My book de Jour is ‘Fifty Favourite Roses’ Michael Gibson. A second reading has given me some new insights and some varieties to look out for: 5 petalled Tea Roses Dainty Bess,  Mrs Oakley Fisher (golden) and Ellen Willmott (white) rugarosa Robusta and colour changing Mutabilis

Above is a true red rose that also flowers very early on a robust plant 5 feet tall.

Now a more commonly available single rose this Rosa ‘Canary Bird’  is a tall growing very floriferous lemon- yellow rose with good foliage.

Whilst this rose was in full flower in a wild hedge in early May I think it had been planted specially. It had a great scent and was covered with buds to maintain the fragrant white blossom for several weeks.

Another garden based flowering single rose that had great depth of colour but less scent than most single roses.

Not quite a ‘dog rose’ this scented rose was flowering in mid May at Newby Hall Yorkshire.
Below a wonderfully scented white rose planted on scrub ground in Otley.

Below Credit “Carolina Rose by BlueRidgeKitties” ‘Rosa carolina flowering at the Daniel Boone Native Gardens. The flowers are all in shades of pale pink and fragrant, attracting a lot of insects. This rose species can be distinguished from other similar species by having needle-like straight prickles where other roses with similar flowers have thicker curved prickles on their stems.’

Lastly a semi-double or single rose depending how you look at it. Molly McGredy was named after the family who bred many excellent roses. you can see how floriferous these roses are.