What climate are you gardening in? This will affect your choices. Some of those varieties are unsuitable for certain climates.

@User, I'm in 5b Colorado.

Most people find the Bourbons to generally be very poor roses in regions where Blackspot is prevalent. In my climate, it was not possible to grow 'Honorine de Brabant' and 'La Reine Victoria' without weekly application of fungicides. I typically recommend that anyone not in a hot, dry climate avoid the Bourbons.

'Great Maiden's Blush' is an excellent Alba, and should be high on a list of cold climate options. 'La Belle Sultane' is excellent also, but with caveats: it is an aggressive suckering variety and if planted where it can wander as it pleases, it can become a 15 foot diameter bramble within 8-12 years. If you're OK with that, then fine. Also, it has one of the shorter bloom periods of all the Gallicas, lasting for no more than about 2 weeks from start to finish. 'Tuscany Superb' is a better flower on a more compact, less rambling plant, and offers a longer bloom period.

'I don't have 'Ispahan' in my collection, but it is renowned for its excellent bloom style and easy cultural needs. Same should be true of 'Centifolia Variagata' but I have never grown it myself. There are better striped roses suitable for your climate than that one. If you can find it, 'Camaieux' is a superb variety and so is 'Rosa Mundi'.

'Camaieux':

Matt at High Country Roses can tell you if they do well in Colorado.

https://www.highcountryroses.com/

I usually consult with him when narrowing down my list. Pre-covid I used to go there (they are in Broomfield) and wander the green houses to see the flowers. I don't know what their current policy is. However he is a fabulous resource and always happy to answer questions on the phone.

What are your favorites/best roses? I am in the Denver area and still trying different types.

Flowersaremusic grows Ispahan, and if I remember correctly, has beautiful photos. I hope she sees this thread. Diane

I don't know if it is still in stock, but they recently had Madame Hardy in stock for the first time in a long while. Not to add to your list, but it is famous for being one of the most perfect roses, in terms of its form. It smells like honey to me. You might look into it.

@mmmm12COzone5 I wish I could advise you more! I only have 3 roses in the ground right now, and two went in as babies last year so I don't know much about them yet. The one I have had for a while and has done well for me is Munstead Wood, which never has cane dieback, keeps healthy foliage, and smells incredible to me. I keep it in a spot that gets dappled shade all afternoon.

I did call Matt at HCR, he is quite pleasant to talk to! I added one more to my wishlist making 7, and he gave me his top 3 of those for this area (I'm a bit more northeast than you but not terribly far) which ended up being La Reine Victoria, Madame Plantier, and Ispahan. He recommended them in that order.

He also recommended Madame Hardy.

Great Maiden's Blush
Centifolia Variegata and Ispahan. Those are imo, the best out of all of them.

Munstead Wood looks very pretty. I just looked it up. Thanks!

I don’t have opinions on any of those since I don’t grow them, but I do grow lots of others In Colorado too. I’m between Denver and Fort Collins. Welcome to the addiction!

I actually ordered munstead wood this year as a potted own root from David Austin. I’m looking forward to it!

I agree with mmm that Matt at high country is awesome. It’s so fun to walk his greenhouses.

I only have Honorine de Brabant. She is not the healthiest and only blooms once a season for me but she is very hardy in my zone 6b. Her habit for me is tall and narrow. She gets to about 4 feet each year and only about 2 ft wide.

Thank you, Diane. I just saw your post.

Flowers, your rose is beautiful, and its scent sounds extra special. I remembered your photos from a while back. I'd been very impressed with Ispahan, and spent some time looking at her photos on HMF. But yours are the best. Thanks for posting them and the information. Diane

Wow those photos are incredible! Okay I'm definitely sold. Thank you so much for showing me the rose's potential. I couldn't decide between Ispahan, Madame Plantier and La Reine Victoria so I guess I'm getting all 3 😬 haha.

Aaaand I couldn't wait, so I changed my order for this year. Instead of Love Song and State of Grace, I'm getting MP, LRV, and Ispahan. I very much liked the idea of having Love Song and State of Grace, but since I already have a bunch of modern roses, my curiosity about OGRs won out. Thank you everyone for your input. Since Matt gave me the recommendation for all of these in our area I have high hopes about my new order. He especially had nice things to say about my choice to get Ispahan! Hopefully I can give a lovely update on how these roses are doing here in the future.