I planted THE PILGRIM (shrub, David C.H. Austin, U.K., 1991) about twenty years ago when I purchased my home. It was a substitution for Celine Forestier (France, 1842) because I can't grow Tea-Noisettes in my climate zone (then USDA 6b, now 7a). I have never been disappointed by that decision.

Check out the images below. The Pilgrim does this every May. It isn't growing in the best of conditions. Western exposure, sunken bed, shade, and gets blasted by the central AC unit. Yeah, pretty brutal. On top of all that, last Summer I had debilitating depression and let my garden go wild. No fertilizing, watering, weeding, spraying, none, nada, zip. Many of my roses looked half dead because of neglect and are in the process of getting replaced with tougher varieties (including my beloved Molineux with Julia Child). I am not growing any more Austins except for this one (okay, I will keep Lady of Shalott, but that is it), because it is so dang beautiful.

CHECK OUT THE STEMS!!! Loooooong, strong, and in charge, holding those gorgeous big buxom beauties upright for easy flower arranging. Good vase life too. The flower form is perfection and the color speaks for itself - PURE yellow with no green or gold tones. Strong, Tea & Myrrh fragrance that is the epitome of freshness. Not too thorny either, just enough to appreciate it is rose.

There are a few faults (no rose is perfect). It has never been a great repeater. Don't get me wrong. Now that The Pilgrim's are mature, there is a smattering of blooms on the two shrubs all summer long. You are just not going to get a good Autumn flush like what it is doing here. The plant is very vigorous. So vigorous, it should always be grown on its own roots. DO NOT try it grafted. You've been warned. It also needs a winter. If you live some place like Santa Barbara, California with its year-round 70-degree weather (shakes head in envy) then this rose will want to take over. Can be grown as a climber but I think you get better performance when pruned into a big shrub. Foliage isn't impervious to black spot so you'll have to spray or accept the look of nearly naked plants come August. The thing is so vigorous the black spot fungus isn't going to kill it like most other neglected roses.

Simply put, THE most beautiful yellow rose I have ever seen!