I know I'm not in your area, but I'm answering anyway! ; ) For me Duchess de Brabant because she does well in our hot humid summers and has a certain 'Je ne sais quoie', but I can't put her in the ground as I doubt she'd be hardy. So for strictly selfish reasons, I'd like to see you grow her! I would also recommend Falstaff which thrives on heat and doesn't seem to mind humidity. Its blooms also last fairly well and it's just a generally gorgeous rose. Both have lovely fragrances. Of the two, DdB might do better in a pot as Falstaff has long canes; I'm growing mine as a very short climber. HowevMMV! LOL! : 0

DdB is a beauty! I am in definite agreement regarding its 'Je Ne sais quoie' and it is an Earthkind Rose too. In LV, it was a better rose than Madame Antoine Mari, which is also an Earthkind Rose. Growing roses in Central TX is definitely new for me. I have been purchasing bands because my roses will possibly need to live in pots for 2-3 years. Thank you for the information regarding Falstaff, Vaporvac!

I’ll second DdB. Fantastic rose.

I would avoid the Austin’s if BS is at all an issue. I also much prefer the habit of the teas. They really fit in better to the garden landscape. They have that natural look, not just a flower machine.

Edit: DdB is recommended for pot growing in the tea rose book.

If you can find it, I strongly recommend the shrub form of Devoniensis. It’s a must-have IMHO.

My Francis , as beautiful as he was , was a tall straight up hybrid tea that honestly I think I would hate in a pot ... it was as tall as me (5.5) in one season . I just don’t think I’d like that , plus winds could knock it over ?

I would choose bolero , but I am not familiar with all your choices. I am in similar dilemma, some plants if I want them are just going to have to live in pots ! :)

I choose Bolero. Always in bloom and such pure white.

Oh, Adam... That is the most beautiful Devoniensis bloom I have ever seen!!! Thank you:)

Geesh, Lilyfinch! Please tell me your Francis Meilland was grafted? We are renting a house, so nothing goes into the ground here. I doubt that we will be lucky as you, finding a lovely home to move right into that suits our needs. Chances are, we will be building from the ground up... starting from dirt... yet again...My roses will be in pots for at least 2 years...

Kristine - Among my potted roses, I do not have a single white other than Marie Pavie. I feel as though I need another one, and find Bolero to be more charming than PJPII. I am so glad that it is working out for you. I remember when I saw Bolero at the Seattle Zoo Garden looking very black spotty. Based upon that, growing it here would have given me a little pause...Your input, among that of others, made me reconsider Bolero for TX. It would be more manageable in a pot than everything else on my list... Hmmm...

Edited to add: I am having issues... Now I want 2 from my list and Devoniensis !!! Well, that is an improvement...

Lynn, this site, inspiration or enablers. Both I guess.

Every time I think I have all of the roses I want or need, I see something that I must have.

Everyone offers up so much eye candy .

Yes, Kristine, this forum is a very, very, bad place if you are trying to abstain or keep planting/roses in moderation:) The yard here is primarily grass, with a planter bed that is only about 30" deep and approximately 40' long, and a covered patio. My daily battle is moderating between the rose beast and the realities of this space. I had to talk myself out of temporarily removing grass...

Lynn , mine was grafted ! :) it had beautiful blooms though . I hope you find a beautiful lot and plan you love when the time is right . We had 2 ( no joke !) days to look at homes and were given a little over a month of hotel stay so we absolutely had to choose and close ASAP . The pressure was on !! i hope the next move is less pressure and less expensive haha

Take 2-in installments

the Duchesse in the old garden. I am replacing her in spring. I thought I could do without her up here, but I can’t.

Hi Lynn, bolero is very blackspotty here. Francis meilland own root lived in a pot its first year, but needed to go in the ground its second. DdB is very good here and slow grower at first, so should be good in a pot for a while. I love Devoniensis. I have two...one in the ground and one that's permanently growing in a pot

Seems like it will be tough to keep FM in a pot whether it is grafted or own-root. Now there are two :)

Duchesse de Brabant and Devoniesis

I have grown DdB (LV garden) but not Devoniesis

Please help me choose... (the most important factors to me are disease resistance, beauty, and fragrance)

My SotR is only in its second year here, but doing very well. Blooms a lot, wonderful fragrance and minimal bs. Mine was planted in the ground last spring and will probably be a decent sized shrub at maturity, but now in its second year in the ground, it's a size that could still be in a pot. It has a nice shape with some "drapey" branches that would look nice in a pot, too. My potted Devoniensis actually does better than the one in the ground. Both are several years old and still around 2ft x 2ft. It has a nice fragrance, but probably not as strong as SotR or DdB. Lovely blooms that are sometimes white, sometimes cream and sometimes touched with pink. I haven't been good about pictures this year, but here are some older ones:

My potted Devoniensis:

My Devoniensis in the ground:

I'm sure you don't want another suggestion to choose from, BUT I also have two Ducher...one in the ground and one I got last year that is living in a pot. It's a very good pot rose. A china, so smaller blooms, but a lot of them. It has a nice fragrance, but not strongly scented. Very clean here.

My potted Ducher earlier this year:

and a full bush shot from last spring...it's at least a foot taller this year with more upright canes

Hi Pat,

I edited my last post and took SotR off of the list. I cannot tell if it has a peachy yellow faze, which I don’t have a preference for. Buying just one rose, I want to get something I will love.

I have not seen Ducher in person, but some images show white with yellow shading.

Your Devoniensis is gorgeous! ( if I type the name enough, Devoniensis...maybe I will remember how to spell it) is gorgeous! Do you prefer it over DbB?

Baronne Henriette de Snoy is a big girl who would not be happy in a pot. Very sturdy canes that would want to break out of their prison in short order, although she's very good in the heat. The choices being mentioned above sound much more manageable. Good luck!

Hard to say, Lynn, since I love them both. If it were going to live in a pot permanently, I would go with Devoniensis, but if you are planning to plant the roses once you move out of your rental, I would probably go with DdB since it is a larger, fuller bush here...but Devoniensis might get bigger for you than mine in the ground does...we have more winter chill here, and it has to compete in my white garden with aggressive self sowers cleome, 4 o'clocks, nicotiana, etc.

I have had Duchesse de Brabant in a pot for 3 years -- a 4-gallon pot! She took off like gangbusters as soon as I'd moved her up from the 1-gallon she came in (from Annie's). She is just amazing for me -- and remember, I garden under pretty bad conditions with very cramped space, very little sun/heat, lots of wet fog and wind, and heavy black-spot pressure.

I wan't in love with the Duchesse at first, I'll admit -- I bought her because she was available locally at Annie's and I'd read so many good reports of her -- but I have come to admire and love her because of her amazing good health and vigor. Yes, I'm sure she'd be happier in the ground or in a much bigger pot, but she does great and gets better each year. Her foliage is almost always perfect! (which is amazing here), she sends out lots of new growth, she is the first to bloom here and re-blooms generously. She is just now covered in fat buds. She is in a lot of shade. She does get plenty of water and I've added time-release fert and compost to her pot occasionally and give her some fish food every so often.

I don't think you can go wrong with DdB. I'm amazed that the same rose can do well here, in the shade and fog, as well as in your central Texas and Vaporvac's hot summers! Note, the blooms haven't usually lasted very long on the plant or when cut, but this past year, they seem to have much more staying power. That may not be the case in a sunnier spot. I often can't smell her fragrance, but sometimes I can -- I think it's just too chilly where I live much of the time.

I would love to have Devoniensis, also -- whenever I see it, I find it entrancing, and I covet Baronne HdS. Good luck with your choices--let us know what you decide.

Sheba

Another option to consider might me Mme. Joseph Schwartz, the white sport of Duchesse de Brabant. I grew this rose years before and am glad to have her again. The photos below are from when I had it before. I'm not quite sure why, but I prefer the sport to DdB.

When I grew DbB and MJS, I would go back and forth between which was my favorite, although in the beginning, I considered shovel pruning DbB. My MJSs were great from the beginning. MJS formed a better bush, and the occasional DbB pink bloom on it was neat, however, DbB in full bloom was a sight to see.

I ordered DbB this morning. It became an easy decision because ARE does not stock Devoniesis. I am sad and happy about that...

Thank you all :)