I doubt he’d like the shade, he seems to get long and droopy without enough sun. Abe has such great potential: great flower power, beautiful complex form, strong fragrance, nice habit, large and long lasting blooms (for an Austin). I think all around he’s close to the most desirable Austin, so my opinion is to sacrifice someone else into the darkness and let Abe shine in the sun.

Thanks Ben, one of the ladies will have to give up her seat.

Yeah, good old Twig D only has part of the day in sun. Diane

.I used to have Abe in part shade and he got a lot more blackspot there so I moved him to more sun. He still gets blackspot but not as much.

Diane , didn't your good old Twig D turn out quite handsome if I remember right ? I'm considerably North of you in Post Falls, a zone or two colder. I want to fly south.

My Abe from years ago grew plenty of twigs that were short and wiry even after a few years. This new own root will be better taken care of.

Erasmus- that's what i suspected.

The men are going to stick together, I gave Abe Darby and Paul Neyron the best location even though HMF states they both do good in shade.

Antique Rose Emporium suggested more sun for Sweet Francis, and my Mrs John Laing needs full sun. It doesn't leave much for the other roses . I should just downscale, but every time I give up a few roses I end up with more than before.

I think it partly depends where you are - conditions and light levels for your particular part shade. I had a lot of black spit in mine in NYC 7b. My mother grew Abe very successfully in part shade in south central PA/6b-7a. So even tho a colder zone, she was further south. Plus different soil…

A total stranger struck up conversation with me in the seed section at the store, and led me over to the shelf that had bone meal and blood meal. He said " Here, you need these " and put the sacks in my cart. Rather expensive, I thought of putting them back on the shelf after he left , but now I'm really glad I bought it and have a great meal to treat Abe to. We'll make the best of it in my small cottage garden.

Your Abe will start attracting coyotes with all that blood and bone. My Abe, own root and should be grafted, I think, has beautiful blooms but he's still tiny and the blooms face plant, plus I don't think he blooms enough. He's next to gigantic Jude the Obscure, Brother Cadfael, and Royal Bonica. I think he has some kind of inferiority complex. I do tend to anthropomorphize my roses. Diane