Nice roses! I've grown 'Gruss an Coburg' for something like 20 years now and it's always in my top ten -- enchanting scent, one of the best for cutting, and the foliage is flawless here, even now after some weeks of intense heat and general lousy conditions. My mother grew 'Tiffany' and it was a real classic, too.

Next week will be better weather, anyway. I'm sure MAC came through this hot trip just fine -- she's pretty much invincible, though not exactly a rose that can be grown in a pot...or even on less than like a 1/4 acre....she's a big one, with visions of world domination...

Despite everything, I too have always bought from RVR -- they've got the roses I want, don't go wrong most of the time, and fix it when they do.

It worked out great. I had one other rose on order that hadn't been shipped yet, so I said I would keep the Madame Alfred for the unshipped one if they would just send the Gruss and Tiffany. So RVR didn't lose anything. Yes, despite the occasional hiccup, I'll continue to order from them until the day they close--which I hope is never! They have so many wonderful roses.

Another RVR story that worked out: One time, years ago, I was planning a trip to Ashland, OR which is very near RVR. My next door neighbor asked me if I could order Perle d"Or for her, and pick it up on our trip and bring it back to her, and take it over to her house, and she would pay me for it (her husband was upset at the number of roses she had - 100+, and told her not to order any more, so she did not want one delivered to her house, or to appear on her cc. ). So, I called RVR, ordered the rose, talked to the owner, and made sure she understood that I was going to pick it up personally.

When I got there, the owner was not there, and the nice man working there could not find the order. He then spent 20 minutes looking for a potted plant of Perle d"Or, found one, and sold it to me. I took it back with me and delivered it to my neighbor (it is still growing in her garden). The funny thing is that about 2 weeks later, a plant of Perle d"Or from RVR was delivered to my house! I called them to explain that I had already picked up my order, and they just said it was OK, and to keep it without charge. I had never had a Perle d'Or in my garden, but there are 2 very old ones in my neighborhood. I planted it in my garden of course, and it has turned out to be one of my most favorite roses. It is lovely, healthy, and blooms almost constantly from ~ May to Nov. I would never have tried it if RVR had not "goofed".

Here is a pic:

Jackie

Love Munstead! @Mx Chino, I had similar experiences to yours!

I am not sure what is going on with the DA marketing strategy!? I have tried many of the "new ones," many of which have been clunkers for me,,as for you!

While it's true that the EU has had this insane summer "heatdome" with weeks of the 90s-100s and no rain, the ones that survived best, have been many of the older DA's, including/especially the "cancelled" ones--at least in the EU--like Munstead, Evelyn, Othello, Lady Emma, Dark Lady, Jubilee Celebration, Abe Darby, and Tradescant-- even though very few roses in my garden are over 5-6 years old so even though they are "older" varieties, they are not older plants in my garden.

To recap the current (very sparse ) EU catalog/new releases, the good and the bad (and they were mostly bad--so am not sure if I should bother with new releases King's Rose and Beckham..??? Anyone???...And I am taking pervious summers' performances into account as well:

--Mill on the Floss: heathy plant, gets tall, small/sparse flowers, esp. compared to plant, and flowers fry in heat--am considering SP-ing "cuz huge and so few/tiny flowers, maybe less than 10 in two years I've had it

--Roald Dahl, healthy, but boring (little scent) and not a continuous bloomer, so SP'd to make way for an own-root Jude the Obscure that is better in every way

-- Gabriel Oak, fried in sun and had to be moved as was burning to a crisp--and this was before it got that hot--flowers came out lighter than catalog (or got the wrong plant?). I tried one before that gave me one flower in a summer and died (luckily reimbursed)

--Penelope Lively, both potted that I bought last summer and last fall died before summer this year (one; the minute the sun hit--in Spring!)

--Bathsheba (flowered once in two years)

---Dannahue (flowered once this summer, less than 10 flowers in 3 years, and where is the scent? Whilst Jude the Obscure,has been rocking it, all three of them, in different spots, big healthy, fragrant

--Lady of Shallot, shovel-pruned, bought directly from DA, but it had too much sucker growth that kept coming out from below bud union, hard to see because of long canes (and over the years, it was not as fragrant or as continuously blooming as Lady Emma Hamilton,--both my Lady Emmas have bloomed almost constantly in different exposures, as they always do and sometimes even into november, yet Lady Emma IS still unavailable in the EU. The limited releases of "oldies"/"cancelled" roses-- DA told me--is only for the UK or the US, despite what is on the DA web site.

--Eustacia Vye smells great so tried it 5 times over the last couple of years: 3 died. Both of the two that remain have had one flush (each) this year--in different exposures--and it was not better last year with the one that died, or the two that died before that, and no interesting colors this year (apparently that's only when it's partly cloudy/rainy in Spring, almost undistinguishable from Emma Bridgewater, which skewed pink in heat)

--Bring Me Sunshine, a disaster. Both bought as potted a year ago. About 10 blooms total since. Defoliated, in both exposures

---Emma Bridgewater, better this year (second full summer), but flowers stay small so far, , plant scraggly, but there's hope as it bloomed through the "heatdome," it's resting now, but nothing like catalog photos this summer, which must be really for the first flush in the right weather, otherwise, think pink-- it's pink most of the time, other than the very first flush last year when the weather was rainier

--Summer Song, actually better this summer (must like heat) but also the own-root I got definitely beats the older grafted one--it is basically a continuous bloomer on its own-roots

--Young Lycidas, flowers faded out in the heat/plants defoliated despite watering (which was not the same for Munstead or Othello) and bloomed less, and went light mauve

--Emily Bronte, already a sporadic bloomer. It usually has decent 1st flush, and then smaller blooms scattered through summer, with flowers that can burn and get dingy in "normal" hot weather, so this summer, it shut down in the heat, really just the one flush and a flower or two, but it's still a great bush so if you want a nice looking shrub;..

--The Generous gardener, heat shut it down and it bloomed once, also generally, in any weather, it's more bush than flower

--Princess Ann, never a great bloomer, was slightly better this year (at age 5) but did take a break, so 5 years to get a sort of decent amount of flushes going, my two-year-old othello was more impressive

--Desdemona had single flowers in the heat, and almost not a decent flower this year, even if in 1st flush, they can be great, and it is down to two canes, after 5 years...

--William and Katherine, a rather unspectacular non-continuous bloomer, but it is tough, is getting quite huge and putting on a bit of an amazing show in late summer, after a break

--Wollerton Old Hall, maybe one or two flowers only this summer, with a bud or two coming, maybe less than a dozen flowers in 3 years, but it is in a very rough spot, and smells like licorice or men's soap, so good for toughness
--Imogen, can truly live in shade, so great for those that have that issue--and it's so, so, so, so, pretty, just all frilly and girly, but definitely not a continuous bloomer, whether, in sunnier or shadier exposure but low-maintenance and one that will do shade

--Boscobel, shovel-pruned two summers ago for defoliating

--Olivia Rose Austin (a rare non-clunker in current catalog), the only thing missing is strong scent but it is reliable and put out quite a few blooms in this heat and puts out uncountable blooms every summer

--Elizabeth, in year three, is finally putting out a decent (second) flush when others, like my Evelyns are in flush 4 or 5, and one of my Abes never stoopped, but not as fragrant as reviewers say, and maybe less than 20 flowers in 3 years, and this is maybe first time for a second flush

--James A. Austin, a scraggly, sparsely blooming disaster in this heat, but has never been the most vigorous, and not as amazing or big as Othello! . Probably less than 20 blooms in 3 years (for each of both of them).. More scent in year 3, but the bush part is a not...

Of the older varieties (most of which fared much better--and are no longer available to purchase in the EU, even as DA has made them sometimes available in the US/UK):

--Evelyn (cancelled, why???), it never bloomed so well as this summer, almost continuous bloomer, and it's just the most amazing rose ever, in terms of beauty and fragrance

--Othello, dark gorgeous fragrant flowers, addictive, so healthy in this weather--if I had the room, I would have 20!

--Munstead Wood, it just basically blooms almost all summer and into fall (like 6-7 moths) no matter what, although flowers did fade a bit in the "heat dome", why is it cancelled, why? why? they said it will not be back in the EU...

--Tradescant (stayed dark red and knocked out it of the part in both SE and NW exposures thru whole summer), own-roots better, but it is just amazing!!!

--the Dark Lady, took a break but never stopped staying gorgeous, so gorgeous, it's an almost continuous bloomer when there is not a freak never-ending series of heatwaves

--St Cecilia, blooms in flushes, but much more gorgeous and fragrant than Desdemona as it ages, and the scent lingers in a room

--Lady Emma Hamilton, the most continuous bloomer, original color and powerful fragrance, a goer in rain or shine (see above--and why is that cancelled?)

--Jubilee Celebration, continuous bloomer (even if a bit faded in the extreme heat), and in the hottest spot , and that perfume!!!

--Spirit of Freedom, bloomed until it really boiled but still alive (thankfully) and the "baby" one that I just got despite recent cancellation continues to grow

--Royal Jubiiee (toughiee!!)

--Abraham Darby (my two are on own roots so don't know if that makes a difference but mine are just so vigorous, especially the one in the SE exposure which must bloom 7-8 months of the year!! May-December), but the flowers are just so plentiful and beautifuly, so why cancelled?

--The Prince, now kicking it after 100 degrees should have cooked it (as they are mostly babies), stayed dark red, and the best perfume ever!!!

--Golden Celebration, just amazingly huge plant with almost constant blooming of huge yellow fragrant flowers no matter what the summer weather

--Claire Austin, one of my rare plants that is actually old, reliably tough, if wild in aspect and easil easily shattered flowers. The heat shut it down for the first time in its life, but it's been 18 years on this planet (one of my rare truly old plants), which amazes me, and hopefully it will pick back up as its best flowers are often in late October-November

--Wild Edric, got the end of last year, and loved to bloom in rain/shade, not as dark as the pics, but in the dry heat, died, couldn't get off the ground --may try again

--Benjamin Britten, in perhaps the hottest spot, put out flowers all summer, even if they didn't last long, and that plant is so amazing, the fragrance and rare color of the flowers are so awesome, like no others, why cancel it in the EU and keep James Austin?

--Charles Rennie Mackintosh (happy in shade, blooms into late fall/early winter) but also showed strength in blooming through this hot summer

--Jude the Obscure, big strong, beautiful, fragrance is divine, atypical

--Alnwick rose, not a great bloomer for me, but that raspberry perfume when she does..., but it did not like this heat, basically two flushes in good times for me

--Mary Rose, can be relied on to almost always have at least one fragrant flower, even if a not spectacular rose, it's healthy and reliable

--Glamis Castle, stays small but is resiliant, just planted it a couple of years ago and it lived--- unlike the EV's

--William Shakespeare 2000, am not sure what ot make of that one, it is tough, blooms in waves from Spring until late fall, but it does not impress me?? Maybe Munstead, Tradescant and the Prince have spolied me!

--Falstaff--if you can still grab one--do... It will become an almost continuous bloomer as it ages (although not the third month of 90-100 degrees) and you will be in love--tough!