'Gold Medal' is one of two roses that, to me, are precisely what the class calls for. Tall, somewhat bushy, with masses of bloom, often in clusters.
But the choice of classification for a rose has, historically, been made by the introducer . . . And in some cases, their choice is based upon marketing more than upon horticulture. 'Love', 'Honor', and 'Cherish' are a really good example of that.
Love (Warriner, 1977) is a Grandiflora
Honor (Warriner, 1976) is a Hybrid Tea, but it is cluster-flowering, and probably could have been a Tall Floribunda or a Grandiflora
Cherish (Warriner (United States, bef. 1977) is a Floribunda bred from Floribundas
'Love', 'Honor', and 'Cherish' . . . A marketing executive's dream.
