs. Two are Descanso hybrids developed for the California climate. 'Angel White' is one. Its fragrance is faint but it is true lilac. Last year I planted another called 'Dark Knight'. I don't know how much fragrance it has but I look forward to finding out as it develops. I may in time plant 'Lavender Lady', said to be the most fragrant of the Descanso lilacs.

I also grow two other cultivars which are not from the Descanso collection but good in mild winter climates. 'Blue Skies' is rosarian Ralph Moore's only released lilac. I have been told that he bred several others but this is the only one he ever released to commerce. And finally there is my very first lilac, 'Sensation', a gorgeous bicolor which I find very fragrant. It is probably my favorite.

Some years ago Gregg Lowery told me that many lilacs will bloom in a mild winter climate if you keep them dry in the summer, once established, of course. Based on this I would be willing to experiment with others. I already only water my lilacs once a month.

Rosefolly

Rosefolly, I also grow Moore's Blue Skies and love it! I can grow all sorts of lilacs here in Portland but was really impressed by Blue Skies watercolor shades of lavender, delicious fragrance, the form of the shrub and the prolific blooms. A classic! Carol

I read this when initially posted and started pondering what my three would be, and have been checking back often to see others' choices. All of yours are such beauties! I'm very envious of those that I can't grow here due to our climate, but will stick with those I know do well in my current garden.

I knew my first two immediately...1. Mrs. BR Cant for fragrance, health and abundance of bloom (or Duchesse de Brabant if my three-rose garden wouldn't accommodate a girl of Mrs. BR Cant's size) and 2. Louis Philippe for fragrance, health and continuous bloom. Number three was much harder to decide on...would I choose another tea because they all have such heartbreakingly beautiful blooms or a modern, fragrant, long stemmed rose for a better cutting option or what? It has finally dawned on me, and now I'm not sure what took so long...3. Perle d'Or for fragrance, health and continuous bloom. A pink tea, a red china and an apricot poly...perfect! Although they might not last as long in a vase as the modern HTs, they are healthier, prettier garden plants and bloom enough to keep refilling the vase :)

Mrs BR Cant

Perle d'Or

Pat, your rose photos- as usual- are very fine indeed. I hope my MBRC rebounds from her winter dieback with no trouble, and eventually gets to be even half as nice as yours.

I think my mystery Tea might be related to MBRC; they may have similar parentage? A rose that is supposedly similar to MBRC is 'Marie Ducher'. I'd love to get a better look at that rose to compare with my mystery rose.

Virginia

I had to look up Marie Ducher, Virginia. I wasn't familiar with her. maybe your mighty fine pink tea will end up being Marie :)

For my zone 5a, the 3 roses I would keep as OWN-ROOTS are: W.S. 2000, Comte de Chambord, and Evelyn.

Thinking about this challenge some more since the thread came up again.

Right now I'm in love with Cl Lady Hillingdon. I used to love Cl Shot Silk just as much but apparently I have a weak clone, or perhaps the gophers are giving it a rough time with too much root pruning. Every summer when it is in bloom Rambling Rector becomes my favorite for a few weeks, but it is so enormous I don't think it makes a good candidate for a small garden (and small is the only justification I can come up with for only growing three).

There seems to be a theme of climbers here. I have always loved climbing roses. I guess I'll stick with 3 climbers, Cl Lady H, Florence Bower's Pink Tea, and my long-time favorite Crepuscule.

Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind at any moment.

BTW - like the OP I love Tuscany Superb, but in a three rose garden I would probably skip once bloomers. Give me a dozen and I'll slip a couple in.