I personally don't know Molineux but I do have Julia Child. I find that my plant has the most lovely clear yellow blooms. I can't say that I recall any gold tones in it but the color reminds me as very similiar to Sunsprite, which I also have. Personally, I like Julia Child much more than Sunsprite. Sunsprite is a bit more tempermental for me, though the blooms are larger. Julia Child, with the smaller blooms, is more disease resistant and winter hardy. The blooms have a tendency to fade to a more pale yellow as it ages. I like this bush. The fact that it's first flush is over with the fall frost also helps me to appreciate it. It is a vergiorus grower and is quite a nice size in only two years.

Honey Perfume is more golden than Julia Child, I don't see any difference between them otherwise(health, size, blooms). I hope this isn't considered enabling but I thought a pic with might help.

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Julie:

Thanks for that. A good recommendation. I'd love to see some pictures of yours if you have any.

Thank you for your photo. Very pretty. I'm liking Julia Child more and more and yes ma'am, that was definitely enabling.

Kate

All I know is that Julia Child never forced me to buy roses I had no room for and couldn't afford. On the other hand, it is doubtful Patrick is much of a cook.

Sorry. I guess I am not much help.

Hi Kate, if your looking for a good yellow. My neighbor has a J & P rose called Golden Zest. I don't know much about it but it pumped out the blooms all summer long! A beautiful, rich color with an English Rose look. Both my mother and I fell in love with it! We will be getting it bare-root this season. I remember seeing it bare-root at Lowe's last year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Golden Zest at HMF

I don't know much Julia Child other than that it looks good in pictures, but let me say a word in favor of Molineux since mine is older than yours. Its first year, color was not its outstanding feature--kinda faded looking, in fact. Since then, I've become really enamored of it--the color range is so charming. Sometimes it is more golden yellow, especially in the center; other times it is a lovely med. yellow/creme combination; sometimes it pics up an apricot hue that sharpens its yellows; other times it is more of an apricot/cream blend.

If you are looking for a more consistently yellow rose, Molineux probably isn't your best example, but if you enjoy the array of changing colors, Molineux is one of the best.

Kate

Harryshoe:

Yes Molineux is in my yard largely due to Patrick. But I'm good with that. I've come to look forward to the inescapable enabling associated with reading the rose forum.

Adrienne:

Thanks for the info on Golden Zest. Another very pretty possibility. If Julia Child falls out of favor between now and spring I will definitely look at your suggestion.

Kate:

Thanks for your input on Molineux. I have been starting to suspect that I may need to be more patient no matter how difficult that may be and wait for this rose to grow up a bit. It is just what you say in that this year the color was really kind of dull. Washed out even. Still pretty but nothing to get really excited about. So maybe this coming spring/summer the colors will develop a bit more? I do like a rose with more defined colors.

In the meantime I believe I will keep Julia Child on my list for now. Thank you everyone.

Kate

Hi Kate

Julia opens a rich, not cool, yellow. Here is a not so great picture of her aging gracefully on the bush. Similar to the second picture on HMF but without the beetle bites :) Fades less for me when cut in the bud and allowed to open inside.

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Molineux is too young to talk about much. The first blooms were a suprising apricot/yellow. Smelled better than Julia.

That Golden Zest sure is pretty, HMF says smells good too...

I have 2 Molineux and 3 Julia Child. They are both excellent roses--good disease resistance and quick or continuous rebloom.

The main differences are:

In my yard, Molineux is 6' tall and Julia is 3' tall.

Molineux has a mild musk-tea fragrance and Julia has a mild anise fragrance.

Molineux has a lot of small petals and Julia is more of an informal HT/floribunda-type flower (on a small scale).

Both faded quite a bit in their first year, but hold their color much better as they have matured.

Mauirose:

Well that is another really nice picture. Thanks. I like that very much.

Hoovb:

Appreciate the comparison there. I did not realize Molineux had potential for being so large. But I should expect that from a DA probably. I think I need to get out my sketchbook and figure out where I can squeeze Julia Child in next spring.

Kate

I have them growing next to each other. Julia is compact and does not bloom as freely as Molyneux. Also the color fades. I thnk Sunsprite is a better yellow and it holds its color well. Think Molyneux is more heavily scented than Julia as well. But Julia's a keeper if only because of excellent disease resistance.

Since there are Julia pics, I will counter with some of Molineux's changing looks:

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Oh so gorgeous! Wow! I cannot wait until my Molineux grows up a little bit. Thanks for sharing those lovely pictures harryshoe.

Kate

Oldroser, What do you do for winter protection? I am also zone five and am planning to order own root Molineux from Chamblees but have read that other zone 5ers have lost this rose over winter. Amy

I have a maybe 4 year old Molineux, own-root band from Heirloom. This is one of the very few roses I do winter-protect because of reports of tenderness. I just use a collar of hardware cloth filled with cocoa shells, and so far, it has come through beautifully.

MOLINEUX is a dazzeling yellow blend. His flowers can be bright yellow, soft lemon, apricot, gold, orange, blush orange; basically every hue in the yellow-orange range is possible. Flower form changes from cupped to a cheerful pompon that reminds me of a lotus. He has a lot of different looks and is never boring. The bush is tops too, upright yet slightly busher than the typical Floribunda, very good disease resistance, and never stops blooming no matter how hot it gets. Fully hardy to USDA Zone 6a (5b with protection). Fragrance is strong to me but most other people rank it as medium. Tea rose dominates the fragance makeup but there are also hints of musk rose, especially in the early morning and twilight hours. MOLINEUX is ridicously easy to grow and IMHO is the best yellow rose for the novice gardener. David Austin really hit the mark when he hybridized this wonder.

Julia Child is shorter and more floppy. I would say butter yellow in color.
Molineux is taller (up to 3 feet in my garden)and more upright.
Both have nice fragrance. For the first few years, I couldn't get much fragrance out of molineux, but either my nose has changed or the flower has gotten more fragrant in time.

I have Julia right next to Honey Perfume, with Molineux in a barrel nearby. Both Julia and Molineux are new this year. I thought they might complement each other when I planted Julia next to HP, but instead they're just too similar. Since HP is lanker and taller and its fewer blossoms fall apart fast, it's going to be spaded. Julia is shorter, but not as short as I hoped, already 4', with faint perfume here. Molineux is multi-colored as Molineux says, better perfume, more golden/apricot tones. I might plant him in the garden to let him achieve full size.

Thank you very much everyone.

Kate

BEHOLD! The glory of MOLINEUX! Image of Molineux by Ron_and_Susan-z8-GA previously posted at the Rose Gallery
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I am trying to decide between Molineux, Happy Child and Julia Child. I don't want a 6 footer, however. I know Kate has Happy Child but does anybody have both Molineux and Happy Child and can compare them? Harry, how tall is "Molly" in your garden?

Kate--Molineux and Happy Child are both such great roses that I don't think I could choose one over the other. HC stays consistently yellow for me--no hints of apricot. I'd describe mine as a medium lemon yellow that fades a bit but most charmingly. However, others claim HC is a rich full-bodied yellow. Dunno--not in my garden, is all I can say. HC has a fuller bloom --just packed with petals. Nods slightly but in a most attractive way. The bush has a grace I don't see in Molineux which is a bit more upright. Both of them are around 3 ft. tall here in Kansas. Possibly HC will get somewhat taller, but it was a semi-casuality in the big Easter freeze last spring and is going through our current big Xmas freeze, so I don't know how well it will fare by spring. Possibly both roses will get taller in your California area.

REally, there is no way to choose between them. You will just have to get them both. Congratulations--you've just been enabled into TWO new roses. LOL

Kate

Kate:

Thank you very much. You know I think maybe we should solicit Redsox to start a yellow bed next year for Molineux, Happy Child and Julia Child so we can have a side by side comparison:) Don't forget to leave room for the other great suggestions here namely Honey Perfume, Golden Zest and Sunsprite. Redsox do you have room? I'd do it for you to settle the query about how big, how yellow, how floriferous etc but I think in order to do that I might have to level the house to make room for another rose bed. Not sure the husband would go for it. I have to keep him since he bank rolls my gardening habit:)

Kate

Okay if you all will indulge me a bit more..,does anyone have some pictures of a yellow bed? Would be a nice lift this time of year to see a sea of yellow.

Hoovb can I ask about Julia Child and BS. I saw a link with your two Julia Child's planted next to each other. That was really, really pretty. A poster in that thread mentioned her JC's blackspotted like mad after a bit of rain. Not that it seems to actually rain in California anymore but has that been your experience also?

Thank you.

Kate

Actually yellow is not my favorite but I like a bit of it. I am planning a lemonade bed which I will pester you about very soon.

In some of these pictures Molineux looks like a pure clear yellow and in others it looks like an apricot center. So, which do you think it is? I guess since Molineux is the ultimate authority of Molineux, he says it has some orange in it.

Here is mine from this summer. These photos are nothing to write home about but should show the color.

Kate

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Hence my whining about how light it is.

Redsox--that is what we were talking about above. Molineux changes color depending on the season, temp level, etc. For me its mostly in the yellow and to yellow-cream range, but sometimes it is apricot and creme--no yellow at all. And sometimes half and half. It's actually kinda cool --never know what I'll get until it blooms, but after the first year, it was never pale like the picture above.

Kate

Thank you Kate. I of course just magically assumed that RedSox knew that was intended for her:)

Kate said it all. The only thing I can add is that I'm pretty excited to see how this rose matures in the spring/summer.

Kate

Here's one of my better pictures from about 2002 - this Molineux was from my local Target that year. I think the people who bought my house and garden did not give one hoot about roses. The poor bush is now shaped like an egg by their gardener. Gag.
This flower was yellow in the spring, paler in summer and warmed to apricot / light orange in autumn.
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I know what you mean Kate about the pictures not refleting true colors unfortunately it probably sells more roses some people who take lots of pictures also adjust the color to make their pictures more appealing still not a true reflection which in my opinion makes them just art, I've learned its just better to see them in person.
SuzyQ

From the pics you posted your Molineux looks young so you color and form may get better as it matures , remember the 3 yr rule.
SuzyQ

Note the JC in the background. I rather like the fading as it gives the bush more depth (to my eye).

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In my region, even in the first year, JC is a bloom machine with no BS in my no spray, no pamper garden.

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Ronda

Ronda, those are really pretty. I love the Julia Child photo on the bottom. May I ask who the pink is in the foreground on top? It's not Country Dancer by chance?

Kate

I love your photos too Ronda. Do you have a pink and yellow bed or are those two part of a mixed bed? BTW, we finally found the right stone. Thanks!

I saw a group of a dozen Julia Child in the rose demonstration garden in Tulsa, and they were far far superior to every other yellow rose there. I went back weeks later, and same story. I bought 3 (wish I could afford 12!) and mine bloomed most of the summer. I had a little bit of blackspot, but we had 40 straight days of rain in May and June. My Molineux took most of the summer to recover from the Easter freeze. To my eye, the JC has a pure yellow color, more butter than bright. I had other yellows near them and moved them because bright ones made JC look faded, and the bush itself is much shorter. I have Molineux with other Austins that have more blended, water color blooms. Another yellow that doesn't blend well with yellows is Honey Dijon. It has to stay in the red section. Gardenwebber Molineux wrote such glowing descriptions of Molineux a few years back that I started a whole Austin collection, but the Julia Childs came to my house based on seeing them thriving in the Oklahoma heat. The head gardener there told me they do very little pampering, so the performance speaks for itself.

Kate--it is in fact Country Dancer. JC and CD are one of my favorite combos in the yard. I am a big fan of Country Dancer as it blooms like mad with no disease.

Redsox--Glad to hear you got the stone...I wondered if you had decided to go forward with the plan!

The combo again:

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(sorry if I hijacked)

Ronda, you were my inspiration on the stone. In fact, I showed everybody your pictures of how well you did the wall.

As to winter hardiness, this is how I rank them.

1. Honey Perfume (hardiest)
2. Julia child
3. Molineux (tenderest)

Hope that helps. All 3 survive here with help. But HP doesn't need too much help.

Carol

I was wondering about whether to plant Julia Child in my yellow/orange border. I have two Molineux and two Golden Celebration, along with Pat Austin, Lady Emma Hamilton(big disappointment) and Amber flower carpet. I think I am going to stick with Molineux. The reaction to Molineux is essentially - is this for real? The form is lovely (upright vase), the disease resistance is excellent - no blackspot to report, and the repeat bloom is nonstop. ALl this with the loveliest most charming flowers. The person who stated that David Austin really got it right with Molineux was spot on.

I have a Molinuex rose which I love but the petals at the back of every bloom have pink markings on them, is this normal?

See the above postings for information on the color changeabilities of Molineux--one of its charming features.

Julia Child always in Bloom the blooms last a very long time on the Bush and the color changes from a deep gold and to a pretty almost a pinky yellow it's very pretty transition

Molineaux is new and hadn't impressed me yet. The blooms seem to blow quickly. The soil probably needs some amending

I don’t grow Julia Child. Diane has the most impressive JC roses I have ever seen and they look amazing. They are huge and full of blooms that seem to have a very even yellow coloration.

I have molineux and my colors range from yellow to warm peach and many shades in between all at the same time.

Here is my Molineux with her typical colors