I enjoy fragrant orange roses, and I'd love to try this and Dame Judi Dench which seems to have been yanked in its first year.
DAR has terrible business policy regarding older varieties.

Steven

Freedom Gardens has Dame Judi Dench. This was actually a newer variety that apparently didn't do well. But of course it may do well for you!

Dame Judi croaked here pretty quickly, was small to start with, called DA, they were great but indicated that the one I received was normal size for Dame Judi. I’m guessing it’s just not a vigorous grower.

I got Dame Judi Dench last year; I agree that it is not have a vigorous plant even though it is a grafted plant. The flowers are nice. I have since dug the plant out of the garden and now have it in a 3 gallon pot; I intend to water and feed it very regularly to coax it to produce a larger plant.

I also grow 'Summer Song', which I received from a person who had ordered it from one of the Canadian rose propagators around 10 years ago. This rose was only sold by Canadian rose propagators for a year or two when DAR pulled it from their offerings in North America, because of reports of its poor performance. Like others have reported, this rose has not done well in my California garden where most other Austin's do very well. The original specimen is likely grafted onto Rosa multiflora rootstock. It produces some medium size flowers on rather slender stems; the entire plant is a bit floppy and unimpressive. I have stuck cuttings (it roots easily) and have grown 2 own-root specimens for 2 years. These plants also produce a few flowers early in the season, but when the triple digit temperatures arrive in August and September, the plant loses its leaves and appears to be dormant. In late winter/early spring, it begins to grow again and then flower, but defoliates in the summer heat. I need to see if it does better when grafted onto another rootstock, like 'Pink Clouds'.

I received a DAME JUDI DENCH plant from Peter at Freedom Gardens last month. It was the first time I've ever ordered from him. I had ordered a total or 9 plants. I have to say, I was absolutely shocked at how tiny the plants were. They were like barely-rooted tiny stems. DJD was (and still is) very tiny. All of the roses I got from him are doing very well despite their size. I'm sure they will do just fine, but I really was shocked when I unpacked them.

As for SUMMER SONG, I had gotten my plant from Palatine in Canada many yrs ago. It was a wonderful rose. Was just getting really nice when the fire hit. I had it in a huge ceramic planter next to an arbor. I also had GINGER SYLLABUB planted in the ground at the arbor. SS grew better and climbed the arbor like a champ, but GS sat in the ground and did almost nothing! Unfortunately, being that SS was budded onto Multiflora, and I had the bud union too high in the pot, it got totally burned. I had sent a rooted cutting of SS to a guy who used to be on here a few yrs ago. I have asked him a few times to root one for me, but I never hear back from him. I did find another person who sent me cuttings, as I said above. The plant is struggling to grow. I just hope it makes it. I have always loved SUMMER SONG. It's my favorite DA rose. It grew very well and bloomed more and more every yr. Mine bloomed very well in the hot summer months, but it was in a slightly shady area, so maybe that's what it takes to get it to do better.

Beth,

I feel badly about the victims of the Camp Fire. I met a nice couple at our church (Lou and Lois) who lost their home and all their possessions in Paradise, CA 2 years ago. I believe you had an enormous collection of roses, most of which you may have lost. I would be willing to trade rose cuttings with you or, if you don't have any roses of interest to me, send cuttings to you for postage. I see that you do not have the message function turned on at this website. Please let me know If this interests you, and I will send you my email address if you choose to not turn on the message function.

I have wondered so much about Summer Song...it is still being sold in England, so I suspect that it loves cool temperate climates....perfect for me, but not that many rose growers that want orangey roses in the PNW so it probably was a commercial failure in the US.

I don't know that it was a commercial failure, but overall, Summer Song has 88 favorite votes on HMF, and that's pretty good. One of the loveliest orange roses I've ever seen is very new and sold by J&P (sold out currently), called Double Easy Orange. They show one photo, but one of our forum members (Hoang Tan?) grows this rose and has made a nice, short video of Double Easy Orange, plus he shows some still photos from his garden plant, too. This is a recent thread and it might be called Double Easy Orange. HMF doesn't have any photos and only J&P's information. I have been growing Abbaye de Cluny for about 15 years. It's a Meilland Romantica hybrid tea. It is a soft orange with a little different bloom structure from Summer Song. Diane

Diane, I think that it is more an opportunity cost for DA, if they grow a much less successful rose, that is less space for a newer or more successful rose.

Hi John_ca, do you still have summer song growing? I would like to ask for a few cuttings to root