Rosa "Duchesse de Brabant"

This was apparently one of Theodore Roosevelt's favorites, often wearing it as a buttonhole. Perhaps it grows differently here in southern California, as it has very little scent and the blooms last only a few hours once cut, so not the ideal boutonnière here.  On the other hand, it grows enthusiastically with very little attention or water, and the loose blooms are really charming. In my garden, it is usually paler than this deep pink, but it enjoyed the recent rains!

Rosa "Cécile Brünner"

"Cécile Brünner" -- also called the "Sweetheart Rose", "Climbing Mignon", or "Buttonhole Rose" -- is a polyantha first introduced in 1881, and in its climbing form in 1894. It has long been a favorite of gardeners, for its pretty pale-pink flowers and its hardiness in a wide variety of climates and conditions, as well as resistance to most rose diseases. It can grow from 15 to 30 ft. (4.7 to 9 m), but is easily kept smaller.

This particular bush was whacked back to stubs a few months ago, but has bounced back quite prettily.

Roses over the door

Rosa "Iceberg"

"Iceberg" is one of the most popular roses in the world. Its simple beauty and easy growing habits make it an excellent choice for gardens, whether for cutting or just enjoying.  It "plays well with others" -- especially lovely, I think, with lavender at its feet -- or looks stunning in a mass.

"Iceberg" is a floribunda rose -- Latin for "many-flowering" -- which were developed in the early 1900s as a cross between hybrid teas and polyanthas, in order to take advantage of both the polyantha profusion of blooms and the hybrid teas' looks and color range. Typical of the floribundas is the mass of blooms on a single cane.  "Iceberg" was introduced in Germany in 1958; there it is known as "Schneewittchen" -- "Snow White".  It also comes in a climbing form.

Rosa "Gertrude Jekyll"

The roses around Fullerton certainly enjoyed the rainy winter we've had, and are blooming beautifully. This one is "Gertrude Jekyll", an Austin English rose named after the famous gardener. (It is pronounced "JEE-k'll".)

This rose has a beautiful old-rose shape, a vivid clear-pink color when the blooms are new, usually fading and softening a bit, and an utterly breath-taking scent.  I have had few problems with it, other than keeping its robustness under control -- there's a reason its nickname is "Galloping Gertie"!

It has a slight repeat in the autumn, here in Fullerton.

I have this growing on a trellis attached to the side of the house along our narrow driveway, growing to one side of the trellis so that the canes can be laid along the length of the horizontal bars, on the same principle as self-pegging, thus increasing the bloom. This is not perhaps the best spot for a rosebush, as we can't get in and out of the car next to it for the exuberant thorns, but it seems very happy in this usually-difficult spot.

Rosa "Duchess de Brabant"

The tea rose "Duchess de Brabant" was introduced in 1857 by H.B. Bernède of Bordeaux.  It is nearly continuously in bloom, covered with flowers even now in mid-November.

The flowers are light pink, small and round with a light tea-rose scent, on a compact bush growing to about 6 ft tall x 4ft.  It is generally very healthy and trouble-free in my garden.

This rose is said to have been one of Theodore Roosevelt's favorites, often chosen by him for a buttonhole.  In my garden, it is very droopy, and probably not suitable for that use at least, but it has a very pretty scent.