Sherry, I planted a row of red roses because I wanted to compare performance. In this row:
Mr. Lincoln
Chrysler Imperial
Double Take
Veterans Honor
Always and Forever
Crimson SKy (a climber)
Lavaglut
Olympiad
Oklahoma
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Of these, I would suggest Always and Forever and Crimson Sky. The blossoms on both are nearly perfect, and the repeat is nonstop well into fall. Neither one of those turned purple in harsh sun and heat. Archbishop Tutu is even better as far as performance and health, but it does not have the classic bloom form. It also held the deep red color regardless of our heat. I'm still looking for that perfect red rose that can handle the winters and the heat, AND last in the vase. I have just a few red Austins, and many red floribundas, but each red hybrid tea seems to have one little issue...lack of scent, blackspot tendencies, dieback in winter, etc etc. I admit it might be my erratic watering, feeding, mulching. In better hands, they might all be 10's.
