I'm in coastal Socal where mildew and rust are the primary issues. In my garden the best HT performers for cut roses without spraying are Gemini, Della Reese, Ingrid Bergman, Mellow Yellow, California Dreamin', Peter Mayle, Lasting Love & Brigadoon.

Also good but not HT form are Rainbow Sorbet, Wild Blue Yonder, Julia Child, Mardi Gras & Oranges 'n Lemons. Some of these are best when whole sprays of flowers are cut.

Austin roses although vase life is a little shorter but still very worth the effort: Gertrude Jekyll, Golden Celebration, Jubilee Celebration, Jude the Obscure, Sir John Betjeman (longest vase life of the Austin roses) & Christopher Marlowe.

Good luck to you dsd I hope your search helps you to find roses that you can enjoy without spraying. It sure makes growing roses much easier!

Lee

Michigan here so I can't say what any of these would do in your climate but...Julia Child, Home Run, Quietness, Zenaitta, Eyeconic Pink Lemonade and Brilliant Pink Iceberg are probably the healthiest ones for me. Maybe Dick Clark too, he's pretty good.

Earth Song, Bright Melody, Hawkeye Belle,

Zone 6 here. BS resistant roses:

Queen of Sweden (Austin)
Pretty Jessica (Austin)
Eutin (floribunda)
Our Lady of Guadalupe (floribunda)
Mystic Beauty (Bourbon)
The Fairy (polyantha)
Cecile Brunner (polyantha)

I have several new ones that are supposed to be very BS resistant (that's why I bought them) and so far seem to be living up to their reputations, but I haven't had them long enough to say for sure:
Lady of Shalott (Austin)
Munstead Wood (Austin)
Scepter'd Isle (Austin)
Berolina (HT)
Pompenella (floribunda)

Some that are very good BS resistant but might need a rare, occasional spray:
Molineux (Austin)
Shakespeare 2000 (Austin)
Earth Song (grandiflora)

Dublin Bay Cl.

Remember, I'm in Zone 6 (Midwest).

Kate

Honeysweet and Prairie Breeze are also Bucks to consider.

My top 5 (plus a runner up):

Quietness
Marie Pavie
Aunt Honey
Julia Child
Belinda's Dream
Heirloom

Marie Daly, although an 'Earthkind' Rose does get BS enough to defoliate about the bottom 1/3+ by the end of August, Why it is 'Earthkind' and Marie Pavie is not, needs some explaining to me. Marie Pavie is the better rose of the two, IMHO. More restrained growth, more flowers and slower to rush through a blooming cycle, and some very little BS on only the bottom 1/5 and then only at September's end.

I do not believe there is an entirely BS proof rose. Even the Knockouts can show some BS, but usually only under extremely stressed growing conditions.

Even if a rose who was well researched, was found to have glowing disease issue reports, and it proved to be BS free in your garden for 10 continuous years, it can have a bad 11th. year for BS and throw the owner into a tailspin. Generally such incidents are glitches with things returning back to normal in subsequent years. What usually causes such an episode are extremely favorable conditions converging at that time so favorable for BS that no rose could show full resistance. Such events are encountered very rarely, fortunately.

Octavia Hill

Thorntorn, did you mean 'Heirloom' the mauve HT, or some other rose? 'Heirloom' is a notorious disease magnet in many places, maybe not in yours.

Thank you all for such great replies. I should have mentioned blackspot is my biggest problem. That and intense heat. But I've never had a rose completely defoliate from only heat (I can water 2x a day if need be). I see a lot of Buck roses on the list. I have had great luck with Quietness and Polonaise (both bucks) so I may look more into those. I also saw pompomella on the list too which is great because I just got her. I have a few Austin's but not all have been that great. Queen of Sweden, alnwick and Abraham Darby have done great thus far. As well as a newer one wollerton old hall, she's done pretty well. I haven't heard anyone mention the new kordes roses. I have lions fairytale and mandarine ice and so far both are amazing.

Blackspot is a huge problem here in hot, humid Alabama. I have 80 roses, mostly HT, but I honestly can't think of a HT I grow that I would recommend as no spray in my climate. Weeks Easy to Love Series of floribundas all do great here no spray...Easy Going, Easy Does It, Livin' Easy, Julia Child, Hot Cocoa and Cinco de Mayo. They are all very heat tolerant, too, and bloom non-stop. Outta the Blue shrub rose is also pretty good no spray for me and is heat resistant and a constant bloomer here.

Caramella (Caramel Fairy Tale) and Floral Fairy Tale are the best (other than Blushing Knock Out). No defoliation from any of these roses. The polyanthas, White Pet, Baby Faurax, and Excellenz von Schubert, all retain their leaves for most of the season, I get some anthracnose in August. I don't know why "no OGRs", but I'll add that Marchesa Boccella (a repeat bloomer) is hit or miss, depending on the season.

All HTs, minis, and minifloras need regular black spot treatment in my garden, as do the floribundas that I grow.

I say no OGRs because usually when I ask for no spray roses that's all I get in response. I am looking for good cut flowers and most OGRs don't fall into that category. They also have a tendency to be very large shrubs and most of the time they have messy flower forms that I'm not too fond of. I do own a few OGRs and some have not been no spray for me at all (Cecille Brunner and Duchess De Brabant both get tons of BS for me). I have Clotdilde Soupert and she's been good so far and I also have Louise Phillipe which they say is a must have for Florida. She's still small though. I also have Ivor's rose and Rosette Delizy so I'm pretty set on OGRs :)
Meanwhile Quietness, Belinda's Dream, Lion's Fairy Tale, Super Hero and Mandarine Ice have all been BS free for me so far (including after two weeks of almost non stop rain and intense humidity). I may be wrong about OGR's though, so by all means if you feel strongly about an OGR mention it on the forum. I'm always open to good no spray roses! :)

OGRs (or any rose) can have better vase life if cut at the right time. If cut too late, then yes, they will have a short vase life. Most do best when just starting to open, sepals down, first row of petals unfurled. I have kept Marchesa Boccella for 5 days when cut at the right time (I exhibit from time to time).

OGRs (or any rose) can have better vase life if cut at the right time. If cut too late, then yes, they will have a short vase life. Most do best when just starting to open, sepals down, first row of petals unfurled. I have kept Marchesa Boccella for 5 days when cut at the right time (I exhibit from time to time).