Great post, Prickles (Bailey)! I read Robert's blog before he started English Roses Forum .... he wasn't impressed with Teasing Georgia either.

Young Lycidas and Lady Emma are on my pre-order from Roses Unlimited as own-roots. I like orange and purple. I'm tempted by Lady of Megginch, but don't know if her thorns will poke me when I cut for the vase.

My Austins this year? I gave away prickly Scepter'd Isle and Charles Darwin, pale colors, lost their scents in hot sun. I gave away my 2nd Pat Austin (fried in full sun). I killed Lilian Austin, too prickly, poked me. I moved Radio Times and Golden Cel. ... both bloom much better.

The rest bloom well like floribundas: Evelyn, Mary Magdalene, Wise Portia, W.S. 2000, Pat Austin, Queen of Sweden, Christopher Marlowe, Crown P. Magareta, and Eglantyne. My treatment? Prune short, mulch with cocoa mulch and granular gypsum, then top off with horse manure. No nitrogen whatsoever, to control their octopus canes.

The new bands: Jude the Obscure has nice foliage but wimpy roots, Sharifa Asma broke out in buds (received from Heirloom end of July).

I buy more Romanticas for next year, they like my alkaline clay better. Plus I can cut Romanticas for vase & smell great in hot weather. Which Austins retain their scents in hot weather? Thanks in advance.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Sat, Aug 3, 13 at 20:36

This may not be a totally fair test. This has been the greyest, cloudiest, mistiest summer ever in my Kansas region. Consequently, everything is plagued with some BS and other types of leaf problems--I haven't even figured out what all of them are yet! But given these disgusting growing conditions (where is the sun, I ask you!), here are my best, good, bad, and ugly Austins.

BEST: Munstead Wood--only rose in my entire garden not suffering from some kind of leaf problem! Of course, it is only a couple months old, so hard to say what its long term health will be, but in the meantime, it produces the most gorgeous vivid purple/magenta/dark red blooms. Like swoon!

GOOD: Lady of Shalott--for a disease-resistant rose, she sure is having trouble with leaf diseases, but not as bad as some of the other roses. But that is why I rated her as GOOD instead of BEST. In other respects, she beats out all the other roses--very floriferous, almost continuous blooms of a wonderful blend of apricot/gold/pink/buff. Couple of octopi arms, however--first time an Austin has ever done that to me.

BAD: Molineux--I really hate to put him in this category--he has been one of my best in the past--but he has really succumbed to the grey/wet weather and has all sorts of leaf problems! Very disappointing. Hardly had any leaves for a while there! But still throwing an occasional lovely bloom.

UGLY: Scepter'd Isle--maybe "ugly" isn't the exact word, but it is my most disappointing Austin--new this spring and put out a handful of delicately beautiful blooms--then went on strike and has done NOTHING for the past month! Just sits there. No growth, nothing. I guess it is waiting for the sun to reappear.

Actually, with this continual overcast and damp weather, none of my roses are looking their best--although they had a brilliant spring bloom.

Kate

@ Straw

I hope YL and LEH do well for you--I love these two!

Bishop's Castle--although you might not like it because of the thorns--smells nice in the heat; Brother Cadfael, Noble Antony, Prospero are exceptionally fragrant with damask scent. Lady of Megginch I'll buy from Otto and Sons when I have time.

Romanticas, you said, I like them too: Eden (how many is too many of the same rose?!--I have 5 of them), Yves Piaget, and Rouge Royal. Bolero I'll replace because I gave it away.

@Kate

Thank you for your BEST on Munstead Wood. I've been wanting to buy it and shall when I can find a good specimen.

Lady of Shallot--I'm drawn to the wonderful colors on her too, but she doesn't have a strong scent.

Scepter'd Isle--I grew and SP.

I don't have many Austins and none of them are five years old. Chaucer, Young Lycidas, The Ingenious Mr. Fairchild and Pretty Jessica are too young to comment on. None of them have had disease, however, and the few blooms I've seen on all except Chaucer, which I've disbudded, have been quite nice.

The Good: Bishop's Castle and Sophy's Rose. Both are without disease and blooming steadily. Sophy's Rose always has a few buds or blooms while BC blooms more in flushes. It is fragrant while SR has no fragrance that I can detect.

The Almost Good: Cottage Rose and Potter and Moore. The former usually has a very good spring flush and then scattered bloom. It doesn't rebloom enough for my liking and has vicious thorns. Potter and Moore mildewed this spring but has recovered now and has quite a few blooms, and I really love the flowers on this rose. Unfortunately those small wasps are doing a number on the blooms. PaM is not a mature rose (about two years) so disease resistance and bloom frequency hopefully will increase, and this rose is a keeper.

Ingrid

@ Ingrid

Thank you for your nice list of pink Austins--I have a special place in my heart of fragrant pink roses.

I like Bishop's Castle very much, especially the button eye and the generous, continuous blooms. Its scent is good too, and I hope, with time, it will grow up to be better than good for you.

How is your Pretty Jessica doing so far? If she is a keeper for you, I think I'll add her along with The Mayflower for next year's list.

Potter and Moore sure is a beauty by the look of the pic over at HMF.

I think most of my Austins have been doing quite well this season, considering the horrendous dry heat we continue to have (with just a couple of days break since June 28). I'm going to cheat a little and name a couple of my new Austins as "best" (can two be best?), since they are really too young for me to make a definitive call on their performance.
But I have to say that Princess Alexandra of Kent, a year old, has been pretty amazing. She grows, she blooms, and that repeats endlessly. Her blooms are so much better than last year's first efforts. This is a happy, carefree rose--sort of informal. She just looks darn cheerful, if that's possible. My second best is Munstead Wood, put in the ground just a week before the heat hit. MW bloomed steadily until a week ago, and now is doing more growing. The blooms are gorgeous and smell among the best of the Austins, even though this rose is a baby.
My good Austin should probably my best, and that is Golden Celebration, a lovely, steady bloomer that shrugs off the heat. Very dependable. No tantrums.
I had several "bads", mainly in poor performance due to tree competition (not really the rose's fault). The trees have done a number on my Evelyns. But Brother Cadfael was the biggest disappointment this year, since last year, he was my best Austin. His big spring show never got off the ground due to the heat, and every single one of his blooms balled and fried. It was so sad.
The ugly is Eglantyne. The spring show was breathtaking, and now she does her ugly shrub routine of random bare canes sticking out at odd angles, dried leaves, ugly growth habit--just homely. I will be pruning and shaping her soon.

My photo, taken by my official garden photographer, my fifteen year old granddaughter, Clare, is of PAK. Diane

O, that is gorgeous! Is PAK really that purply/lilac coloured in real life??? If so, I'll have to get it...bart

@ Diane

Thanks for your "second best" on Munstead Wood--I'll try to get it soon.

PKA--I was drawn to her big, beautiful pink flowers but her scent was not to my liking when I sniffed her: myrrh (wasn't it?) or did I remember wrong?

As for your Brother Cadfael, I'm sorry to hear about his dismal spring flush, Diane. I remember seeing a pic you posted of him long ago, planted next to Jude the Obscure; they were both enormously healthy and loaded with flowers. I hope BC will be better for you during his fall flush.

I only have Mary Rose, it is one of the best bloomers. The only thing is that it wants to be a climber. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, cut it way back or let it do its thing. It's one of the only roses I have that is NOT a climber, maybe she's trying to fit in.

Hi Diane: Predfern in my Chicagoland told me after 3 years, his Brother Cadfael finally gave a perfect bloom !! Your PAK is absolutely decadent ... the color I want.

Hi Prickles: thank you for the vital info. about scents. I'm very picky about scents ... that's why I gave Scepter'd Isle away, it smelled like dirty socks in hot weather.

My most blooms Austins are Wise Portia, Mary Magdalene, Golden Cel., and Evelyn.. Wise Portia has a great scent in cool weather, it blooms in cluster so harder to cut for vase.

Below are great scents for the vase, listed in order of preference: cluster-pink is Annie L. McDowell (lilac-lavender scent, just amazing!), Frederic Mistral, Pink Peace, Evelyn, and Crown Princess Magareta. The wild summer phlox are also very fragrant.

@ Straw Beautiful bouquet!

I've been wanting Annie L McDowell for a long time but there's always a long waiting list for her. Fredie I like fine, and Evelyn, too, but I think she likes cooler climate--or am I wrong about her?

Do you grow Yves Piaget? He's worth a try because he's a willing bloomer and quick to repeat, has a lovely scent and only lightly mildews now and then. No rust and no BS--since BS isn't a problem for us here. Also he can take the heat and doesn't burn or sulk in the S. Ca sun.

Pic is Yves Piaget in an Ikea plastic waste basket: instead of cutting flowers for a bouquet, sometimes I just take the whole pot into the house.

Bee-youtiful bouquet, as usual, strawb. I agree about Fred and Evelyn's scent, but don't have the others. I am intrigued by Annie--love that subtle color, but worry that it would fade to off white out here.
Thanks prickles, bart, and strawb for your comments on PAK's color. Before you drum me out of the Forum, I need to explain a little I've found out about her color. It's very changeable. My favorite color and photo of PAK, taken in June, is the one you've seen. A second photo shows more pink and less mauvish tones, and last, taken in July, show a solid bright pink and fewer petals (which can be explained, I guess, by the extreme heat). Today, I gave PAK a look, and her latest blooms are a salmon pink--nice looking, but really different from some of earlier blooms. I'll try to get pics this evening to post tomorrow. So, though I don't mind the changeable color, some of you might. Those of you in cooler, less extreme climates may not even have this happen. Diane

Great idea with the pot, prickles, and Yves is beautiful. Would you believe I have nary a pot ghetto?
Here's my last pic of PAK, showing the bright pink in extreme July heat. Diane

Here I am again...forgot to mention my PAK does have some virused leaves. It doesn't bother me, and shes an extremely vigorous grower and has lots of blooms. It's just one of those things, I guess, I have one other virused rose, and it's been fine for nine years. Diane

Thank you, Diane, for those pics of PAK ... I like her color, the variations are very nice.

Thank you, Prickles, for a bush-shot of Yves Piaget. It gives me an idea to winterize Yves in my garage when I get it as own-root from Roses Unlimited. Water-hogs do best in containers. I enjoyed "Blue Mist" miniflora much better when it was blue-color blooms in potting soil, sitting on patio.

Now "Blue Mist" is planted in my alkaline soil, becomes pink, and doesn't bloom much like when it was in a pot.

Golden Celebration
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Munstead Wood
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Young Lycidas
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Crocus
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Lady Of Megganich (I think)
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Jubilee Celebration
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Bishops Castle
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@ Diane

Beautiful pics.
Can you please tell me the scent of PAK--tea or myrrh?

HI Kippy: Thank you for those awesome pics. I prefer your Mustead Wood and Young Lycidas color over Austin catalog. You have a good camera that captures their thorns also. Which ones of those bush are least thorny? Which one has the best scent? Thanks in advance.

Strawberry

By far my favorite of the two is Munstead Wood. Nice sized bush, bought last year as a smaller 5g. The main part of the plant is smaller than 3x3 with an old cane or two that are taller, but would be wonderful bouquets if cut and brought in. You can not walk past it with out smelling the wounderful scent and it almost always has a bloom somewhere.

BUT, this is a cane it threw last month
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This would have been a wonderful, if not thorny, bouquet
{{gwi:304838}}

On the other hand, YL has larger flowers and I have not noticed as big of thorns. It also has fewer buds and odd cushiony foliage that usually looks like it is too dry. I also have not noticed the scent. Now it is further from the walk by about 8 feet. It is very happy right now and full of buds, so I will take a few photos shortly when they start opening.

I think Darcey Bussell might be a rose you like better. Stays smaller, pretty much the same color as Munstead and fewer thorns from what I have noticed (similar almost constant bloom)

prickles, Pretty Jessica takes a few years to develop and bloom, and I don't care for the fact that most of the time the blooms stay very cupped and I feel that I'm being cheated of the open rose. The fragrance is very nice, not myrrh-like at all, rather sweet. I'm definitely going to keep her since she's a slow developer and hasn't shown what she can do yet.

CPM is gorgeous, and I had no idea it does so well in the heat. I'm a sucker for roses with purple tones.

prickles, your Yves Piaget is doing beautifully in a pot. Mine in the ground was very lanky and awkward, although I absolutely loved the blooms. Unfortunately after a gopher attack he deteriorated and is no more.

Gorgeous bouquet as always, Teresa.

Ingrid

Thank you, Kippy, for the info. on scents and thorns, much appreciated. Even the "low-thorn" one poked me, like Frederic Mistral, since thorns point straight out, rather than safely downward.

My new neighbor visited my garden. Out of my 57 roses, she went bonkers over Pat Austin. Last year a second neighbor who works for Ball Nursery also went crazy over Pat Austin. By the time I got compliments from the 3rd neighbor, I realize Pat Austin is a gem.

Pat Austin is lousy for the vase, but it's the most gorgeous bush ever. Zero octopus cane as own-root, compact at 1.5' x 1.5', glossy leaves, ridiculously healthy, glowing orange blooms can be seen across the street. The biggest bonus: Pat's thorns point downward, and she never poke me like others. The scent is strong in my alkaline clay, like ripe mango and nectarine .. does best in partial shade.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Aug 5, 13 at 15:18

I am in a very different climate from all of you but I must confess that I am disappointed in all the Austins I planted last year. I know it's too early to judge them, Lady of Shalott, Lady Emma Hamilton. Summer Song, Crown Princess Margareta and Munstead Wood. All have weak necks except Munstead Wood, a fault I cannot condone. Other more experienced growers of Austin roses tell me that they will grow stronger as they are more established and will hold up their heads and I sincerely hope they will. I don't like ugly supports however beautiful the flowers.

Mariannese

I think my YL is of the week neck, so is Belinda's Dream for that matter, but I am going to give both of those another year or so before I really worry about them. I think it is more the size and amounts of bloom that is the issue on young plants.

My fav Austin this year has been Janet. It does nod and ball, but it has been a happy bloom machine for most of the year.

Strawberry,

Sorry to hear that Pat Austin is staying so small. Wonder if she gets bigger in my climate?

I have to say that climate and soil make a big difference. Prickles, the roses that did badly for you do wonderfully for me. Austins in general like this climate(fairly mild summers) and clay soil, as long as they get water.

My roses are all in their first year. They're all planted as bands from heirloom and rogue valley last fall and this spring. So serious judgments can't be made but the one that is far on the great side is charlotte! Big beautiful blooms so very fragrant and it's grown to 10 times its band size since spring!

My Pretty Jessica started dwindling this summer and I couldn't figure out why. I made sure she had sufficient water. Finally she gave up, and I have since ordered another one. Munstead Wood and Tradescant are doing well. The two Sharifa Asmas aren't vigorous, but are holding their own. Radio Times is always vigorous and blooming. Lou