Where in the world are you? Unlike growing modern roses, which often involves trying to push a square peg into a round hole, growing old roses is usually location dependent. You grow the ones that grow well for you.

Hi Mad_Gallica! Thank you for the good question. I'm in Northern California near the coast. The book, however, doesn't have to be specific to my area. I'd be happy to read about old roses all over the country. For example, I was fascinated when I learned about how well Noisettes can do in the south, but they also grow here. Really, any book that is an excellent resource specific to old roses would be a treat to me. Even just looking at the photos takes me away to a happy place!

Like Mad Gallica says, it depends a little on where you're at. But here are some of my favorites:

100 Old Roses for the American Garden by Clair G. Martin (includes a little of everything)

Old Roses by David Austin (a little of everything)

Rosa Gallica by Suzanne Verrier (if you're in a cold zone and can grow once bloomers)

Tea Roses: Old Roses for Warm Gardens (if you're in a warm zone and can grow teas and chinas)

Noisette Roses: 19th century Charleston's Gift to the World by Virginia Kean

Some of these might be out of print, but usually used copies are available, or you could check your local public library. Mine has most of the ones above for checkout.

Edit: Not much help gardening wise, but really nice to look at is:

Pink Ladies and Crimson Gents: Portraits and Legends of 50 Roses

B Ever - I also garden in Nothern CA near the coast. I agree with everything Jeri said, especially the Mike Shoup/Liz Druitt book, and the one about old TEA ROSES.

Jackie

Has there been a book published about OGRs in the past two decades??

Of all the general purpose, "a bit of everything" OGR books, there are few better than Beales 'Classic Roses', but it is very much a UK-centric book. However, the differences between NorCal and the UK aren't so significant as to render the book irrelevant.

That said, Jeri's experience is more applicable than mine, so I'd follow her suggestions.

Jerijen, thank you! I will write down every title you've mentioned. What a fantastic list. The trick for me will be finding a copy of some of these that isn't musty because my health just won't allow it...an affliction as I'm so fond of old books. I'm really grateful for the fabulous list.

Paul Barden - it's an honor to speak with you, and Jacqueline, your photos of your NorCal garden make me swoon with delight. Was it you who posted the image of the enormous Sombreuil climbing all over your house? It made my mouth water. I just planted one of those last year and it is off to a slow start. I'm a bit worried about it, and I can only dream that it will someday look like yours. It may be my favorite of all roses. May be!

Paul -- The "Tea Bags" book is wonderful.

Most of the British books were not good for me, in SOUTHERN California. So much of what they thought were "essential" were bad choices for my area. In NoCal, they're probably a better match.

I love all Jeri's suggestions. Those books are all charming. I have the English books too and really enjoyed them, but the spirit of the Mike Shoup Liz Druitt is wonderful and more unbuttoned. Another treasure is "A Garden of a Thousand Roses" Susan Irvine. The Australian books are so much fun.

Hello B! I concur with Jeri’s list...I wasn’t as smart as you to ask directly, so I’ve just been collecting books as they’ve been recommended in the various posts. I would add that, if you like the Noisettes, the Charleston SC Horticultural Society published a lovely little book by Virginia Kean all about, that you’d probably enjoy too. 😊https://www.amazon.com/Noisette-Roses-Nineteenth-Century-Charlestons-Horticultural/dp/0615251110/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=noisettes+book&qid=1590967946&sr=8-12

I have a good selection of rose books, most of them about or covering the old roses, including some of the ones mentioned above. None of them are old and musty, and after having some of them for some years I no longer look at them, especially as I'm no longer buying roses now. B Eaver, I'd be glad to ship them to you (I live in San Diego County). If you click on my picture on the left you can contact me.

Ingrid, just want to say, that is so kind of you. With the pandemic, I'm having to be really careful about mail right now, but I just want to thank you for your incredibly generous offer, with all my heart. Thank you.

It's my pleasure. The offer stands open, should we ever get over this difficult time. Take care.

Thank you so much for the list of titles, BelleGallica9a! I'm writing these down for sure.

You're welcome. Based on your criteria, I think you'd really like 100 Old Roses for the American Garden. The format gives two pages to each rose, with one page having detailed information about history, class, growth habit, fragrance, etc., and the other page a photo showing buds, open blooms, and canes. Like this:

B Eaver

Musty odor can be removed from old books by placing the book in a zip-lock plastic bag with a dryer paper (used to soften clothing) and sealing. It should be checked in a couple of months. If still smelly, give it more time. I purchased an old set of Harvard Classics thinking the odor would dissipate. When it didn't, I left the dryer paper in the bookcase and renewed it every once in a while. It took more than a year but this was a many volume set in a non-airtight container. Whether removing the odor would solve your allergy problem, I do not know.

Cath

Thank you for starting this thread, B Eaver -- I love getting all these book recommendations.

I have enjoyed reading Mrs. Keays's book very much. I'm just now spending time with the Shoup & Druitt book and recommend it as well. The book I keep at my bedside and find myself reading bits of over and over is my old copy of the Vintage Gardens catalog.

"Everblooming Roses" is now available brand new, in a paperback facsimile version of the original. You can pick it up for @$20. So there would be no problems with dust and mold and such. I have a lovely old copy of it, which I was lucky to find, and recommend it as well as very good reading. I do love reading the old books and writers.

I have been trying to get my hands on a copy of the Tea Roses book for several years now. It is sadly out of print and currently seems to be going for (or, rather, NOT going for) $700-$1000 on the various sites. ! Has anyone heard if the Tea-Bag Ladies hope to have this reprinted?

Jeri, as for the Dean Hole book -- do you happen it know if all the editions are more or less equal? When seeking a copy, migtht earlier or later eds might be preferable?

If I spent as much time weeding as I did reading old nursery catalogs and falling down the rabbit hole of Help Me Find for hours at a time, I would probably be more successful with my roses.....

Sheba

Yes, your location makes a huge difference when considering advice from an author. Quite the opposite of those in zone 9, I first started growing roses while living in zone 4; so I started growing OGRs because they are mostly hardy and robust. I devoured the three Graham Stuart Thomas books, but I didn't take into account that the climate in England is very different from upstate NY. It is not only warmer, but wetter.

Moving to the Eastern US coastline in zone 6 was a very different matter. I no longer needed the extremely cold hardy roses, but the amount of rain was now diminished compared to PA, NY, Western MA and the Boston area. All that said, I now understand my climactic conditions and will happily read any rose book for the pleasure of learning about different roses while being aware of my own climatic requirements.

If I were to start with those most close to hand, I would recommend the two astonishingly complete masterpieces by Brent Dickerson: 'The Old Rose Adventurer' and 'The Old Rose Advisor.' 'The Old Rose Adventurer' is a 600 page compendium of every once blooming OGR that was every mentioned in any print publication along with that description and image if there was one. The 'Old Rose Advisor' covers all the re-blooming, mostly European, OGRs with 274 images included with the contemporary description. I see that he now has several other books published about roses, but I haven't seen them. These are true reference quality books for the serious rose enthusiast.

OK, I can't press "submit" without mentioning GST again and his three books, 'The Old Shrub Roses', ' Shrub Roses of Today ' and 'Climbing Roses Old and New.' All three books were combined into 'The Graham Stuart Thomas Rose Book' that includes a little new information. No other author has so profoundly affected my enthusiasm for OGRs and modern shrub roses. I have read his books over and over and even though I know most of them by heart, I still enjoy reading them. I suppose there is something appealing about his enthusiasm and knowledge. Again, I can't take all his recommendations literally as my climatic conditions are different, but for the most part his observations have been trenchant and his recommendations accurate.

Sheba -- I really don't know . . . Mine is the 11th edition. The Preface to that edition says:

"The tenth edition of 'A Book about Roses' has been long out of print, and I thought that it would gradually vanish out of sight and out of mind ; but I continue to receive so many kind appeals for a further publication, that I am constrained to comply -- chiefly by assurances that the book has promoted in the past, and therefor by the hope that it may quicken in the future, that love of the beautiful which adds so graciously to the happiness of life.

S. RENOLDS HOLE

The Deanery,

Rochester, May, 1891"

Yes Thank you for starting this thread B Eaver, and thank you for everyone that added their suggestions! I am a new rose lover and have been looking for some references online, so this thread is perfect!

I guess the books catered to the UK climate might not be bad for me since I'm in coastal BC.....

Adelaide, yes. I found that the "big" British rose books were frustrating to me, because the roses they felt were "essential" were things I could not grow in coastal SoCal ... and the ones they tended to discount were my "essentials". That problem might not be as pressing for you. You at least get a winter, I think.

I lost patience with Graham Stuart Thomas completely, because of that, and because he was so insufferably nasty about Miss Nancy Lindsay. REALLY nasty.

The book I really fell upon with joy was Landscaping with Antique Roses, because Mike Shoup and the late, great Liz Druitt were interested in roses that would thrive in my conditions.

And then, the Tea Bags book. When I told my husband what it would sell for, now, he asked me if we could sell it!