What fragrant rose would you put next to Evelyn so as not to conflict with her fragrance? Maybe something a little more prolific than Evelyn.

Diane, how tall and wide is your JtO? I have mine in a pot still but now I am thinking of making some kind of layered rose bed with apricots cream, peachy blushes, and oranges..Im wondering if JtO would get bigger than Penelope? lol

Sultry, I hate to make predictions because of the extreme differences in your climate, soil, etc, compared to mine. My Jude is not as large as he once was because of dieback during the extreme winter of 2016-7, though each year since, he was grown larger. I'd say the range is almost 7 feet to nearly 9 feet years ago (I've grown him for 15 years). What kind of winter we have can make a difference. Is Penelope a hybrid musk? I'm not familiar with the size of this rose. I haven't been much help, I'm afraid. Here's an old pic of Jude. The wall/fence is about nine feet tall. It's how I measure those roses growing in front of it. Diane

Brother Cadfael is to the left of Jude. Diane

Yes Penelope is a hybrid musk who *can* get 8ft high x 5ft wide per hmf. Mine ws started from a cutting a few yrs ago and is nowhere near that big but I can see it lol.

Wow that is HUGE! I didnt realize Brother Cadfael got that big either. We dont hear as much about BC on this forum. I wouldn't mind if my Jude got that big as long as whatever I plant behind it gets bigger lol. I'm making a layered look bed in front of a chicken coop/run area.

Thanks for posting that photo :)

Sultry, a picture of your Penelope please? I just put one in a year ago and it's very slow to start.

Nola, my Penelope didn't make it due to cold temperature last winter and spring freeze/thaw. I would be curious to know the zone for people growing it well.

Wow Diane that is some roses you have there. Wait aren’t you the one who live in an oasis in the desert? It has been a while, I am trying to remember. You are the queen of Julia Child roses, or did I mistake you for another poster.

Vapor, Hmf rates Penelope to zn 5b for cold hardiness..Im in a 9a so cant advise lol..maybe start a thread to see who has it in what zone etc.

Nola, I will have to try and get a pic of tge whole plant. It isnt big or lush or anything yet because its been potted and kinda neglected lol. I am sinking it in the ground once I get all my DAs that are arriving today squared away. Then I will take a pic..

Heres some of blooms...they are white and blush tinged at times.

Buds are pink..leaves stay fairly green and healthy here.

Sorry for all the typos I'm on my phone and not home so its horrible for typing lol

Thank you Sultry, those are beautiful! It will be interesting to see if it makes it, though we've had a mild winter so far. It sure didn't do much since I put it in fall 2018.

Vapor, I'll be curious to see how it does too! Thanks!

Mine was a cutting but it also basically just sat there the first year..never even bloomed. Last fall is the first time ot bloomed alot and started taking off.

All bees and butterlies just love Penelope's flowers. The same tiny bees that are obsessed w this white fragrant tropical waterlily are also obsessed with Penelope.

tiny bees on waterlily.

Gorgeous Penelope, Sultry! My little plant hasn’t bloomed yet, but this gives me hope! :-)

Thanks :) I think she must take her time. Maybe a grafted one would be quicker? I wouldnt mind trying her grafted.

Sultry, tiny bees, tiny froggies, do you live in Tinyland? I just love them all, but we don't want tiny roses, right? Diane

That may be why she died: she just didn't grow large enough her first season to survive a harsh winter. I lost Sally Holmes that same year and she is also meant to be Z5. You may be in luck with the relatively warmer winter, although it's cold again today. I'm glad I resisted planting out any roses.

Haha Diane...its so odd that you said that because not an hour ago, I was marveling at the tiniest little perfect rose on Eglantyne. I dont know why its this small..must be our crazy weather..hot,cold,hot,cold. They were a lot bigger last fall. Probably another Diva.

Mine also varies seasonally, so it must be the weather. Does she BS for you in Fl? She's horrible here after the first flush, but I love her so she stays.

How wide is your cute, tiny rose, sultry? I wonder if the froggies will find her, and she will be a small vacation home for them. After four Eglantyne's and 30? years (since the year she came out), and at two homes, I have to say she's more delicate than Evelyn. She can't take the heat and sun well, and her blooms don't last long for me in this climate. I'm down to one 15 year old plant now. Diane

Oops, US patent granted 1996. I got her soon after that. Diane

Vapor, yes she does blackspot. The hootchie mama is half naked right now lol.

Diane I will measure her tomorrow. The blooms dont last long here when its warm either. All I have to say is, people warned me, and I didn't listen lol.

Sultry, how big is your Penelope? I know mine won't get as large as yours so I'm curious.

Nanadoll, Evelyn is delicate? In what way? Does she fall apart with wind and rain?

She's not delicate, Nola, but has to have lots of sun or her bloom repeat is affected. And one of my Evelyn's sets lots of buds, and then takes weeks to open them. I was being silly because Evelyn is quite tough and very good in our hot sun and dry air, which she worships. Her blooms are among the longer lasting of the Austin's I grow, and they do not fall apart in wind and rain, though the occasional cane might snap off in very high wind. I apologize for being misleading. I just get so frustrated with the tree shade which I spend a fortune on to lessen with pruning and limbing up--to no avail. Evelyn likes lots of water, too, but out system is great about that. Diane

Peekaboo. Diane

Thank you Diane! I have always been curious as to how vigorous and floriferous it is. Everyone raves on the fragrance and no one around here sells it, so it's mystery is a draw! lol Those are gorgeous pictures of it though. I'm gonna give it a go! p.s. A little dynamite can take care of that shade problem! ;)

Nola, you're doing way better than I am if you can overwinter Penelope in Wisconsin. I tried that rose at least 3 times, including my virtual zone 6 pocket, and it always failed to overwinter. The extra snow cover you get probably makes a world of difference in you being able to winter over many of these kinds of roses, since it's always 32 degrees under the snow.

Vap, in response to your questions I don't think either Penelope or Sally Holmes is remotely a zone 5 rated rose except perhaps under copious and continual snow cover. Both of those roses died without a trace over my zone 5 Nebraska winters, and it unfortunately doesn't surprise me that they died in your milder zone 6 Ohio winters. I suspect that both are zone 7 preferences to do well, with survival and some bloom in protected zone 6 or deeply snow covered zone 5.

As for Evelyn, I failed to overwinter her in a typical zone 5 spot, but she came through last winter in my zone 6 pocket. She's like the dark red Austins that aren't really zone 5 roses but will tolerate the cold under protected conditions. Mine hasn't bloomed much yet in her second year so I can't tell if her fragrance will be detectable to me at all (most roses aren't). I

n answer to your fragrance question Nola, I'd put an apricot toned rose with a old rose fragrance next to her and avoid the musks. Something like Lady of Shalott or Tamora would work I think if you want to stay with the Austins, and since Evelyn is likely to stay short in cold zones the heights might be OK.

Cynthia

Cynthia, I think the differences in our climates is that I always have a couple of feet of snow cover, but I'm going to get a taste of what z5 without a consistent snow cover is like this year. I'm sure my garden has been freezing and thawing all winter, and after a good snowfall, we get a week of rain. Then, it starts over again. I'm holding my breath waiting for spring to see what's left.

Thank Cynthia. Unless I grow it from a cutting, I'm not wasting any more money on Penelope. : (( Peter Schneider doesn't recommend it for z5 and says it's iffy in 6 along with many Hybid Musks. Sally Holmes, however, will grow quite large here, but not in Z5. I think my original one died as I had both her and Penelope at the bottom of a hill where the cold air would fall, so what you would call a virtual Z5 probably. Combined with freeze/thaw, it was just too much of a bad thing for them both. FWIW, in those conditions Pink Pet, Chuckles, Bubble Bath, the HM Belinda and White Medilland have done really well.

I live in zone 5b in Toronto and I can say that Evelyn does do well in my zone. She does not grow as tall as those in warmer climate but she does do very well. I also agree that she loves water. I remember the best year for her in my garden was when it was a wet summer. Mine is about 4 feet tall and depending on the season, she can be quite vigorous.

Garden pics · More Info

Garden pics · More Info

Garden pics · More Info

These are old pics that some of you may remember that I have posted a few years back.

JJ, Your Evelyn photos are beautiful! I'm glad to hear she does well in your zone.

Diane, I love your cute Peekaboo Evelyn blooms. She's such a flirt!

Thanks Sultry!

I got my 2 Evelyn's from AllMyThyme today. Thanks @Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca for letting us know about that source!

Dawn also sent a pair of pink gardening gloves (lol) and a vial of ASCO Root Gold seaweed granules.

Also a note that says Evelyn won't be available from the propogators any longer.

1- should I do anything special for these? They are my first on multiflora stock. Can I expect them to do well here in middle Tennessee clay?

2- do these photos look OK? The cans look extremely small compared to all the other grafted roses I've ever purchased.

They look fine. They should do well for you.

Hi jc !!!

Multi flora will do wonderful for you . They are the same roots that hortico uses . Maybe look small now but won’t be forever !!!

And just a guess , but her source of plants is not directly from David Austin. So she may not be able to get it again but someone else will or from David Austin site itself . I had mentioned before that when I called it was out of stock online but the girls were able to get me one . And they said it was not going away , just they couldn’t keep it in stock . The rise of flower farmers buying them up probably helps that ! Maybe next year will be a bigger crop :)

good luck jc !!! Hope your babies are doing great too . :)

Babies are doing very well.

we got to play outside a lot this weekend. But today we’re in the forties again with rain all day.

I even have a “helper” with watering and raking.

is there any source for Evelyn as of today?? I cant seem to find her anywhere!!

I am also looking for Evelyn. I got Abe Darby and PCDM because they both resemble Evelyn based on comments from others, but I still haven’t found Evelyn herself.... Since her patent already expired, can I try to root if I can get some cuttings?

Claire

Yes!!!

I think* that Roses Unlimited might still be a good source. I know she has lots of the older David Austins's.

I got Abe Darby, Heritage, and Tamora from her last year.

Does Hortico carry Evelyn? I must check. Don't be afraid of Hortico--I've ordered off and on from them for years, and received some great roses that no one else was carrying at the time, or even now. They offer quite a few David Austin roses. Their roses are grafted on multiflora like Palatine's roses.

And now for my parting rant, which I've said in many forms for years. When will David Austin Roses get it through their collective heads that the public wants Evelyn, and get with the program--they might even make some more $ on her? !@#$% Diane

I don't know if the new David Austin introductions are super performers that are so disease resistant that it cuts down on their replacement orders ? The Evelyn I bought 7 years ago as a band from Northland Rosarium not only does outstanding with no care ( i planted it in my neighbor's yard back when we were still friends ), Evelyn is unappetizing to the local bad bugs ! She just stands there and amazes me with those big gorgeous pink flowers. The David Austin company should consider rose collectors largely support them.

I heard from David Austin, TX yesterday, and was told that Evelyn will be available next season.

I would prefer an own root Evelyn, but I have not been able to find it in stock anywhere... I was happy to hear that I can acquire one during the 2021 season.

Vap, I have Penelope in zone 6a. Just went outside to check, it's still alive! Not doing so hot though.

I lost a lot of roses this winter to voles! Haven't done checking all the gardens yet, they took down some big roses.

That hard to like that. I had Penelope and it didn't overwinter its first year. That was a harsh zone 6 winter and it was in what I now consider a virtual zone 5 setting downhill for the cold air drops but still. Ballerina is on my upper level and has remained tip Hardy. Bubble bath is also tipped party along with the hybrid must Belinda in that colder area. I lost Sally homes in that same cold spot but she is doing well in this admittedly warmer winter in the upper level new front bed. However we did have some quite cold temps early on in November but I don't believe that we got negative Fahrenheit. I am so sorry about those voles.

So now I clearly need Evelyn in my garden, and to think I over looked this rose when I had the chance to get her in the past hehe.. She is on my must have for next year.

Yes Haku, Evelyn is one of those roses that everyone should have. Don't be discouraged if it takes a few years to build up. The fragrance is astonishing.