I'm in SW Missouri, zone 6. I bought and planted La Belle Sultane in spring of 2009 grafted onto multiflora from Pickering. Much to my surprise I got a few blooms that first year. The spring of 2010 I got a wonderful show of blooms covering the bush, which consisted of many canes about 5 feet long. The shrub grew by about half that year.

La Belle Sultane blooms mid May for me, which is unfortunately around the time we get a lot of spring storms. These destroy the blooms. I'm going to cover the bush this year but that may turn out to be too much trouble. I'm very disappointed as pictures really don't do the beauty of this rose justice.

Leaves are perfectly healthy all season except when eaten by Japanese beetles. Rose isn't defoliated and recovers easily.

Rose was planted in un-amended soil in my no-spray garden.