On Rosa Fortuniana rootstock, Brandy has massive canes, and becomes a tall and very narrow plant. Blooms have been massive as well.

Among the worst roses for NW Oregon. Other than the typical BS of 1980s HTs, this climate is really bad for Brandy. Brandy, like St. Patrick, thrives with a lot of UV light, lack of damp winter soil, and warm springs. NW Oregon is all of these things, leaving Brandy to bloom very late, very sparsely, with winter-damaged plants. Its pretty in August tho, but at that point, just plant another rose.

I recommend Louise Hay as a superior substitute in every way possible.

It is still early (February), but Brandy is in its first year in my garden here in Houston, TX. It has been the first to bud and bloom (4 total). The cool mornings (40's/50's), warm days (70's), and lack of rain have produced absolutely stunning unblemished blooms of perfection. I can echo the statements of many...the color is stunning. The plant is still very young, so it's only a foot or so tall. The stems for the blooms are as tall as the plant itself is! The fragrance is what I would describe as mild. Definitely nothing spectacular, but I wouldn't call it light either.

The only negative I've seen so far is that the blooms, although beautiful, do pop open very quickly. I cut one for a vase and by the next day it had flopped all the way open. A fleeting beauty. I will most likely leave most blooms on the plant if the weather is nice and enjoy them from my patio since they don't seem to be the best for cutting. I'll update as she, and the others, go through the season.

Update March: I'm so far impressed with rebloom on Brandy. After the first flush, she sprouted new growth promptly and has spit out quite a few new buds much faster than I thought she would.

August 2016 Update: Brandy does not like the heat and man-oh-man, what an unattractive plant! There just aren't many leaves to make the bush very pretty. I understand why people simply grow this rose because of the color, because in the right (cooler) weather it's stunning.

Brandy is part of a very non-hardy lineage (In order of parentage: First Prize -> Brandy -> St. Patrick -> Marilyn Monroe -> Falling In Love) in which all roses are incredibly tender and very prone to cold damage and winter kill. But WOW what a beautiful rose. The blooms are some of the biggest you can find, and the color is unreal. Some people don't get any fragrance off of it but every nose is different - I get a LOT of fragrance off of Brandy and all of those in its lineage. Many are listed as a "Mild Tea" fragrance which is a complete understatement to my nose, perhaps my nose is more sensitive to whatever chemicals make up the fragrance in these roses.

It would make a great cut flower IF the flowers didn't pop open quicker than popcorn. You can walk by it twice a day and notice a big difference in the position of the petals. The funny thing about that is its child plant St. Patrick is one of the longest lasting - it obviously didn't get that from "mom" (seed parent). That quality makes Brandy a better garden plant, as it can be prolific if well-fed and in a sunny location. Just be sure to mulch over it VERY well in the winter and be ready to order one from your regular supplier if the winter is a particularly harsh one (almost everyone with one lost one thanks to the end of last winter 2013-2014).