Which State are you in? Location matters.

Oh, thank you! I'm in the upstate of South Carolina, Greenville area.

Do you have any colour preferences or bloom shape, ie. very full vs. single or semi-double? Perhaps an inspiration picture to give a direction. Is fragrance important? Do you intend to spray or are you looking for a rose not requiring that so much? Here in the humid Ohio River Valley, Pink Pet is rock solid with a clove fragrance. Pink Pet The site I've linked to is HelpMeFind (HMF). It will be your friend on your rose journey! : )) Be sure to check out the ratings, photos and comments sections. However, you are in a quite warm zone and can grow beauties such as Duchess de Brabant of which I can only dream or grow in pots. sigh.

Bee, I'm in a very different climate than you garden in, but I'll take a chance and recommend the rose, Julia Child. I grow three of these roses, two since 2006. They have a lovely round, dense growth habit, and bloom continuously, producing dozens and dozens of soft yellow blooms. Julia can take the heat well, too. I garden in a very dry climate where we don't have a black spot problem, so I can't advise about that. David Austin roses that seem to be well liked (I grow them) are Boscobel, Munstead Wood, Olivia Rose Austin, Tamora, and many others. I singled out these because they have polite growth habits, and beautiful blooms. I also love the lavender rose Love Song. I think in your warmer climate it would do well. Good luck and welcome to the roses forum. Diane

You want help in choosing - something that you will like.

Short of buying Peter K’s book on growing roses chemical free (you are in the Carolinas), you can review substantial sections of his book for free online courtesy of google books. And/or review the spreadsheet of his recommendations, available here on this forum. A search of “spreadsheet” in the Rose forum should bring it up.

Compact/bushy will be evident from the pictures and descriptions.

Besides Pink Pet (which has beautiful foliage in the fall), most of the Knock Out family does very well in your area. I live in NE GA and they do great for me. A lot of people don't like them because they are planted everywhere. My favorite is Pink Knock Out.

Then Blushing Knock Out

Healthy, free flowering with just a little bit of care. A little bit of food once a month, water and cut the spent blooms. No spray required.

double pink knockout is also very pretty.

Lots of the nurseries/rose growers have advanced search options on their website where you can narrow your search by habit, color, bloom frequency, fragrance, zone etc...you can go online and browse for hours and make a wish list and expand your wish list.....!

Thanks so much, @Vaporvac! What a great resource; I'll be visiting it often!

@NanaDollZ7 Thank you so much for the thoughts and pictures. Your lavender Love Song is entrancing! I am definitely going to look into that one. And you gave me plenty of other tips; thanks so much!

Olivia Austin is wider than it is tall with lots of blooms and in my zone 8A which is not humid like yours will be , 0 disease.

Oh, Kristine, those are beautiful! Thank you!

Diane. I love Love Song.

Do you also have Violets pride?

Do you have a favorite?

Bee, you're very welcome, and I wish you the best with the new roses you decide on.

Kristine, as she always is, your Olivia is beautiful. It's funny, though, that mine is a little taller than she is wide, but still pretty balanced. She's having a good year, but I wish she weren't so pale here. Thanks, for your comment about Love Song, which I think would do very well in your climate. I don't have Violet's Pride. My favorites in the purple/lavender range are Twilight Zone and Love Song. Ebb Tide is fine, too, as is Angel Face, which I wish would bloom a little more. I love Munstead Wood, but I don't consider her a true purple. Diane

I really want to try Love Song

It is such a gorgeous color

Funny that you mention Ebb Tide, Diane. That's actually the only rose I've purchased (it won't arrive until this fall). I only heard about Twilight Zone after I already bought the Ebb Tide. Sounds like Ebb Tide is always second place to Twilight Zone. Should I see if the seller will do an exchange?

Bee. I have both and they are different enough to have both of them

Both are beautiful colored blooms.

Bee, if I am not mistaken, black spot is one of the fungal diseases in your humid climate. So you might want to check out the black spot resistance thread.
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5751405/what-are-your-most-floriferous-black-spot-resistant-roses-please-share

Bee, grow both. I've grown three Ebb Tide plants since 2006, and it's a good rose for the most part. It does fade more than Twilight Zone in our sun. It's smaller than TZ which is a grandiflora that's taller. Diane

Hi Bee,

Looks like I’m a little late to this party, but I live in about the same climate (just south of Charlotte). The biggest advise I can give you is keep up on spraying your fungicides. The humidity here will turn a beautifully full rose bush into a clump of sticks in a couple of weeks. Make sure Your soI’ll is well draining, only water at the base of the plant and fertilize freely in the spring/summer. I have 3 Double Delights that bloom from June through October and absolutely fill the air with a strong rose scent. Roses take work, with pruning and keeping black spot in check, but they are soooooo worth it when you see and smell them. If you’re ever in the Charlotte area, I would recommend Witherspoon Rose Co. Very high quality plants and the prices are great in the fall. You can usually get some nice mature varieties for $15 a plant. Good luck!

Bee, since you are in upstate SC near Greenville, you are close enough to drive to Roses Unlimited and save shipping charges. there you can tour their greenhouses and see the roses in bloom. they can also advise you on rose choices. I also am in upstate SC, near Travelers Rest. Their website: https://rosesunlimitedsc.com/

I second the recommendation of Roses Unlimited, especially if you find yourself getting interested in old fashioned or unusual roses, although Roses Unlimited have lots of modern roses, too. I have been ordering roses from them for years.