So I will chip in with my dislikes. I really don’t like thorny roses and I am not a fan of most Hybrid Teas and especially the thorniest, long stemmed ones. The flowers just sitting there sticking straight up, on thorny stems, really not a fan! Any rose whose petals bleach in the heat with ugly whitish splotches. I see them everywhere here and they are always Hybrid Teas in some garish orange hue, with their straight thorny stems, and ugly flowers to boot! I have 3 requirements for a rose. 1) Beautiful shrub to include nice foliage and a lovely graceful form that should be beautiful with no flowers on it. 2) repeat bloomer since I have a tiny yard and can get blooms year round 3) Not excessively thorny. PS. I have seen some really gorgeous Icebergs in my neighborhood, but I would never waste my precious real estate planting one when I can see them everywhere here!

I like Ketchup and Mustard! If it were at least moderately fragrant, I’d have it in my yard. But I agree, it won’t succeed with such a mundane name.

I still might get one someday, but right now I’m too busy looking for a Dark Desire so I can scoff at its Old Lady Soap scent :-) Hey, if Old Spice is so popular, why not Old Lady?

I’m sure Lisa could make a beautiful bouquet with Viridiflora, but those ‘blooms’ (or whatever they are) won’t be sourced from my yard!. By itself, it’s an dowdy little green toad, and that’s an insult to toads, which are ugly but cute. Viridiflora is not cute.

Oh, and some of those Kordes roses that look like some dummy snipped off the bud tip and let it bloom with such coarse looking flowers on blocky monster plants....I call them Koarse. (clever, huh?).

Iceberg is my guilty pleasure. Even though they are so common in California, and fairly common here, I still love them, whether planted as a single bush or in a huge mass planting. I love the fragrance, which I find unique and evocative. It's a honey fragrance that reminds me of younger and more carefree days. I love the flower form. I love that they are the perfect shade of white, and how they get pink tones in cool weather, along with the leaves turning color in the fall.

I would grow viridiflora for bouquets if there wasn‘t 100 different annuals I could grow for spiny green seed pods and things, a whole rose bush for that would take up so much room!

unfortunately Neil Diamond floats my boat, except when it is in my garden it appears to be a sinking ship... after the first one started to decline I got another thinking the first was a dud.. now the second one does not appear to want to "float"...... I don't care for the knockout roses... they don't look like roses, nor do they smell like roses.... one or the other would be good... but nope can like it... and now that I know it is root of so much RRD wish they wouldn't even sell it... it scares me....

Any rose that has huge or lots of thorns doesn't float my boat.... I do have Dark Desire. I do not notice it having an off scent. It is ok.... but I don't think it has LOTS of scent like it is suppose to.... so the only reason that isn't gone with those two strikes against it is that it actually does quite well on own root here in nematode country. I think I might use it as a parent in trying to breed roses... it might also do well as a root stock....

There are roses that I like such as Marilyn Monroe, but after seeing the thorns I STAY clear.... I don't mind getting cut, but I did scratch my cornea a few years back and I would just soon have any surgery without pain killer than to scratch my cornea again....

I have one to complain about. I bought an Austin called Imogen for a new bed. It had pretty pale yellow flowers and a subtle, but lovely fragrance that drew me in when I saw it at the nursery. Now I've come to find out that the flowers don't last any time at all. I'm lucky if they don't shatter (a new term I learned) the very day they open, especially in the heat. ....I'm so disappointed :-(

Oh, Noseometer, we are sooo on the same page except for Koko Loco. I jumped outside of my box and purchased it as "something different"... for my garden. It was not particularly striking as a stand-alone, to me, but the color played so nicely with some of the antique roses and many perennials, combining to create good visual interest. It was one that I did not like for years but once I started growing it, KL managed to grow on me. Like you, very few striped roses appeal to me. Out of the hundreds of roses I have grown, there have been two striped roses. Orange, NO!!, unless it is creamsicle orange, like what I have seen of Abraham Darby blooms. I also like Iceberg.

The climber that put on the most impressive show in Las Vegas was Cl. Iceberg. In some places, I see Jeep Wranglers everywhere. It is a great vehicle for many places. I cannot hate Jeep wranglers because it provides something that many love for multiple reasons... I see Iceberg the same way. What it lacks that is a priority for me is fragrance. If it had that, I would have shamelessly grown a dozen of them... I cannot hate it for being so "popular" or good where I gardened... With that communicated, commercial and home gardeners can "mix it up a little"... and move away from the Icebergs,,.

Ketchup and Mustard.... no... that bright red and that bright yellow makes me run from it... I have a cerebral/visual sensitivity to that yellow... especially...

Another rose that just does not do it for me, but it is widely a favorite is Archduke Charles.

I won't say yay or nay about Viridiflora, but I do remember it in the very first rose catalog I ordered from Roses of Yesterday and Today when I first became interested in growing roses. I could hardly believe such a rose existed and wondered why they sold it and who would buy it. Now, I can see how valuable it is to florists and anyone looking for something a little unusual.

I do a lot of HT's. Over the years a lot have come and gone for different reasons. The ONLY HT I probably wouldn't have back in my garden is Rosie O'Donnell. I Just could NOT handle the color contrast. Even though there are several roses with that type of color contrast, that particular rose, to me, was flat out ugly. I grew it for two years trying to like it but no way. For a HT it was a nice bush that bloomed a lot.

Iceberg -- Just a Blah white rose on a stringy bush.

Ketchup & Mustard--Same as Rosie

Any rose that opens up with "quilled" petals.

I see that everyone is taking this in good spirit and hope my thoughts don't hurt anyone's feelings, they really reflect only my personal taste. (Just to mention that, of those that were among some individual dislikes, I have to say I love 'Mrs. Oakley Fisher', 'Iceberg', 'The Fairy', and certainly 'Souvenir de la Malmaison'.) There are lots of roses I don't like if they look too unnatural either in form or color. Granted, most roses we grow were hybridized by reshaping the original species but sometimes things can go too far. A combination of too many flashy colors with fringy edges and the likes doesn't speak to me that it's even a rose, let alone a graceful one. Examples can be typically found among some modern hybrid teas. I also have a strong dislike for the opposite, any rose without much personality. Many 'landscape' roses fall into this category. So I'm not naming any roses but a number of those already mentioned fall in either of these two categories plus some more...

I am not a fan of in your face orange roses. I also like red roses that are on the blue side and not orange red in color.

HT's do NOTHING for me and therefore don't have any of the fussy things.

Can not stand Jude the Obscure. He needs to remain obscure. Color looks like dirty dishrag water in the heat we have here. I think I have gotten rid of more Austins than any other rose breeder's roses. They get huge here. Like lots of fertilizer and water, have very little scent for me and just don't do well in my growing conditions. There are a few that do well here and I think I have those. I doubt that I will get any more, however.

Also don't like Midnight Blue. Ugly purple gray after opening for two seconds and then shrivels up and dies. Ugh! So happy to pull that one out and replace it.

Also don't like knockout roses. Of course, my parents gave me a knockout rose as a housewarming gift, so I keep it around, but it is not my favorite.

I do like Iceburg, however, I see it everywhere and wish folks would plant another rose instead, just for some variety. There are many other great ones that would do well in California.

Abracadabra. I call it 'av a cadaver' because it looks like an autopsy in progress with yellow fat globules and dark meaty red/brown blooms.

Great stuff everyone! Even though a few have trashed a favorite or two of mine I can see their point and enjoy the humor just the same. And I've been reminded of a few others I've detested over the years.

JFK, gorgeous long slender pure white buds that NEVER opened in my humidity! In the rose dictionary next to the entry "balled rose" is a sad picture of a JFK bud turned to a brown mushy ball of petals.

I've had Golden Celebration for decades and it does OKl for me, although it's not a great bloomer and spots a lot. It stays because it was Mom's. I got Graham Thomas shortly after and it is also a very slow repeater. And it is the canary in the mine for watering in my yard. It wilts instantly when it's thirsty. I got Jubilee Celebration and Queen of Sweden 3 years ago. Still not Impressed. They're both still only about a foot tall and don't bloom much either. I think the Austins prefer to remain in Britain They don't seem to like the USA.

And if you're looking for something thorny get Snowfire. You'd swear it had RRD for all the thorns on it. And it hated my humidity too and rarely opened fully.

I have no love for KOs, of course, but I think of them as a gateway drug. Maybe, just maybe, if a newbie starts with them they might find their way to us where we can steer them to so many better roses!

Gosh, this rose bashing is fun, lol! Sorta cathartic

I bought Dr rouges this year and it has been a vigorous grower and repeats well. As far as roses I don’t care for it would probably be anything with glaring highlighter colours like sun sprite and the reds that turn magenta coloured. Though in the right landscape any rose could look good.

I had to look up the rose 'Rosie O'Donnell. Yikes! However, the only rose that could actually give me nightmares is Abracadabra, which I don't think I've seen before today. Surely I would have remembered this one. It reminds me of blood interspersed with yellow fat globules, and that's all I want to say.

I'm really wondering about HMF average ratings. Rosie O'D is rated excellent, and Reve d'Or is good. I guess these don't mean too much. If some judgement and taste screeners handled the ratings I could have more confidence. I guess this is where classic rose literature comes in. I do note that unhealthy roses where ever we are are harder to love, however wonderful they may be somewhere else.

The line between "vivid" and "garish" may be at times a fine one. I've never seen "Ketchup and Mustard"--and what an awful name that is--and so can't comment on it, but I wonder what my fellow forumers think of "Austrian Copper"? A brighter rose doesn't exist, with its primary yellow face and clear orange reverse, but I love it: for me it's on the right side of the line. (Of course none of the Foetidas are going to make haters of bright yellow happy.) Also satisfyingly bright are 'Comtesse du Cayla' and 'Clementina Carbonieri' (of commerce). N.b. the orange of 'Austrian Copper' is definitely orange, with nothing of peachiness to excuse it, but I like the color: it's clear and bright and fresh, like orange juice. I can't call to mind another rose of quite that shade. I also love striped roses, though mainly among the antiques.

Recently I passed by a dank shaded city garden with a puny rose struggling to survive. The rose was a Hybrid Tea and it had a couple of amazing blooms. As I recall the rose was variegated, strong tropical pink and gold, with the most completely over-the-top high-centered form. Wow. I don't generally do rose pets, but if I could find that one, I might be willing to try. Does the variety sound familiar to anybody?

Great thread, Ingrid: thanks!

Seil, I just have to mention that Golden Celebration does fabulously in (parts of) California. Jeri has posted gorgeous photos of hers, and when I visit Annie's Annuals in Richmond, CA (across the Bay from San Francisco), I always spend time mooning over and sniffing their stunning plant. I have only one Austin rose and am not generally interested in them overall. But I would get Golden Celebration in a heartbeat if I thought I had enough sun and heat for it in my location.

That is a great story, Lisa. I got P Aof Kent, and after it went coral here and Diane hated it, I added Boscobel which was supposed to be an improvement. That bloomed orange too. I could not win. They are both still here. They sometimes are pink, so there is that.

Shiela, I think it look nice especially when it is all blend in . When it is mixed like that it does not look that bad. It draws the attention to varieties of colours but by itself then it might be too strong or to bright. I like it how it looks very artistic.
jin

Oh, PAoK... These "individual" blooms were on the bush at the same time... I will just say it was"different". As much as I dislike many shades of orange, salmon pink...skewing more pink, so would it be pink salmon?? I find "pink/salmon" to be very attractive...

I agree with Jin, Sheila, the two work together (and after seeing Abracadabra this is practically eye candy!).

Lisa, anything done from a hospital bed is instantly forgiven, although I'm sorry you ended up with the wrong rose.

I've noticed this with companion plants, that bright colors that I'd never tolerate in a rose can be interesting contrasts, and I wonder whether the single blooms of Austrian Copper don't also fall into that category. They don't have the "weight" of a large, many-petaled rose and are set off by small, charming leaves, although it might still call for careful placement in the garden. Its relatively short blooming period also mitigates its impact, but all in all it's a rather wondrous creation.

Lisa,

I love the ‘Wrong Louise‘ story! My favorite part is that the garden helper planted it back in the new rosebed...it just won’t go away!

My Sweet Mademoiselle has been gifted to a neighbor across the street since spring. A few weeks ago she excitedly took me over to her yard to see it.

- It had ONE flower on it.

-It smelled as sweet as cardboard.

- the petals had an unnatural texture, like styrofoam.

-It was the exact color of a dead salmon fish

...and she absolutely LOVES it, couldn’t thank me enough for gifting her such a beauty ! I’m already thinking about what other roses can make their way across the street ;-)

Lisa. lol I have been trying to get a Louise clemmons all year

I really need a crazy orange rose

Now , is it a sherbet orange or a true clear orange

I prefer sherbet

I may just get the beautiful Augusta louise, I cant go wrong with that one

I know that it isn't a crazy orange but it is so pretty

Ben, thank you for being on these forums. You're always so wondrously funny and entertaining. I love your sense of humor, always tinged with an appreciation of the absurd.

Kristine, I looked for LC on HMF. The color seems to range widely across the spectrum of orange, depending on I don't know what. However, I don't see how you can go wrong with Augusta Luise. I don't think she'll ever be a star in a post such as this one. She's always beautiful.

I have Boscobel, Sheila. Mine is mostly pinkish blooming, so I don’t mind it. Believe it or not, I bought it to help “blend in” Sweet Mademoiselle. Both your roses look great to me!

Here’s Boscobel today. Sorry for the bright sun. (Wow, it’s hot out here!)

Ben, I’m glad your neighbor is enjoying Sweet Mademoiselle. I wish I could gift her mine, too!

Kristine, I found an old picture of Louise Clements. I’m not sure how to describe her color. I was very prejudiced against her, so I wasn’t exactly seeing her “through rose tinted glasses”. Lol

ETA: Kristine, Louise Clements was incredibly healthy and vigorous. I was so disappointed with “my grand find” that I shoved her band pot in a corner upon arrival and tried to forget about her. The thing refused to die! It rooted to the ground and grew. I finally planted her in a bigger pot.Later, I had a huge hedge removed so I could plant some of my potted roses there. I had them all lined up in a row for my helper to plant. I had to go inside for a while just as he was about to put the roses in the spots I had chosen. Imagine my horror when I came outside later, only to find that Javier had planted Louise Clements in my new bed! I asked him what in the world that rose was doing there. His reply, “I saw it needed one more rose. I look at all your roses, and I find the one most beautiful!” Lol. Lisa

Here is another Boscobel photo I found. Everyone close their eyes.

I love it, Sheila!

Had many chuckles on this thread, but seil I love your 'canary in the mine' and 'gateway drug' comments, and BenT's and Lisa's stories! And Lola's nickname for Abracadabra! Had to look up that rose, and my eyes still hurt when I think about it.

Ok folks, another confession:

There was a thread asking what to put on either side of Dark Desire.. I’d place a sturdy shovel on either side and make sure to get out all the roots. . I am so bad!

Sheila, if you're trying to frighten us with those pictures of Boscobel, your efforts seem doomed to failure. There's a certain softness to its color that, added to the old-rose appearance of the blooms, at least for me puts it in the "pretty rose" category rather than the "pretty awful". There are plenty of rather garishly colored hybrid teas that are much worse in my eyes than poor Boscobel. Now if you'd posted a picture of General Gallienni, that's one old rose that I think you know I could happily live without.

Yeah Sheila, I think your Boscobel looks pretty darn handsome :) I have to keep mine since the frogs love the deep cupped blooms. I even got the frogs a second Boscobel this year. I put Boscobel in front of Peach Swirl so they can look tacky together lol!

Here is General Gallieni for you, Ingrid.

I have to agree with Ben , for me Dark Desire was a thorny dud

After following this thread and thinking very carefully, I will say o don’t like oranges as a rule so I don’t even know their names .

You wouldn’t catch me growing sally Holmes . I loathe the way the centers turn brown . And I had Cornelia and would never grow it again . Lastly , ballerina , the black spot magnet would be naked with blooms or no blooms !

Of course, ketchup and mustard is a 100 percent not welcome in my garden either :)

Ah, Sheila, so kind of you to think of me. However, by surrounding the General with those pretty lavender plants you've managed to make the old boy look actually rather attractive.

Jenna, I'm dying to know about your experience with Cornelia. I'm assuming she was a bad rose in your previous garden, but it's not often that anyone says negative things about this rose.

I had Cornelia in a previous garden, and thought her ok from memory. Must have, as I bought three for this garden, and they were rangy plants (12+ long canes) with sparse blooms. Still have one that I haven't got round to getting rid of.

"Hybrid Musks" are actually hybrid multifloras and definitely "multiflora ramblers" which can be pruned hard to make largish, arching shrubs. Unless dwarfed by climate and short growing season, they are going to climb and need support. In long season, hot, arid areas, they are usually most successful when grown as climbers, against open surfaces such as chain link fences, where there will be sufficient air flow to help reduce mildew and allow being blown out with a hose to help control spider mites.

Tastes are so different: these comments make me laugh! I LOVE orange, at least, the orange juice, sherbert, peachy kinds. I love yellow! including bright yellow! I love pink and yellow in combination! and pink and orange! I adore 'Cornelia', and, though 'Mme. Berkeley' doesn't bloom well often for me--she needs to have been properly pruned not too long before, and then get late summer/early fall rain--when she's on, she's really on. Those extremely double, knotted, candy-colored blooms absolutely do float my boat.

I certainly don't mean that others shouldn't hate these varieties to their hearts' content: it's difference of opinion that make great gardens, as well as horse races. And Lord knows I have plenty of opinions of my own. But I do find it funny that I, who have always thought of myself as a rather sophisticated gardener, stand revealed to myself as a lover of childishly bright, sugar-sweet colors.

I pretty much don't like ANY of the landscape roses. Or the Knockouts. It doesn't mean I dislike easy roses. There are many easy roses that have form, scent, or character, and those I do like.

It has taken me a while to decide which roses don't float my boat honestly if I didn't like them they have been gone

I don't love anything that is Brown or muddy color I certainly don't like anything that blows immediately after opening and my least favorite rose in my garden right now is Memphis music. it starts out a pretty red stripe and then just turns meat color it's horrible..

Melissa I'm with you I love the bright colors even though I have a whole bed of things that are pale and sweet and lovely I really like those pops of hot colors and I do love those stripes

OH, my! What a thread! I would have to agree with the comments on Abracadabra. Actually, Dave Bang’s roses in general, while amazing triumphs in breeding, are rather dreadful to my eyes. I don’t really care for bicolors unless they are soft and low-contrast, and stripes/mottled are even worse. Double Delight makes me cringe.

Many of the mauve roses are incredibly unappealing to me. Some Lavenders are beginning to grow on me, but Barbara Streisand (among others) consistently looks bleached by the sun, yet tacky and trying to pretend she is still young and beautiful, like an old woman who has been to the tanning booth too many times. Yeah, I hate that one.

I don’t care for most brightly colored hybrid teas, but I will do reds, as long as they are not orange. Coral is iffy.

Roses whose center looks dirty as soon as it opens ring a bell here. ’Gilded Sun’ is one such in my garden. It is also much brighter than the rest of my garden, so I have it placed near the pool and children’s area where all my other “bright, garish, tropical” plants go. In fact, I think the only reason that I let it stay is that it performs beautifully in the heat, and resists Japanese beetles. It is a nice, bright splash of color during the long hot summer months. During springtime I question, “why did I plant that again?”

I also am on the “no-quilling” bandwagon, or at least for the most part. I have a few roses that quill, but they are by no means my favorite, and most are allowed for the overall effect of the bush, rather than the flowers themselves.

Carefree Beauty is one more that I have not been able to warm up to! With her saturated pink and ever imperfect petals, she is too bright for her simplistic form. Reminds me of a farm girl dressed up like a hussy.

Contrary to others, I love my Austen’s. Teasing Georgia performs very well in heat and drought, making her a favorite of mine. Tremendous growth and generous blooms with minimal pampering, granted, she is mulched well. Pretty Jessica doesn’t seem to require a pampering, either. Windermere is one that I’ve had a bit of trouble with, mainly because I didn’t water it well it’s establishing heat and because it gets torn apart by the rotten Jap. beetles, but it tries to do well despite the odds and abuse I heap on it. It’s responding well to a little more TLC.

I also love my Icebergs. They are so graceful and light, with their white flowers on arching, delicate stems that dance in the breeze. They provide surefire, easy whites to balance out the garden and, to my eye, look older than they actually are. They blend in well with Noisettes and teas. Burgundy Iceberg is loved, too, for the richness of its blooms.

Sometimes I feel like all the world is praising a rose that makes me turn my head when it pops up on the screen. Nice to know I’m not alone! It’s rather fun to hear everybody’s quirks and opinions. Hope no one takes offense at mine! :)

I don't want them in MY yard, but I do enjoy seeing the drifts of Flower Carpet types the city and large business centers use here. There are Icebergs, mainly white, all around and some places use Drift roses with pretty good effect.

I’m enjoying this thread tremendously, Ingrid! I also see how everything is so relative. I actually love the look of your General Gallieni with the tall verbena, Russian sage, and yarrow. It falls under one of my two different “roses that don’t float my boat” categories. Your General Gallieni falls into the “I like seeing it in someone else’s garden, but it’s not coming to mine to live. The other category is the “it looks awful everywhere” category. Those with red and orange/yellow stripes fall into that category for me.

Here’s a picture of the single, falling apart bloom I have left on my Sweet Mademoiselle today. I know someone is going to like it, but I sure don’t. It has that artificial candy look to it again. Lisa

I LOVE my Cornelia after thinking it was just so so for the first few years. It’s a grown into a beautiful bloomer, in the past few years. Lisa

I know Cornelia is well loved ! That’s why I hate that I didn’t like it . The blooms for me , aged terribly . Only looked fresh for a day or two before turning brown tissue paper and not falling off , while new buds opened next to the old . It just really irked me . I kept mine for 4 or 5 years but this year I would have removed it for sure had we stayed ! I love to see people grow it happily , I admire the photos. Maybe this dosnt qualify since it dosnt disgust me , but It’s just not for me .

It is heart-warming that this thread has remained so friendly and civil, in spite of the undoubted fact that some of us are dissing roses that others probably are very fond of. We all realize, I think, that location often plays a large part in how we perceive roses, such as Lilyfinch's Cornelia that did not give of its best in her location, while others have had very different experiences with it. I for one was quite fond of Burgundy Iceberg (at least until it caught blackspot and gave it to umpteen other roses around it) while others felt differently about it. Some of us don't like landscape roses, and I may be in that group, but remain very fond of White Meidiland. The beauty of it is that roses are so varied that, no matter what our tastes or growing conditions, there is literally something for everyone.

I do like that strong pop of color the burgundy adds to your wall of roses, I see that it pairs really well with the pastels :)

I envy the colouring of some of the roses that others dislike, haha! I want those bright pops of coral on Boscobel and PAOK! Mine have been too pink! My Abraham Darby has not given me the rich colouring either. This photo is from yesterday, we have been under heat & humidity advisories. Many of the lighter roses bleach in the sun or go crispy brown. They look terrible! I think my extreme weather really affects bloom quality on many roses. My entire flush of Eden burnt to a crisp and the petals do not drop. It's ugly to see.

The other thing I realized is that I think I love the bright colours in roses or other flowers is because I have such a short season. We have 5-7 months without any blooms or colour. So by spring I crave colour as a contrast from the white, grey & beiges of winter & early spring. If I had year round gardens I would probably have a more muted palette.

Ingrid, I think this thread is staying so friendly in great part due to how wonderfully you began the conversation. It was clear your intention was never to “dis” anyone‘s personality or character, or their love of a particular rose, but rather to simply have a discussion among friends :)

A rose I have never liked, and wouldnt buy due to its many thorns, propensity for spider mites, and it love of dropping leaves in summer's heat is The Fairy. Would tell people, the one rose I will not have is The Fairy. That being said..........last week at Certified Roses flatbed trailer sale in Tyler, Tx.......they had hanging baskets of The Fairy for $5 - all in full bloom, ready to grace a patio.
Guess who brought one home. Go figure!!

Judith