I don't know how they decide which ones to bring over and which ones they don't but the same thing happened when Summer Song first came out. I wanted it sooo bad and no one here had it. Eventually it arrived in Canada and Palatine had it. I'd just be patient. If people want it it will get here eventually by hook or by crook!

This is what I like about this rose: it has gorgeous white blooms with a button eye surrounded by these sweet buds striped with red. But, a picture is worth a thousand words (ignore the model):

Austin introduces roses in the UK 2 - 3 years before introduction in the US, it takes that long to get enough plants available. However, they sometimes don't introduce the plant in the US at all. We'll just have to wait until September to see what they have on their web site to know for sure.

Apparently this rose was introduced in England in 2011. Here's another photo from google images:

'Bolero' ( Meidelweis, 2004) is very good, very similar, and available if you want a white rose of that type immediately.

I second Hoovb on Bolero. Bolero blooms constantly in my zone 5a, even better than Mary Magdalene!

Hi Vicky: I ran across a few bad reviews of William and Catherine, either from English Rose Forum, or from overseas blogs. If you have time, check out the threads I posted in the Organic Rose Growing Forum, for ways to keep roses healthy. I post the same stuff in the English Rose Forums ..

See the link below for organic ways to grow healthy roses without spraying.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ways to grow healthy roses without spraying

Thanks, everyone! I actually already have Bolero, added last year, and yes, so far I like it very much. One thing that appeals to me about the new Austin is the red buds nesled against the white blooms...I like that look with Fair Bianca, which I have, too, added just this spring. In my backyard, at the edge of a wooded area, I have planted Mme. Hardy and Blanche de Belgique, which I am watching to see if they do well there. It is shady at least half the day. For some reason, I have really gravitated to the whites this year! I know Boule de Neige has those red buds with the white blooms, too, but that one gets pretty big, I heard, and I want a more compact rose.

One thing that appeals to me about the new Austin is the red buds nesled against the white blooms.

YES! I love that effect, too. It is what attracted me to Aimee Vibert, Duchesse de Grammont, and now Little White Pet.

My two newer Austins have both disappointed somewhat. Queen Anne has already been given away. Rosemoor I'm holding onto for a little longer because the foliage is very nice, and the flowers do have some old rose scent, though it's not the "powerful" fragrance I was expecting based on descriptions.

It's a mean thing to say, but sometimes I wonder if Austin's best roses are behind him. I wonder if he has reached the same dead end as the 19th century nurserymen did. How many cup shaped fully double petaled roses can you produce before there are too many and they all look the same? (Still, I often fall for the pictures, too, so maybe there's never enough?)

But I do hope you get William and Catherine and really love it.

Thank you, Bellegallica! Unfortunately in zone 5, suburban Chicago, the Noisettes are probably not hardy enough. Does anyone know of other, more hardy white roses with red buds?

White Pet is a polyantha, and may be hardy in Illinois zone 5. It is a lovely thing, and can look like a fluffy "pet" in full bloom.

Mme Plantier has white flowers with red buds and is listed as Z3b by Help Me Find. It is once blooming. Boule de Neige, Z5b, has been about 3 feet tall, and narrower than tall, here in Z6a. Originally it was grafted but it has been here so long, since the early 1980s, that I think it must be own root by now.

Cath

I wanted Summer Song for a long time - finally got one from Palatine. It didnt grow well, long octopus arms, and died despite my care. I tried again. Different spot. Same result. I was frustrated because I was giving this rose what I provide for my others, who were doing well. I wrote David Austin to see what I was doing wrong. The said the reason it was not introduced in the US was because it didnt grow well here. It may be W&K will be the same. After the time I spent coddling 2 plants that didnt make it - and only got a couple of blooms off them [though the color was fabulous!] I am in no hurry to try a rose that doesnt like my climate. Maybe one day DA will produce a rose the color of Summer Song and grows well in the US.

William and Catherine is a useless rose, destined for obscurity if it weren't for the name I suspect. The blooms don't last, they smell horrible and it is a poor grower which delights in killing half its main canes every year. You end up with a scabby one cane wonder after a couple of years, not worth the hassle. Maybe it doesn't like my garden, but being 30 miles from its home and having the same care as all of my other roses, which thrive, I suspect not.

Tranquility has the same red buds BTW and may be marginally better than Wills and Catherine

Thanks for your input! In regards to Tranquility rose: I think there are 2 roses with that name. I have the Tranquility rose propagated by Heirloom Roses, and although it is new and has yet to bloom for me, that one is a light pink rose. I think you are talking about the David Austin Tranquillity rose...which doesn't seem to be available in the US, either.

I am going to keep my eyes open for Boule de Neige, and meanwhile, enjoy my Bolero and Fair Bianca! Thanks much to everyone who responded!