Karen, I have grown Bonica for many years and it's a wonderful disease free rose. You'll definitely not be disappointed with it. I'm not sure about the others you are mentioning, I mostly grown David Austin English Garden Roses and Antique or Old Garden Roses.

Melinda

I do not grow Bonica but the ones I've seen nearby make a nice shrub and are always in flower.
Heritage is my best repeating fragrant rose. It also has a nice shape if you let it do its thing.

I've had Bonica for many years, and she's by far my favorite rose in the garden (and I have lots of roses!). She's very disease free and is a bloom machine. The June flush is the very best, long lasting, and then she repeats well for the rest of the summer, at least 2-3 more flushes, although not as spectacular as the first. I don't prune my Bonicas, except to trim out deadwood and winterkill. I've been thinking of adding Royal Bonica to see how it does in comparison. If Bonica does this well for me, maybe Royal Bonica will be even better.

Here's one of my girls. More can be found on my page.

Forgot to mention that I'm a lazy gardener and I garden totally organically. I don't spray anything on my roses, and my Bonicas are very clean (in contrast to every Austin I've ever had -- those I always end up shovel-pruning). I also don't really fertilize, unless I remember to do so every once in a while. The Bonicas do get some yellowing and leaf drop near the end of the summer, but it's not much and not bad at all. So if mine look this good without any help at all, they must be spectacular in the garden of an intensive roser.

Rainbow Sorbet is new, so you'll get few reports on resistance until later this year or next. It was hybridized by Ping Lim, and I know he's working on disease resistant toses.

I get mixed reports on Bonica. I have a friend who has it in a no-spray community garden in Eatontown. It gets some blackspot there, but it does not defoliate.

I really like Honey Perfume, but it does blow open quickly in the heat. Pretty fast on the rebloom cycle and I think it is very fragrant. I spray mine, so I can't tell much about resistance except that it didn't look too horrible last fall when I stopped spraying.

Thank you. I wound up with Cherry Parfait. No fragrance but its taking off quickly! And the rose is so beautiful and many of them! The Bonica picture is beautiful! My only open roses right now are Zepherine D. and an unknown climber I traded for 2 years ago. Russeliana is just beginning to open. karen

I live in Northfield NJ and grew Bonica at my last house(also in Northfield). I agree with the above posters, It's a great performer. Awesome spring flush and then always a few flowers on her through out the rest of the season. It always seemed to get blackspot toward the end of the summer but, not enough to hold her down. I've only grown about 30 different Roses but, if asked, I'd recommend that Bonica and suggest you also purchase Sunsprite if you haven't already. Happy gardening, Dan

My Bonica starts off like gang busters in the spring, then something starts chewing through the leaves. Right now the buds and stems are covered with white objects. They don't seem to move and are too small to tell if they have legs. Any idea what these could be and how do I get rid of them?

If they are insects, they are probably aphids or dead aphid carcases. You can tell by taking a close look at them. Give them a good, hard, squirt of water a couple of times a week, that should handle them.

If it is a white powdery look, that is a fungal disease called powdery mildew.

Chewing through leaves could be rose slugs or Japanese beetles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Powdery Mildew discussion on Roses Forum

Rainbow Sorbet is an excellent bush with loads of buds and flowers right now. It was one of the first to bloom this spring, very bright with yellow base and red tips. Never had a problem with BS or mildew on this specimen. Both are fine bushes, but rainbow makes a fine cut flower.