I have had Benjamin Britten for a couple of years now. It is a good bloomer and wants to be a climber, but I keep it in shrub form. To me, the scent is sweet and fruity and of a nice strength.

??'Lady Hillingdon'? 'Lady Hillingdon' is an old 19th century Tea (Tea is different than Hybrid Tea) rose, which should be fabulous in Australia, where Teas do particularly well. It has a classic Tea fragrance, which some noses love, and others cannot detect.

Perhaps if it is an Austin you mean 'Lady Emma Hamilton'? This is supposed to be one of Austin's most fragrant. It is new to me this year and I'm looking forward to seeing it bloom.

If you get a chance, investigate the wonderful Tea roses that are available in your country, some of which are not available here and which many of us long to try, but can't. They are every bit as beautiful as modern roses, and can be easier to care for.

Here is a link that might be useful: Australian book about Tea roses

I have a few Austins, one of which is Benjamin Britten. New last year as a band it has not bloomed yet but I'm growing it on a teepee like structure and I can see say it has been a fast grower, no disease. I'm looking forward to seeing it grow up this spring.

Kate

Adam, I grow the David Austin rose 'Heritage' and it is nicely fragrant and performs well for me. A big plus is that I've found it easy to root, so you can grow your own clones from it (it's no longer under patent so this is okay).

I've add 'Pretty Jessica' but haven't had it long enough to make many comments on it other than I like the plant form it has shown.

You should try the 'Lady Hillingdon' that you mentioned. It's not a David Austin, but it IS a true "English" rose as it was bred a long time ago in England (it will be celebrating it's 100 year anniversary next year). A true classic rose.

Randy

If you happen to run across Christopher Marlowe, do buy it.
Great scent, multicolor blooms, and great disease resistance for an Austin.
I moved recently, and left my Marlowe, so I want another one.
You can use it as a climber, or just prune it down.

Thankyou all!

I grabbed the Benjamin Britten (marked down from $30 to $10) and plan to grow it in a large clay pot and I'm now seriously considering buying a couple of Lady Hillingdons (they are the heritage variety) and planting them out in the garden. while i do admit that most roses are not my favourite plants in the world, some types do have a certain appeal and I think that the scented "Old World" varieties will blend in nicely to the subtropical garden which I and my family have created. I also grabbed a "the reeve" and also plan to grow it as a potted plant.

Thanks again,
Adam

I'm sorry to say that The Reeve has been the most amazingly weak plant. The only reason I have had it for so long is that I haven't gotten around to pulling it out. Benjamin Britten is just the opposite. I just planted Lady Emma Hamilton. The plant reminds me of Pat Austin which took a while to build into a nice shrub.

Depends on your climate. The north is like Gulf coastal US and so most Austins don't do well. Heritage, Teasing Georgia, Pat Austin and a few others do well here in Louisiana. Western Australia is a bit more like the US South West, so Austins that like dry weather should do well. I do better with teas, hybrid musks, noisettes, chinas and a few hybrid teas, florabundas and the odd bourbon or two.

Thanks,

The plants are grafted onto "fortuniana" rootstock which is supposedly the best graft for our dry, sandy soils and mediteranean climate. They are all quite mature plants (been kicking around the nursery a while) and the benjamin britten is a lovely rounded shape.

Mendocino Rose,
I plan to keep "the reeve" and Benjamin Britten in pots so hopefully they should be ok. What do think about the fragrance of Benjamin Britten?

Hi Adam,

Could you please tell me which nursery in Australia you bought your roses from? I've been looking for roses that are grafted onto fortuniana rootstock, and so far have no luck.

Local climate can be a big factor in how well they do. Sounds like yours are doing well. The fortuniana root stock should help the vigor. Over size can be an issue with some Austins here in the Southern US (e.g. Graham Thomas), but I do not have experience with those 2.

Hi jumbojimmy,

Most of the roses i see for sale at the local nurseries & garden centres are on Fortuniana rootstock. They are all sourced from Jarrahdale roses. You might like to try Melville Rose Nursery & Gardens or The Swiss Rose Gardens. Both are located in Perth and both stock plants on fortuniana.

I made sure to choose the varieties which do not grow much more than a metre or so high. I just scored a "Pretty Jessica" in full flower, the scent and flower shape are great!

Do try Lady Hillingdon. It does not have the large, spectacular blooms of the Austen varieties, but rebloom is almost constant. The flowers have an elegant scroled form, and the color is a subtle shading of yellow and cream. The bush is also attractive in its' own right, with narrow leaves, reddish new growth, that give the plant a lacy look. Drought tolerance is fairly good compared with most roses.

Thankyou Nastrana,

I have planted out the 2 Lady Hilligdons and the first flowers are just starting to open. They are a nice ivory colour (posibly too much sun). What can you tell me about the fragrance?

Adam

I'm assuming that your climate zone discounts heavy downpours that can ruin many of the David Austin blooms-be aware that due to the heavy dense flowerheads, do not heavily spray the plant, but always water at the roots. Also, what type of pots are you thinking of using. Terracotta may be too thirsty, glazed may be a better option.
On another note you may want to spell check the first line of your original message!

OOOoh! thanks gareth. That will teach me not to edit.
We do have very heavy downpours, but they are restricted to winter when plants are dormant so it should not be a problem.