@SophiaTheReader .Indeed, PJPII’s perfume lifts the spirit! Bright and citrusy. :)

I adore PJPII ever so much! Lovely picture

PJPII is the best white rose in my garden!

What a great rose! The bloom is beyond description. Alas, PJP II is a black spotter here, so after ~5 years of not thriving it was removed. Still on the trail of a large bloomed (4.5" or so), pure white HT that's black spot free. Any thoughts?

Moses.

Moses, what rootstock was yours on? Yes , toss after 5 years not thriving.

When it first came out it seemed that all I could find were own root bushes. I waited until I could find a grafted PJP II, because there were reports of it being a weak grower own root, possibly more so in colder zones like mine. I finally got a grafted PJP II, probably on Dr. Huey root stock that I could not determine for sure. It did like to bloom, and its blooms were remarkable, but with its black spotting and never putting on size even though grafted, the decision was made to remove it.

Moses.

@Moses, Pitt PA, cold W & hot-humid S, z6, My PJPII is own root, I prune to shape it to keep it more compact. I had thought his thin canes were due to being own root. Where it makes up for cane diameter is the number of canes. I use a higher nitogen fertilizer because like RR, PJPII is container grown. When he’s in flush the plant is loaded with blooms, definitely a plus for lovers of quilled roses!

As for another white rose that is black spot free… I only have one other white rose which is Snowbird. This rose is a baby, but I haven’t seen any disease on its leaves yet!

Thanks, jjk. I will study up on Snowbird.

Although I find quilling in rose blooms low among my favorite petal forms, especially with a bloom having a low petal count, POPE John Paul II's quilling is quite attractive to me. Its higher petal count helps.

Moses.

@Moses, Pitt PA, cold W & hot-humid S, z6 Two thoughts: my PJPII was grafted on fortuniana. It was robust and completely disease free. BUT, searching all the likely suspects, it seems it's unavailable on that rootstock now, and I'm not sure it would be hardy for you anyway. Concerning Snowbird, if you can get it, and are willing to winter protect it, there's not a better shrub-like, white HT out there. Period. It makes a dense, gloriously clothed-to-the-ground, rounded bush. The flowers are at least 4", pure white. But now that I've whetted your appetite, let me stress it was NOT hardy here in 7b without protection. I had it for eight or nine years, but the first time I neglected to protect it (wire cage, filled with dry oak leaves, trash bag over all) it was a goner.

fig_insanity,

I have done preliminary research on Snowbird. Its spreading bush habit is not compatible with my one and only 18' long and 8' wide rose bed (roses only, no other residents), whose majority members are upright, columnar hybrid tea type bushes. The 18' front is mostly Drifts which conceal the naked lower halves of the HTs.

It's flowers are one of the most beautiful roses I have ever seen, and that's only from seeing HMFR photos. I cannot imagine the visual impact a real life bloom would make.

Sad to have to pass on this one.

I no longer winterize rose bushes. They either thrive unprotected, or get removed. Our Mad, from NY, set me straight on the evils/pitfalls of winterizing roses. I follow the example of Mad, deferring to superior knowledge, and am glad I did. Less work, more pleasure.

Moses.

My PJPII never was diseased, and it bloomed three solid flushes each year, but it was a magnet for every bug we had. Cutworm would chew holes through the buds in early spring, then thrips arrived and spotted all the flowers horribly, and then in August and September, the katydids would consume the buds like candy. I finally chucked it. But it was never diseased and despite not getting huge, it performed reliably. I still think I prefer Bolero to it, even though Bolero is a very different type of rose in style and form.