I have Maiden's Blush (pink) and Blanc Double de Coubert (white). The latter is very tough and doesn't get black spot to any degree or powdery mildew. Also, it is done blooming before the Japanese beetles appear. On the other hand, it only blooms once and the blossoms look like wadded up kleenex!

The Maiden's Blush does get black spot and was attacked by JB's to a significant degree. I'm thinking of shovel pruning it. The blooms are a beautiful pink hence the French name, Cuisse de Nymph (maiden's thigh).

Blueheron,
that is discouraging. I was thinking the albas sounded promising. I am probably completely nuts. Just this morning I was watching a doe and her two fawns lap up bird seed from a neighbors feeder. Don't know why I'd expect them to leave roses alone.

Celsiana is a gorgeous old rose that does very well for me. I also love the striped rosa mundi. The thornless Zephrine Drouhin does great after a mild winter, and also has beautiful foliage. But, during our last two more severe winters, it died back almost to the ground each time. I also have some of the Austins, which look like old roses, but are more ever-blooming. So far, William Shakespeare has been the most successful of those for me.

Some of my roses do develop black spot later in the year. But, since I'm an organic gardener, I don't pay much attention to it--and it doesn't seem to affect their health. We don't get many Japanese beetles here. That may be because I've been applying beneficial nematodes for years or because we have a flock of free-ranging guineas that clean up a lot of our bugs.

I forgot to mention that I also have a Zepherine Drouhin climber and the color and fragrance of the blooms are wonderful. But (there's always a but) it gets black spot almost as soon as it leafs out in the spring. It could be because I have it growing against the brick wall of my garage. If it were planted around an arbor or a tuteur, it would get more air circulation and probably not get the black spot so badly.

I'd like to grow rugosas up agains my chainlink fence, but I've been scared off by my folks experience with JB's just defoliating them despite all efforts to control them. But that is in suburban MI, and I live in urban PA. I was thinking about Blanc.

Hey lpinkmountain, I saw on your page that you are in Allentown. I'm up in Stroudsburg myself. In my garden, JB's are bad enough to ruin the blossoms, but not so bad as to turn the leaves to lace as they do in some other places. My rose growing so far has been hit or miss. I have Bonicas that by turns look amazingly good or amazingly bad. I have a Zephrine Drouhin that doesn't get enough sun (I'd heard it was shade tolerant) and needs to be moved. I love the rose and hope that with more sun I'll see more of them. I have Fairy roses that are exceptionally vigorous, though some years they are pretty much defoliated by now (one benefit of the lack of rain this year). I have several red knock shrubs that also do well. Also surviving are 'Playgirl' and 'Carefree Beauty.' I shovel prunned Cecile Brunner several years back, and have killed several roses including Iceberg, Nearly Wild (Poorly sited), Betty Prior and Sunflare.
I have an 'Easy Going' new this year and I've been pleased so far, but it is just too early to tell. What I really need are some tough, fragrant roses.
Blanc got knocked out of the running for me when the spent blooms were described as looking like used tissues. I am still entertaining the idea of adding a Theresa Bugnet and/or Topaz Jewel.
Audrey, Celsiana sounds wonderful. I wonder how my neighbors would feel about free-ranging guineas. LOL.

I stopped counting at 125 roses, mostly ogrs, about 5 years ago. Here in S. Schuylkill Co. (between Reading and Pottsville) the last of the petals are usually dropping just as the Japanese beetles appear. Deer are a problem.

I love Albas & Gallicas best. 'Armide' has been wonderful- but there are few Albas that don't do well for me- 'Celeste' wasn't a thriver. You can't go wrong with Gallicas. I'll second (or is it 3rd) 'Celsiana.' Some exceptional roses in my garden in bloom now are 'Champlain' (red) which is very healthy and never out of bloom, 'Awakening',(palest pink-apricot) in the 'New Dawn' family, 'Gruss & Teplitz' (red) new this year & blooming its head off, 'Indigo,'(purple) 'Break O' Day,'(apricot) the Brownell rose 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' and her sister, 'Souvenir des St. Annes.'

For sheer heart & generous bloom though, I recommend the once bloomers.

I've got one older rose, a "ballerina". It laughs at the winter but struggles with blackspot. I think it needs more sun.

I'd like a tall ogr, something at least 6+ feet tall. A nice vase shape would be perfect.... and how about colorful hips? Any ideas from the PA rose growers?

I have a number of OGS and the only roses in my garden that don't need spraying (that is if you are tolerant of a little bs) are the Albas and Gallicas. The latter will get Powdery Mildew but if you keep them well watered and blast them with a jet stream of water you can keep this under control. True Rugosa hybrids are also no spray and do very well but I don't think these are classified as OGRs.

The Albas and Gallicas only bloom once a year. The rugosas repeat.

Hope this helps.

As you can see by my name that I love Zephirine Drouhin. It does get BS but it blooms very early and the fragrance is delightful

New Dawn from the 1930's is also a great rose and grows just about everywhere.

"Zeffy"

Florence/zeffyrose

I have Maiden's Blush which has been a good Alba for me. A once bloomer here in early June, it gets tall and arches, so needs lots of room. The weight of the blooms pulls it to the ground. When blooming is done, I try to do some pruning to shorten the canes a bit. But this year it has hips--perhaps I didn't do as much pruning as usual. The flowers are done before the beetles arrive. I don't expect rose leaves to be perfect, so I don't pay too much attention to their condition, except I can say that this rose is never 'naked.'
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Mme. Plantier, another Alba, has been similarly good. Here is Henri Martin ('red' moss rose), Mme. Plantier, and Maiden's Blush, left to right.
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