I have a feeling that you will not like Gertrude(just knowing you) In our warm climate there is almost no rebloom. She gets 5 or 6 feet tall in my garden with lots of thorny canes. I fan the canes out a bit for more blooms. The blooms are beautiful and very fragrant.

No rebloom? How about in fall?

Mendocino Rose, you may be right, but I will never be satisfied until I try growing it for myself. Some things you just have to try.

If it gets that big I think I won't put it in the porch garden at all, but instead will try it out by the fence to see how it works there.

Rosefolly

She loves the heat and rebloomed for me.
I did cut her back after each blooming cycle
and found she'd bloom again, cut her back and
she'd bloom again.
Where do you live in CA as I was in south part of the state
without coastal influence or much of an influence.
I'd have kept her if she hadn't gotten so big and the
thorns were incredible, almost impaled the dog!
Good luck.

rosefolly -

Toytrain's blog site has a photo gallery of Gertrude Jekyll. He trained GJ as a climber - and it does look like a VERY LARGE rose.

If you click onto his blog site, and then "Gertrude Jekyll's" name, it will take you to the photo gallery of this rose.

You're absolutely correct about "somethings you just have to try". I bought this rose, because a lot of people say that it has a strong fragrance. I agree with that and it smells like lychees to my nose. However Gertrude Jekyll has this strange dropey foliage compare to my other Austin roses.

Here is a link that might be useful: ToyTrain's blog

This will be my 2nd year for my GJ, she's already 6 feet tall and as much wide. I'm also going to follow the hard pruning regime this year to get repeat flushes...from reports of her vigor, she'll have no problem bouncing back. Karen (karenforoses) in Michigan has a nice specimen that gets winterkill pruned every year and looks great.

Also, Toy Train's blog has some nice full shrub shots of Louise Odier and ZD....we don't see enough of those, I hope they eat my yard!

Eric

Cass, not much rebloom in the fall. Maybe I should try a hard prune like some people suggest.

I've grown four GJ's (two on Manetti and two on Dr. H). All of mine have opened into perfect rosettes. I don't see the quartering that Toy Train (and others) have in their blooms.
Is this environmental or are there some differences in clones out there?

I really don´t know Ann? Sometimes the quartering or the Arrangement of the petals in Tudor-shapes is more or less pronounced.

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For Eric and the original poster and others, I wrote this thread about different ways of pruning and training lanky roses like Gertrude Jekyll and Louise Odier.see link:

Here is a link that might be useful: Different ways of growing GJ/and Louise Odier

Plant COMTE DE CHAMBORD instead. Mine lacked vigor and got shovel pruned but I have it on good authority, ala Jeri Jennings, that CdC is a fantastic performer in California. The flowers are similar, the fragrance just as incredible, and the repeat bloom is more reliable. All-in-all, a better rose for Californians. Other good substitutes include BARONNE PREVOST (Hybrid Perpetual) and RADIO TIMES (English Rose).

Here is a link that might be useful: Comte de Chambord at HelpMeFind Roses

Alas Patrick...where to find Radio Times? I will check HelpMeFind. Baronne Prevost has always tempted me too.

Thanks for the suggestions, but Comte de Chambord was a dog for me, and so was Baronne Provost. I SP'ed both. Jeri and I both live in California, but we live at least a couple hundred miles apart and have radically different climates. Anyway, I already have GJ and will be planting it in the ground this spring. I just wanted information on its eventual size.