Hello everyone,

Three years ago we moved into a country cottage in SW France. The "garden" consisted of a few very neglected and overcrowded rose bushes. Transplanted into new beds with amended soil etc., it has taken them some time to recover but now that they seem to be making it, I would be happy if someone could help me ID them. My guess is that they are all HTs (one could be a floribunda), bush type, easily available, modern and originally planted sometime in the last 30 years. I will start with 3 and put the rest in another post, if I may be so bold ... !!! :)

#1 Bi-colour: high pointed buds, carried singly and in clusters, fairly shiny foliage, a little prone to blackspot (grown no-spray), good repeat, the flowers measure 4 to 4 ½ inches (petal count 24) and have no perfume.

A few photos: the bud starts out a warm yellow blended with cerise red:

Then the bloom opens quickly into a very loose shape, predominantly cerise with a pronounced golden yellow centre and stamens, the petals age to deep pink with yellow reverse:

If cut young, they will remain looking like this for a couple of days:

So far the bush has grown to 3 feet tops. Thorns are big, strong and wicked:

#2 Pink: rather fat buds, produced singly but mostly in clusters, large, matte, leathery leaves, very prone to blackspot (no-spray), it blooms constantly here from June to November, with no fragrance at all.

Photos: the rounded bud develops into a typical HT shape, clear pink, very long-lasting.

In wet weather, the petals pale to lightest pink and mottle terribly, much more than here:

This is an extremely vigorous cultivar, easily reaching 6 x 4 feet, with impressive canes. Many large thorns:

#3 Red: short, plump buds, found singly and in clusters, dark green, matte leaves, fairly prone to blackspot (grown no-spray), good repeat, no perfume.

Photos: the bud has pronounced dark markings on the reverse of each petal, giving a burnt or caramelized look:

Then it unfolds into a tightly scrolled bloom, bright orangey red, fading to magenta, measuring 4 inches, petal count 40:

The plant has an open vase shape, 4 x 3 feet. Thorns are few but vicious:

Thanks for reading so far. I will start a new thread for the remaining 3 roses.

MayBee