Opulence. This year is my first growing season with it. I like it so far. It seems to last forever and I haven't had a problem with it balling or water spotting. I've had some BS. Good luck!

Jont, of the white roses you mention, I have grown Tineke and Karen Blixen in the Louisville, KY area. For me, both were too small to be competitive. I also grew Opulence and for the most part, the centers balled up, so I eventually gave up on it. The best white performer for me in the Midwest was easily Fantasy.

Now, I live on the left coast and still find Fantasy to be a good show rose (won queen with it here as well as in KY) but I also very much like White Success out here although I never grew that one in KY. I did try Whisper out here and it isn't a show rose in this garden.

There is another white rose that sometimes does well here called Anastasia. I don't know how it would do in the mid-west.

Virginia is a florist rose (that I got own root from the local rose society ~3 years ago). It dies to the ground during cold winters here, but comes back strong if you fertilize well (Mills Magic Mix). Several good exhibitors here like it. Me too! Kathy

Ron, was thinking the same..Anastasia..Dont know how it would do back in the midwest.. Have seen some real nice blooms on it..Unfortunatley, the thrips like it very much in my yard.

I won my first HT Queen with Anastasia, grown in Pasadena, so I have a special affection for the rose. So do the thrips as it was always the first rose in my Pasadena garden to attract their attention. I do not recall seeing much in the way of show reports on it from the midwest.

Whisper - I have had it for 3 years now, it makes a good size bush and long straight canes. The flower is a pure white. Unfortunately they are few and far between and are usually balled in the center. I haven't seen one to take to the show yet.
Don Swanson

Crystalline is certainly number one. Beyond that, I have seen Fantasy win, although to me the color is not pure white but has a little ivory or something in it. White Success is a very good show rose, although not that great a garden rose. Beyond that the pickings are pretty slim, unless I'm just forgetting one.

Whisper is not pure white in my garden, it is like an ivory color. Also the blooms are really to small for show. The Thrips love all of my roses whether they are white, red , mauve, candy striped, or bi-color makes no difference. These I have grown and given away, Full Sail (no form,smelled good), Opulence (balled centers), Karen Blixen (weak peduncles, and balled centers).

Like Kathy, I grow the florist's rose Virginia. Although I don't exhibit, I've often thought that this rose would do well in a rose show. It has excellent substance, great form, and doesn't water spot. Holds nicely too.

Cystalline, Virginia, White Success all seem to have potential in my garden. Whisper... not so much. Definitely NOT Home and Family.

Kordes released a new HT florist rose named Iceberg (2001). (It drives me crazy that Kordes reuses rose names... but thats a whole other thread) It is new to my garden this year but has produced large pure white blooms on long single stems with good form... I think it has potential but need more time to truely evaluate. It seems it may be slow to establish like Crystalline.

in my opinion the best pure white exhibition rose is white success, i also like opulence, fantasy, and there are a couple new florist roses that will probably be very good

I agree with Anastasia, I not only like the bloom but also the bush.

I like both my White Success and Polarstern. Polarstern is white to ivory white. It also has some fragrance.

How's about Honor, an AARS white rose. An oldie but
a goodie.....

Connie
Coastal Long Beach

White Success, White Masterpiece, and Polarstern are all decent quality show roses, but you will need several plants of White Masterpiece because it is a heavy-petalled rose and as such, doesn't make many flowers at any one time. It does have a fragrance along with Polarstern.