She is beautiful, Carla, and I’m kicking myself for not getting one this past fall. Now DA is discontinuing LEH. I hope to find one elsewhere.

Beautiful!

Why does David Austin discontinue their best roses?.

Your Lady Emma Hamilton is so beautiful .

And the worst part of discontinuing is LEH is still on patent.

:(

Carla

Those flowers!!! I wish I could smell those blooms. :) :)

Seriously, Carla? I didn’t know it was still under patent. I didn’t think to check. I just figured that if DA is retiring that one, it must be out of patent and was thinking I could wheedle someone into rooting a cutting for me.

I'm checking that, too. Will Austin even have any roses at all to sell if this mass discontinuation keeps up? Carla your Lady Emma is just scrumptious. I love the color, and that color type and even brighter, is getting more and more popular. Diane

I agree many of the best Austins are being phased out, but I had not heard Lady Emma was one of them. I believe they had very limited quantities due to crop failure this year but still intend to carry her in the future. She does very well for me in both hot Texas and California, where most Austins whither.

@sautesmom Sacramento

Unrelated question, but do delphiniums do ok in our area, do you know anyone who grows them sucessfully as perenials here? Lowes has got some really gorgeous big ones right now, but $40 is more than I want to spend on an annual.

Hi Ben 

Every time I try Delphinium, because I'm mesmerized by that blue, it dies the moment July heat hits.

And growing them in the shade, they don't get enough sun to survive.

I would say treat them as an annual and don't spend a lot of money on them! LOL

Carla

That’s good to know, Ben! I don’t know where I got the info that this last year was limited as well as being the last year they offer LEH. I will be very happy to hopefully get a chance at it next year!

@BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)Oh, she is so glowy! ... I can't resist sunset glow roses!

She has an amazing fragrance too IMO.

Nick

YES today she was smelling like grapefruit and buttercream frosting.!

Carla

Gorgeous! i love this rose too! mine is full of buds and i cant wait to see her glow and smell her fragrance! Seriously bugs me that David Austin decides to retire their wonderfully performing and beautiful roses. Why not keep them around?

@KrystalW 9b SoCal

Anyone aware of their rationale for doing that?

I have never been fond of just a clear, bright orange colored rose or any flower, really. But there’s something so entrancing about those complex glowing sunset shades on LEH, coupled with the dark stems and deep purplish bronze foliage… I really hope I can find one for next season! I held off on ordering any from DA this past season except for a replacement they issued me. I am hoping that I’ll be able to order quite a few next season. By then I should have my new garden spaces ready or nearly ready to plant.

Hi Judi

Yeah, plant patents last 20 years from date filed, and LEH was filed Oct 2005.

I guess if I start rooting cuttings now, I'll have lots ready in 2 years!! LOL

Sounds like a good idea, Carla! If I’m unable to get one from DA in the next two years, I may have to come knocking at your door. ;)

Once again, Austin baffles me, as I've noted above. I just checked Lady Emma out on HMF for the first time since becoming alarmed that this beautiful rose is possibly being so called retired. I found the Lady Emma is still under patent and has 130 favorite votes, and that says something. Many of the photos are just outstanding in their beauty, and that says something, too. DA Roses, are you listening to your biggest customers at all?? Pay attention to us. Diane

Honestly! i really cant grasp the concept here..maybe im too naive when it comes to their kind of business, but..if you have a product that is amazing and widely adored and sought after…why retire it? What is there to gain?

I think the canceling of old Austins has to do with them cannibalizing the sales of newer patented varieties. When a person chooses Evelyn over Eustacia Vye, Austin makes no money. The new patented varieties are more profitable because DA can charge hefty licensing fees and have full control over their distribution. Hence all the trademarking and litigation to eliminate old Austins. If they could, DA would probably trademark the term ’English’, and sue King Charles for using it at his coronation.

If Austin still sells Evelyn on their website, they still make money on the rose, and Lady Emma is not an old Austin--it's still under patent. And the old Austin, Eglantyne, is still sold on their website, and is certainly off patent. This is such inconsistency. I know David Austin himself said several times that he regarded Eglantyne as his most beautiful rose, so maybe family sentiment has something to do with keeping Eglantyne around on the website. Who knows? On or Off patent doesn't explain DA's sales strategy. Diane

I read that some of the discontinued varieties are available in other countries. Not certain of that as truth. Maybe he just singled out his cash cow, the USA. Children with different agendas can sure scew up business their parents create.

Maybe Senior should have spent more time nuturing Junior instead of roses. Thus creating a better adult. The current DA does not follow the pattern of what I know of other hybridizers.

The grandest thing about gardeners is they are besties with all other gardeners. They want everyone to enjoy the joys of the garden and they delight in sharing knowledge and plants. Look at Straw she is a good example of someone who wants to share and bring joy to other gardeners.

Gorgeous photos of a gorgeous rose. I grow Lady Emma Hamilton and was going to replace it with CORAL KNOCK OUT (aka Carefree Celebration, Shrub, William J. Radler, U.S., 2004), which out performs it in every way but flower form and fragrance. However, David Austin Ltd changed my mind because it can't be replaced should I regret my decision.

This gets me to my displeasure with the David Austin people. I am FED UP with their business practices and WILL NOT recommend one of their roses again! They copyright not only the plant but the name as well. And when they can't make money licensing both then they "retire" the plant. They are also downright evil with their lawsuits and strong arm tactics.

As a rosarian, I want hybridizers to create roses that strengthen the species and will stand the test of time. Roses with true disease resistance, vigor, strong roots that can plow through heavy clay soil, graceful shrubs that look good in all garden settings (not just formal rose gardens), few to no prickles, repeat bloom like a Floribunda, beauty of flower (in all stages of development, not just the bud) and fragrance, strong straight stems that hold the bloom(s) upright, and decent vase life.

Retiring EVELYN was the deal breaker for me. It is my opinion the most beautiful rose in existence. Incredible vase life, strong stems, excellent vigor, and a delicious sweet fragrance that smells like peaches instead of the medicinal myrrh they seem to be obsessed with. For those frustrated by the retirement, try STAR OF THE REPUBLIC (Shrub, Mike Shoup, U.S., 1998) offered by the Antique Rose Emporium. The bloom comes close to Evelyn's perfection, but the nearly thornless shrub is much more pleasing and the foliage a heck of lot more resistant to black spot.

Ben - stunningly beautiful colors on your Lady Emma Hamilton!!! I want to get one too!! :) :) LOL on your Austin explanation. :) :)

Patrick...well said!

So I ended up with this LEH obssession in the past week, due to this thread here. i looked high and low, impossible to find anywhere. Then I started to look at similar… LoS, Carding Mill, Westerland, Pat Austin…but no. Nothing like that tangerine reddish glow of LeH.

The closest to that color seems to be Easy Does It which I have, but it doesnt have that Austin delicacy.

I even looked on Etsy. Any sources left at all?

Artist, well, my go to place Edwards in Boise doesn't have LEH, but they have most of the others the others you name. I'm on the beginnings of an orange kick, and I planted Double Easy Orange a few weeks ago, and so far I'm liking it, though it's a long way from blooming. It's a Carruth production--- you know the guy that runs Huntington's rose garden and hybridized the minor hits (hahaha) Julia Child, Ebb Tide, Twilight Zone, Memorial Day and just a few others. I Love his roses. Double Easy has the old fashioned Austin look as far as I'm concerned, but she's very orange, which I love, and one of her parents is Easy Does It. Diane

Diane

Have you considered Disneyland?

One of my favorite roses

Carla in Sac

Well Patrick, when I started reading your post about replacing LEH with Coral Knockout, I wanted to yell, “Ship your LEH to me, please!” But I see you are planning to keep her after all. Yes, I hear a lot of bad rap about David Austin Roses company… and perhaps much or even all of it is true. I love their roses anyway and choose to steer clear of the politics. Perhaps I’m foolish but I am having too much fun in my garden to be upset about the craziness. And there are so many other kind gardeners around who are happy to share cuttings that I have hopes of getting my own LEH by and by. Until then, I’ll enjoy the ones I have. And yes, I agree with you that Evelyn is one of the most beautiful roses ever! I am so happy with my healthy little plant from Straw. (I also have a Star of the Republic from ARE and it has buds on, so it will be fun to compare them.)I am so grateful for what Straw is doing and hope to be able to eventually propagate roses for others as she is doing.

I look forward to you sharing your thoughts on Star vs Evelyn, Judi!