I can't believe there are no comments yet on this fabulous rose. Vigorous, generous, black spot resistant this has been a spectacular rose in my Middle Tn garden under heavy disease pressure. In 4-5 years it has grown to be 6' tall and almost 10' wide. It takes a lot of space, but deserves every square inch of garden it takes. It has an excellent spring flush, produces flowers through the entire summer and has a strong fall flush when the summers aren't too dry. I can always count on it to have blooms that can be cut for the house. In my zone 6b-ish garden where it was between 0 and 5 degrees this winter it only had freeze damage on some of its branch tips. I don't spray, rarely water, and other than a few shovels full of horse manure twice a year (if I get around to it) don't give it any special care. This rose really deserves a wider distribution than it has!

For anyone who has this rose, can you tell me please if your rose is virtually thornless? not totally but just a few downward facing ones here and there, and small prickles on the back of the leaf stalks, because that's all mine seems to have, the uppermost canes are smooth, and I'm wondering if I have the correct rose, but otherwise the blooms and foliage seem to conform to what I see here.
I'm in England, and my rose does not appear to be William R. Smith with which it's sometimes confused apparently.

My rose has a light sweet fragrance, very upright in growth, quite vigorous, possible short climber - I shall have to move it - with creamy white, tinted yellow, sometimes pale pink edging but not much so far. Not many petals, not very full. My plant is first season..

A member here below in the U.S. states ''horrible thorns'' which is why I'm making this query. Thank you,