Many people are really curoius about 'old roses' but when they are told that they often only bloom in the spring they quickly lose interest. Most other garden plants are enjoyed by many and they bloom but once a year. Our treasured lilacs and Irises bloom only once a year but people still grow them. The rose was the queen of flowers long before she could reliably produce blooms more than once per year. I think some of the lack of enthusiasum for once blooming rosesi is because our modern society wants things now instead of waiting and enjoying the anticipation in addtion to the event itself. However the lack of interest in once bloomers is not just because of this. People don't know about the advantages of Once blooming roses. With a few exceptions, notably the rugosas, hardiness in roses is inversly related to ability to repeat flower. That is the hardier a rose the less likely it is to be a repeat flowerer and the more frequently a rose flowers the less hardy it is. This rule is not always followed precisely but it is a definite trend in rosedom. In general the best adapted roses for cold climates USDA zones 5 and lower are the once blooming old roses.In addition to being hardy they are quite often highly resistant to disease. The once bloomers can be treated as any other garden shrub planted and given minimal care. This is especially true of species roses. Many of which have interesting foliage in addition to lovely blooms. Their springtime display is incredibly glorious, so much so that I have a fresh picture in my mind of all of my once bloomers throughout the year. Instead of giving a few blooms at a time like most modern roses, they give them all at once to make a display that is equal to and surpassing the displays of rhododendrons and crabapples. All in all these plants are worthy of a space in your garden their carefree nature, hardiness and beautiful fragrant flowers should earn them a space in your garden. They come in many sizes shapes colors and fragrances Some can be nearly twelve feet talll while others are only four to three. To get some of these great roses and see some good pictures too, visit The Roseraie at Bayfields . You can also visit my garden tour and see my own once bloomers and some repeaters in flower.