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sunny_mississippi_8a

Your Experience with My Wishlist? It needs trimming!

Hi friends,


My local nursery has just knocked my socks off with the modern roses they will offer in 2024. I can't get all of these. Please help me narrow the list.

Disease Resistance & Fragrance are a must for me. I don't spray and want a full nose with each bloom.


Here are the offerings:

Peter Mayle - been on my wishlist for years, but I'm also considering trying for Buxom Beauty from Palatine, and I'm not sure if I need both. On the screen they seem very similar..


Yves Piaget - also on my wishlist for years


Ball Gown Romantica

Summer Romance - been on the list, wondering if these two will look too similar to purchase both


Princess Charlene de Monaco - haven't bought yet bc I'm not sure I will like the color, how much it will fade?

Bliss Parfuma - Have a baby this year, itty bitty. Wondering if I need to by a second, more established plant.

Also, do PCdM and Bliss look too much alike? Do I need both?


Earth Angel Parfuma - Have one and love. Do I need another?


Raspberry Cupcake - Another Kordes, heard it's fragrant, pics of color look nice, thoughts?

PowerPuff Pink - Is this one going to look/perform/smell too similar to Raspberry Cupcake? Not sure I need both?


Savannah - game mine to my sister this year, can't remember why, maybe wasn't in love? Should I try again?


Posiedon - Want! Have a baby from this year but feel I need a second, more established plant. Thoughts?


Queen Mary II - I have a PJPII, and blooms are great, disease resistance is not great. Would this be an acceptable alternative?


Sweet Mademoiselle - Mine is pooping out only after a few years from cane dieback. We had a harsh winter and drought summer. Should I replace or move on?


Thank you for your help and insights. I'm excited, but so many seem similar so it's also stressing me.



Comments (8)

  • strawchicago z5
    5 months ago
    last modified: 5 months ago

    Based on your focus of Disease Resistance & Fragrance, then own-roots are best. Deep & long-stick Dr.Huey-rootstock doesn't do well in poor-drainage clay.

    More than a decade ago Tammy in TN with over 1,000 roses noted that grafted-on-Dr.Huey doesn't do well in her red acidic clay and high-rain. I notice the same in my poor-drainage alkaline clay and heavy rain. Multiflora-rootstock from Palatine is a cluster-root and can take tons of rain better.

    Dr. Huey-rootstock is best for dry climate and alkaline soil. I lost countless of roses grafted on Dr.Huey when acidic rain could not drain well in my zone 5a freezing & heavy rain and spring flash floods.

    VIGOROUS own-roots can bounce back after drought or flood better. I'll rank below OWN-ROOT roses on fragrance and disease-resistance:

    Peter Mayle - very vigorous and healthy as own-root & never see blackspots nor mildew as 6th-year own-root. The scent is amazing eucalyptus and rose, no other rose can smell like it. Narrow & tall & doesn't occupy much space. Bloom best in hot & dry above 90 F.

    Buxom Beauty - Strong perfumy rose scent, glorious with many blooms in hot & dry but it's a blackspot mess & lost all leaves in rainy weather. WIMPY as own-root, can't survive many zone 5 winters like Peter Mayle. One needs both, since the colors and scents are different.

    Yves Piaget: best as grafted & wimpy as own-root, best in hot & dry and alkaline clay.

    Princess Charlene de Monaco: Fades to white in hot sun, plus less petals if hot & dry. It's HUGE as own-root in my zone 5, like 10 feet tall by 3 feet wide in late fall. Scent is worth buying, unique pear nectar and rose. Health is impeccable: NO mildew nor blackspots in its 6th-year.

    Savannah: Only if you have room and plenty of rain. It's a huge bush at 6' x 4' as 8th-year-own root in my zone 5. A 10 in health with super-glossy foliage. Needs partial shade since it consumes ungodly amount of water. Blooms well in rainy climate, but stingy in hot & dry. Scent is nice, but far below Peter Mayle & Buxom Beauty & Princess Charlene's quality.

    Low-thorn Poseidon is huge as 9th-year-own root, like 5' x 3'. It likes tons of rain water. One bush is enough since it gives tons of blooms. Scent is noticeable only in cold weather, but zero scent in hot weather. A 10 in health for rainy climate, but a 6 in health for dry climate (leaves turn yellow & drop off if too dry).

    Low-thorn Sweet Mademoiselle: biggest rain-hog like Poseidon. Bush is huge as 6th-year-own-root at 6' x 3.5' wide. A 10 in health for rainy climate, but a 6 in health for dry climate (leaves turn yellow & drop off if too dry). Scent is myrrh and rose, blooms last very long in the vase. Needs soaking wet soil to bloom well, best in partial shade and high calcium & high potassium clay soil for its deep cup and many petals.

  • Meg-zone8aOR
    5 months ago

    You absolutely need Bliss, she's amazing. Summer Romance won't bloom much at all for me 🤷‍♀️

  • SoCalGardenNut
    5 months ago

    I ordered Sugar Moon as a white rose, I think BenT recommended this rose.

  • Kristine LeGault 8a pnw
    5 months ago

    For me, Savannah was lots of green and not so many blooms but for others I hear a diffrent story, Sweet Mademoiselle is really tall with nlooms up high. Bliss is a dream rose

  • titian1 10b Sydney
    5 months ago

    I have 2 Bliss that only get afternoon sun at this time of year (late Spring) and they are very pale. A third one that gets morning sun is a much deeper and prettier colour.

  • forever_a_newbie_VA8
    5 months ago

    My friend and I both got Summer Romance this year. It does not bloom well especially after spring

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    5 months ago

    Sugarmoon is a gorgeous rose! 1 of my favorites but it did black spot here and succumbed to crown goal. It probably would do fantastic in a place such as California. Summer romance Prophets from a good Pruning after her 1st flush. This rose can grow into an absolute Monster flowering only on the tips or underneath where 1 can't even see them without This step. I still love this rose though.

  • oursteelers 8B PNW
    5 months ago

    Peter Mayle-the blooms were too…too.

    Just a personal preference but the blooms were too big, too overblown, too blowsy, just too…much


    Princess Charlene de Monaco-it is different from Bliss and both are must haves


    Yves Piaget-really pretty, really fragrant, not super vigorous, lanky plant shape


    Ballgown-don’t have


    Summer Romance-fairly boring first two years and then really startled me this past summer with health, beauty and fragrance


    Earth Angel-definitely worthy of two


    Raspberry Cupcake-too new to evaluate but seems to have potential


    PowerPuff Pink-don’t have


    Savannah-large green monster is a good description-and blooms develop to being a flat disc


    Poseidon-don’t have


    Queen Mary 2- I really like this one. Pretty, healthy, fragrant. Worthy of a shot.


    Sweet Madamoiselle- I like this one more than I thought I would. Very vigorous and blooms have more character and depth than I was expecting. BS resistance not great yet but I’m hopeful it will get better with age