Amazing. That Summer Song looks really gorgeous. I haven't heard much about it.

All your roses are lovely, but I especially like Lemon Spice, with its swirled petals and beautiful color. I had News in a previous garden and love the purple tones.

Ingrid

I would like to see the rest of your yard- it looks so lush and green.
Renee

Cool, lovely roses Bustopher! I am amazed you are having so many blooms. Most roses in Kansas City are still sleeping even the knockouts (unless they were shipped in to Walmart etc from elsewhere), but then maybe it's because you have Austins. I am from Kansas City too, but now I feel guilty because I should have given you my Lady Emma Hamilton rose since you live in the same city as me--I'm from Overland Park/Blue Valley district-nightmare cookie cutter suburbia, lol! I hated LEH with a passion (her lack of scent), and I purposefully left her in a small pot outside in the cold to die. She was very intolerant of the blazing heat and sunshine in my garden and also a disease magnet. But I don't spray. Also there is a gardener I spoke with in April 2011, he has 60 roses but says he is giving up on all of his Austins because they are total disease magnets in his garden, whereas the rest of his roses stay very clean. Like you he keeps a good spray regimen but the Austins just don't do well for him. So whatever you are doing with your Austins, they are Happy Roses. Congrats! My favorite of yours, lol--the lovely spiraling HTs like Barbara Streisand!

I give a standing ovation for all of your roses, but the grand finale was especialy spectacular, wow, what a color and shape! The contrast of green foliage and strong orange color is incredibly beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

Love all the, healthy looking, roses, but my fave. is the Lemon Spice and Summer Song for it's vibrant colour.

Thank you for this tour of such beautiful roses! I could never pick a favorite...but I will say the foliage on your roses is outstanding! Any secret there? So green and lush...just beautiful!! Cutter bees ( I think) have chewed so many of my rose leaves and it really ticks me off. LOL! I too, would love to see whole garden picture if you ever have the time. Once again...Beautiful. Lesley

Brava! They're all beautiful! I've been trying to get Summer Song since I first saw it a few years back. No one in the US had it then. Now Palatine does but they sell out before I can snag one! Why are you digging out Fisherman's Friend?

I will try to address some questions being raised. First, I do spray, but along with the disease control spray, I am also using the harpin products. I doubt that my plants would be doing as well without the harpin additive. I do get some blackspot, but not very much. I have quite a bit of bug damage this year, but I am not normally spraying for insects. I try to leave insect control to the predatory bugs and birds unless it really gets out of control.

As to Lady Emma Hamilton, she really does have a nice smell. With my spraying, she does well enough. I do not have any rose in my garden that would make it without spraying. All would be nothing but defoliated twigs, and I suspect that there would be a lot more tree peonies and less roses.

As to Fisherman's Friend, it is a one-caned wonder at the moment with canes reaching to about 15 ft in length. It isn't in a very good spot. It is VERY thorny and really hasn't had much of a good repeat flowering history. When it does flower well, the flowers are large, red, and highly fragrant even though they have some peculiar centers that don't look all that attractive. I've kept it because it is red and it smells good. Yes, I do like red roses. I also have Munstead Wood, along with The Prince, LD Braithwaite, and The Squire. Munstead Wood is a better red. It is more compact, at least so far. As of right now, none of the Munstead Wood buds are open enough to post pictures.

As to Summer Song, I got two plants from Palatine and one from Hortico. They appear to be on different rootstocks, but all are succeeding in the garden. I am happy that the flower quality has improved this year.

I enjoyed your narrative along with your pictures. I think I have to pick Old Port and Summer Song as my favorites. Too bad about Summer Song not being available in the states. Multiflora is not a good root stock for my higher PH, so even the Canadian nursery, Palantine, is a no go. I'm assuming your Summer Song are multiflora grafted....Maryl

My favorites are Golden Zest and Summer Song. Talk about beautiful!!!! They're all so lovely. Sigh. Sigh. :)

I'm getting Lady Emma Hamilton soon. Yikes. We don't get intense heat here. We don't get blackspot. So maybe she'll be nice???? Hmmmmm maybe I should cancel it. The bustopher is only so so about this rose too. So hmmm.

Thank you for the wonderful roses you showed us!!

Carol

Lady Emma is a nice rose. She has a nice fragrance and a good color. If you don't get the extreme heat and blackspot she may do quite well. Here she does well if sprayed regularly like everyone else. In the heat she does have some color fading, but the flowers do not burn like Pat Austin. I would give her a try, but like so many others, she takes time getting going. This year there are quite a few buds on her. I think it is at least her third year now.

Blackberry Nip is gorgeous. You are so blessed to have such wonderful roses. Thank you!

Thanks - I'll give her a try. I do love the Austins.

Carol

Bustopher has very gorgeous photos of his LEH. In the past, I had nice photos of my LEH, but I still hate LEH to this very day.

Here was mine.

She faded horribly in the summer (predominantly washed out to blotchy yellows)and took direct sun very poorly. I'd have to water EVERY SINGLE FLIPPIN' DAY in the heat, and because she's such a disease magnet, no way would I put her with the rest of my roses either. What also makes a difference is that Bustopher grows his in the ground and if you look at his photos carefully, he gets enough shade for LEH, plus the intense spray regimens with both fungicides and harpin. The Kansas Gardener with the 60-70 roses does not use Harpin but he sprays his Austins regularly and still the disease. Carol what concerns me is that your zone may be too cold for LEH and the fact that she will be potted. Fussy, diva roses eventually languish in a pot if winterized overly long like yours would be. But at least you don't get the blasting heat and humidity and the BS pressure that we do. Her aroma is fruity but very weak. A tiny Cornelia flower has double the scent of an entire LEH bloom in other words. If it came to Austins, I'd only get Boxo's Gorgeous Abraham D'Arby and that would be it for me! Boxo's Abraham D. represents the ideal of the Austins, not only Gorgeous, but a big generous flower and heavily scented from what he tells me and a powerhouse bloomer. And if it comes to scent, Boxo knows Scent to a Tee! At the time LEH was my 3rd rose order when I ordered in March 2009, when I didn't know a thing about roses or gardening, and hadn't met Boxo then. For sure I would have gotten A.D. instead of LEH.

Thanks Serena. I'm going to take it off my list. Thank you, thank you!!!

I have Abraham Darby in a pot, and it's growing quite well this spring. Way ahead of my other potted roses. Last year it was a graceful stunning bush with tons of fragrant flowers. I love this rose.

Carol