Nope.

Dreadful thorny canes that went all over the place, octopus growth that had to be cut hard and often to encourage rebloom, and unending cycles of defoliation from disease. That was my experience. The rose is banished from my garden, period.

I will never grow it again--for all the reasons cited above.

Kate

I rarely see blackspot on roses... spider mites and aphids are the main problems... aphids in the spring and mites during the summer. Both are remedied by a forceful spray of water. Is there some other condition Gertrude Jekyll is prone to?

With the long growing season here;plants begin leafing out in March, and bloom until December, it would likely become a large beast here; but, the heat could be a challenge for it?

I have a space along a walkway; actually at the end where it is about six feet wide or so and then begins to curve. The rose bush would be up against a wall that is 7 ft tall and the planting bed is about 42" deep. I wanted to plant a rose that is not only beautiful, but will leave those passing by with a dose of an intoxicating fragrance. This rose will also be across from my covered patio where we sit out and dine or just relax, so we will see it. I would like to place a rose bush there that would have a fragrance that would perfume the air in the cover patio area too.

Any medium to deep pink rose suggestions other than Gertrude Jekyll? Because of the long growing season here, one time bloomers never make the cut.

Gardenheat, you might want to consider Belinda's Dream. Those of us who, like you, get scorching heat in the summer know it as a rose that just doesn't quit. Often enough it's the only one in bloom come Labor Day.

Kay

Here is a link that might be useful: Belinda's Dream on HMF

Hi onederw. How is the fragrance for Belinda's Dream? It isn't unusual to still have blooms here until December if it is a mild winter, or winter has a late start. We begin a big feed and soil replenishment in August for our October blooms that regularly rival April's, so a good repeat is really important, as I want that Fall show.

Gardenheat-- I have and feel frustrated by Gertrude Jekyl.
I bought her for the reason you want her: I thought she was the most fragrant rose ever..... and for me she just isn't. Right now she is barely fragrant and i don't know why. ALL my other Austin roses are more fragrant than her at the moment. So, I can't recommend growing her for only that trait (fragrance). If you like the color and form of her bloom too- then maybe her weird habits are worth putting up with. She only remains here because I just hate digging holes and I have so many more still to dig, before I dig hers.....

Gardenheat, you should get your fall flush. I've noticed that as we seem to be getting more intense heat later into September and even into October, the fall flush tends to show up more toward Halloween, or even into November. Roses on the Thanksgiving table are quite possible.
That said, my BD is own root, and I didn't get the big fall show until she'd matured a bit. I wouldn't count on an exuberant bloom during her first year in the ground.

Kay

Kay, thank you for your input as I have been really overwhelmed with his as there are so many pink roses out there . I believe I have been forewarned out of purchasing a Gertrude Jekyl. How would you describe the pink color on Belinda' s Dream? . The photos online never depict the color of pink roses consistently. It does look like a nicely shaped, floriferous bush. Is she fragrant?

Gardenheat, I love my Gertrude Jeykyll! At first she didn't have many blooms and took a long time to repeat (own root) but now she does both beautifully! (about five years old). Because of space limitations, I have HAD to keep her pruned to about 4', plus she doesn't get but about 5 hours of sun here in N. Calif. I've always complained about those conditions, but maybe they help. ?? Fragrance simply THE BEST in my all-fragrance garden. Hope this helps.

Gertrude Jekyll seems to be loved or hated by many, with not much sentiment in between. Last week we learned that it is very likely that we will be leaving this desert. I was able to purchase some roses from Roses Unlimited that I will place in pots and take with me, as wherever we go will be a mild climate in terms of the cold, but I may have to deal with some Austin heat, which would be taking our triple digit days, practically every day during the summer with some scorchers months in the high 100 teens to the 120 range during the summer) down some notches. I discovered that they only range about 24 or so days above 100 whereas we get 70 or so. Another destination could be Portland, Seattle. Do you have info. as to whether or not own root Gertrude Jekyll is better than grafted?

If you are after that specific fragrance of Gertrude--which is one of the best to my nose--The MacCartney Rose and Jadis aka Fragrant Memory smell almost identical (to me). Sorry I can't comment as to how they'd do in the heat because we're in different climates.

Here is a link that might be useful: The MacCartney rose

littlesmokie, thank you for your input. I was partial to the look and fragrance of Gertrude Jekyll.

On another topic, we could be re-locating to Portland late summer. I had hoped to have a Gertrude Jekyll wherever we end up. The contending cities are Austin, TX. Portland or Seattle, WA. I recently ordered and will place in pots, Therese Bugnet, Sally Holmes, Charles R, Mackintosh and Pleasure. I hope they fair well in Portland if that is where we will relocate to?

Has anyone ever heard of GJ turning white?

I don't grow GJ (unless my mislabeled CDM is a GJ; it resembles her), but I grow several Belinda's Dream. As far as fragrance, she's pretty fragrant and has a good lineage for that (bred from Tiffany). Her pink is....vibrant.....bright....and slightly on the bluish side.

Here is a link that might be useful: Belindas Dream blog on Garden Musings

I am the gj lover. It took 4 yr. Boy is she proud this year. Incredible scent and big boisterous blooms too. I do cut her back occasionally, but she is fantastic.

One Austin rose that is very fragrant and has done very well for me in the heat is Bishop's Castle. The flowers are a beautiful pink and have a sumptuous look even from afar. It's a cool pink, which I prefer, and other than some mildew in the cooler early spring weather she's been free of disease. BC has more of an old rose look than Belinda's Dream which I also have and like because of its huge flowers. Of the two for your needs I would choose Bishop's Castle.

Ingrid

Yes.

andreark

Yes, Gertrude Jekyll is totally worth it even with black spot!

The fragrance is divine.

I've read own root roses are better than grafted.

There are few roses, in my opinion, that can compete with Gertrude Jekyll for fragrance, and also for vigorous growth. We grow this rose in an environment that gets quite a few hot days, and it just keeps on going. Since we live in semi-desert, we don't see any disease issues. Our GJ is own root, and does not seem to lose any growth through the winter. The thorns are quite signficant: you should wear good protection when pruning. GJ will easily spread out into a large bush with many canes coming from below ground. The fragrance is noticable 40 feets away when it is in bloom, which is most of the growing season for us. In order to avoid pruning parts of the top growth, I am now just taking whole canes off at ground level, and letting new ones replace them.
Renais

I am in the Nevada desert. Galloping Gertie does well, but does not bloom much, except for a spring and fall flush. It does smell great. I have Barone Prevost too, and it smells about the same. But my Barone Prvost balls for some reason in the spring. I have Belinda`s dream too, and for some reason, it has never had much fragrance. It is about 5 years old.

I have never grown Gertrude Jeckyll, but my experiences with Austin roses--Lillian Austin, Tradescant, Golden Celebration, the white version of Heritage--have all been positive. Do you want more of a shrub or a climber? If a shrub, I could not recommend Lillian Austin more strongly. If a climber, go outside the Austin box and seek out 'Dr J H Nicolas'--it's a classic, medium pink, delightfully fragrant, and the globular blooms would harmonize well, I think, with Austin roses.

You'll have to seek out a specialty rose grower to find them, hopefully own-roots. If internet searches don't turn up something, find a grower whose customer service people have a copy of the blue book for roses--it's comprehensive.

Good luck!

I hate GJ yes HATE her..until I smell her again than I'm back in love a again..I have four...yes its a very confusing relationship we have

My own root GJ was fantastic. I accidentally chopped her down - sad story - and bought another one. Mine bloomed a lot more than Therese Bugnet which was right next to her. She just has to be grown in the right place and given a lot of room for her long arms. You won't like her if you try to make her behave like a tidy little shrub. She's too exuberant to be tamed. Northland Rosarium has it bare root through March.

Belinda's Dream is a beautiful clear pink, and produces lots of high-centered hybrid tea type blooms at all levels of the bush. However the light, sweet scent always disappoints my visitors who expect more from a rose that looks like she does!

I'm quite in love with the tall grandiflora Grande Dame, which produces shapely deep raspberry pink blooms with outstanding fragrance. The bush is somewhat narrow, so she might be best planted in a threesome.

Both of these would be very suitable for Austin as well. Not so sure about cool PNW climates of Portland or Seattle, have never grown roses there.

I grabbed a Gertrude Jeckyl and Abraham Darby today from Northland Rosarium while they're still available bare-root, I'm in zone 5a here so we will see how they like my garden... I'm a newbie gardener with 5 or so roses I planted last year but it went so well I'm officially hooked!!!!

Ashley, both are perfect choices for your zone, and both are very fragrant.

I've had her in my garden for about 10-12 yrs. I adore her. Yes she does get a bit spindly and has wicked thorns. I wear gauntlet gloves to work with all my roses(50+) so it's no big deal. It's in full sun and in Southern MO, it can get pretty hot and humid. It does get black spot but most of mine do since we are pretty humid here. It's got tremendous fragrance and I'm going to plant 2 more in another section.

Tried her here in SE WI, and for me was a big dissapointment. Petals dropped in a day or two, had little to no substance in them. I thought I'd try the Austins, ordered her, Mary Rose, and Evelyn as all three were highly touted for their fragrance.

Gertrude had the best fragrance, the others were minimal to my nose, nothing like putting your nose into a classic HT like Fragrant Cloud, Papa Meilland, Confidence, and many others. They all grew floppy and are now in the dump, no more DA's for me. Highly over-rated AND over-priced.

If you've never smelled Gertrude, take a sniff of one in warm weather and THEN decide. I love this rose, thorny canes and all. It took 5 or so years of sparse blooming until it exploded with many blooms last year. Feed it well and water it well - you will be rewarded beyond measure.

This is what I received from David Austen.

It arrived today.It was a two quart pot.

It cost 65 dollars.I dare not tell my husband.

I feel like I've been taken advantage of.

Its weak,spindly and not at all worth the price.

No.Buy from a local nursery.A good 2 GALLON established pot.Not some overpriced 2 quart cutting.Disappointment is an understatement.

I would pot up in a 2 gal pot and grow on. The rose could be put in the ground this Fall. It will be beautiful. The own root babies just need care. One cannot find the variety one wants in a local nursery here.

65 F&N dollars for a recently potted cutting is highway robbery. This has NO new growth.It appears they cut off a piece.Stuck it in a bark mulch and shipped it off!?? It's not even an established cutting. I'm not a novice. I will never I repeat NEVER buy mail order again.

I m the one that needs a drink!

I only buy mail order to get the special treasures I want, and they are so worth it.

Happy days in Rogue Valley.Im zone 6a.A shorter growing season in the Northeast.No time to coddle plants.Wishing you continued success

I know it is a shocker to receive a small plant for the price of what would be a 5-gallon pot at a local nursery. I ordered Munstead Wood own-root potted from DA when they first started selling those (I only want own-root and that was how I had to buy it) and within days of its arrival, the leaves turned yellow and and stems turned black. They sent me replacement immediately. I've also received some from them more recently and they did fine. It will be fine. Really. (I know, I hate it when people say that to me also, but it's true).

I agree with Sheila. It is worth it to get the ones you want when they are hard to find. They are specialty items, and better than a $65 plastic washer that only one company makes (yes, I'm still bitter about that one).

Here's Desdemona when I received her April, 2020. It's really a 4" deep pot. There's no way that pot could hold 2 quarts.

Here's what she looked like by July 2020, three months later.

And this is what she looked like May 2021, 1 year later.

And this year, with Munstead Wood behind her. In her first year, she grew to half the size she is today.

Here's another example, of Evelyn.

When I received her, as a band, crushed in the mail:

18 days later, after potting up into a 1 gallon pot:

1 year later:

Try not to worry about it.

Thank you for your encouraging words and pictures.My main concern is our very short growing season and harsh winters .Of course I'll heed your advice.

Warm regards-D