To be honest, David Austin roses aren't my number one when I think about floriferous bloomers. Graham Thomas is known to be a stingy bloomer especially, and when he does bloom it's way at the top of this canes where you can really reach them.

In my experience, 'Heritage' has been good for me, and 'Jude the Obscure' as well. They both can be sorta trained to climb, but you have to catch their canes when they're young and supple. When we got rain in the summer, I was easily cutting a bouqet a week from them both.

The thing with Austins though is that you really have to wait until their third year before they start to perform.

If you are interested, I know 'New Dawn' is an Earth-kind rose that has an eye-popping spring flush. I can't speak much to the flushes after that though.

Josh

Thanks for your input. I feel like this is a big decision and have been fretting about makin the right one.

I looked at Jude the obscure and DA sells it as a climber too. I think this might be a good choice. I will be purchasing my DA roses from Chamblees in Tyler and will be limited to what they carry.

I have a Graham Thomas that is very healthy but has been a stingy bloomer and I wouldn't suggest it for a climber. One that has really been good for me that you don't hear much about is Tess of the D'Ubervilles. Mine is 4-5 yrs. old and is on a big fan trellis. I like it a lot. Abe Darby is one of my favorites - I have 2, one is a shrub and the other is a young climber so I cant really say if it will be a big bloomer or not.

Parade is an excellent climber - Pink Don Juan, which I am trying this year, looks very pretty. My all time favorite climber [which can be had at Chamblees] is Crepuscule. Just gorgeous peach ice cream shade of blooms that cover the plant - it arches, weeps - just a beauty. One of the roses I would never be without. Clair Matin is another climber I really like - sweet scent, pretty pink blooms. I understand 4th of July blooms a lot but haven't grown it.

Boncrow,

My Austins were all purchased from Chamblee's as well.

Josh

Oooh, I second the suggestions for Crepuscule!

Is crepuscule a DA? I really appreciate your input. I had planned on buying a Abe Darby for a shrub but would be willing to try it as a climber. I will also consider the Tess. I was wanting a yellow climber but at this point want to plant what is going to bloom the best as that is what I really important to me. Wish me luck! I have a few more weeks before I make my road trip to Tyler and I am sure I will be obsessing over what to do until then :)

Crepuscule is a Tea-Noisette. I would plant a whole fenceline of these fabulous creatures if I didn't have so many others. Since you are going to Chamblees, talk to Maria - she will give you great advice on what would grow well for you. I am going to Tyler Friday with friends - going to see if we cant mosey over that way.....unfortunately, I always come home loaded with roses.....and my pot ghetto needs to be planted.......Have fun - you will find lots of inspiration and temptation!!
Judith

Thanks so much Judith! Have a safe trip to Tyler and have fun!

Bonnie

If it's not too late, consider Austin's Mortimer Sackler. I grow mine as a tall shrub, but it definitely would like to grow taller if I'd let it. Puts on a good strong pink bloom in spring and several good re-blooms. Perhaps a bit slow on the rebloom, but fine once it gets going.

Kate

Thanks Kate! I will add that one to my list to look at when I finally make it to Tyler. I still have a week to go so I hope to hear more suggestions. Had anyone had good luck with Golden Celebration?

I have both Graham Thomas and Golden Celebration and GC is always taller than GT for me. GT has a much more upright growth and comes in at about 8 feet each season. GC has more flexible canes and is trellised at 10 feet but goes to at least 12 feet each year. They're both about the same for health, not great and spot quickly.

How does the GC bloom? I may be not being very realistic but I was hoping for whatever I finally decide on to have blooms from spring to fall.

Then you don't want GC. It blooms in flushes but they're 6 or 8 weeks apart. My Austins do not bloom continuously but in cycles. If you want something that will bloom a lot all season maybe you should look at Julia Child. She should get fairly large in your zone and her blooms are fully petaled like the Austins. For me she is very fragrant, very healthy and in bloom almost constantly.

That gives me something to think about, I will add Julia to my list. Thanks!

I love my Golden Celebration which has made it to about seven feet tall and has a lovely shrub shape. For me, it blooms close to constantly in this hot, dry climate (though we're a long way from Texas). It's biggest drawback was it took 2-3 years to really kick in, but when it did, it became a favorite of mine. Here's a pic. Diane

That picture is beautiful! We also have very hot summers here in texas. I am going to be purchasing several DA roses soon and GC will definitely be on my list and I think for sure Abe Darby. Thank you for sharing your picture and showing me how gorgeous this rose can be.

What about Teasing Georgia?
Here it has a massive flush in spring and early summer, then settles down to flowering well, if not so much, for the rest of the summer and autumn. Now that it is over three years old, it has been producing the occasional flower in winter too.
It has had no pests or diseases at all and has a gorgeous perfume.
Daisy

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That is very pretty, I like that very much and I have considered it as well. I am limited to what Chamblees offers as far as DA. I didn't see that one on their website and I feel like it's too late to order one. If I can't find exactly what I am looking for on my visit to Chamblees in a few weeks I may have to wait and order what I want for next spring as far as a climber goes. I do plan on buying a DA rose for sure this season but may have to wait on a climber.

My Golden Celebration blooms continuously from early Spring well past first frost in this central Virginia hot, wet environment, as Diane's does in her hot & dry one. Also took mine a couple of years to really strut its stuff. Extended heat past mid-90's doesn't slow the blooming, which I'd guess will be important in your location. Mine has shown no blackspot in its 5-6 years with no spray. Flexible canes & laterals would be easy to train to an arbor. Lovely perfume, too.

This post was edited by vasue on Sat, Mar 15, 14 at 17:43

Thanks for sharing about your GC. It has definitely made my DA list! I love hearing all the suggestions and feedback, I have enjoyed this forum so much and have learned so much. I have always had roses but never paid much attention to names or the types of different roses unil last year when we just happended to make a stop at the Chamblees rose farm in Tyler. That opened my eyes to a whole new world lol.

I think the golden celebration is a winner as is the Abe Darby. I am also considering carding mill but I still have a week to mull over everything.

I am curious as to which rose you ended up with?
I am also looking for a couple of climbing yellow roses to trellis up the sides of a white house. I have a hot humid zone 9a climate in NE FL.
~SJN

Jasmine, I ended up with 3 climbing pinkie, a pink Don Juan and I planted a golden celebration and growing it as a short climber. I also have Evelyn, zephrine drouhin, heritage and SDLM. I love them all so far. The climbing pinkies grew like weeds and are already at the top of my arbor. I want a climbing yellow rose too and am seriously considering Allister Stella Grey.

This post was edited by boncrow66 on Mon, Jan 5, 15 at 17:29

Well, I'm certainly not in Texas, but will second Daisy In Crete with respect to Teasing Georgia. Here in the Great White North, she is cut back to less than 18 inches every winter, but grows to at least 6 feet by late July. She is also the only Austin I grow that actually behaves like a large flowered climber, long canes that break and grow laterals that also bloom in clusters. I have to place a small bamboo fan support to support her in the bed where she grows and twine the canes every so artfully around it (lol), to make her behave. She is also, healthy, extremely vigorous, beautiful, very fragrant and did I mention healthy; as in perfect health.

If you want a true DA climber, Teasing Georgia is a top pick.

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Crown Princess Margarita is similar, though slightly less continuous blooming and would be another good option.

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Both will probably grow 10 feet or more in a warm climate.

Cheers, Rick

Rick your Teasing Georgia is beautiful, thanks for the positive input. I also want CPM, her blooms make my heart skip a beat lol.

I have grown all of the Austins roses listed in the Chamblee's website at one time or other. They used to offer 'Spirit of Freedom', which is the one that would have been my top choice as a climber. I have 3 specimens that came from a single 1 gallon pot from Chamblees. They have growing to around 12 feet high or so in 4 years and have large, very full flowers with a strong damask fragrance. But SOF is no longer offered by Chamblees.

Among the Austins still available from Chamblees, is Benjamin Britten. I am now growing Benjamin Britten and know that it can grow tall enough to train over an arbor. The canes are flexible enough that they would be easy to train. I have been to the David Austin Rose US headquarters in Tyler, TX and they have a number of the taller rose specimens on display that have been growing for a while. Benjamin Britten was around 12-14 feet tall and perhaps 6 feet wide. The repeat in my garden is not as fast as I woulld like. The red-orange flower color is interesting but would probably not appeal to everyone.

If you consider Austin roses that are not offered from Chamblees, I would recommend The Generous Gardener and The Wedgewood Rose. Or two of the Meilland roses in their Romantica collection, Collette (pink) and its yellow colored sport, Lunar Mist. All of these have nice, full, medium large flowers with a good scent and repeat bloom with a reasonable frequency.

Good luck with your selection,

John

boncrow, thank you for your reply. Your rose choices sound beautiful! Teasing Georgia does sound like it would work! I was thinking either that or Golden Celebration (?).
I would need to get them on the Fortuniana root stock because we live in nematode land here in FL lol.
I found Teasing Georgia on Fortuniana root stock but in a Bush form. I can find the climbing Teasing Georgia on Dr Huey but it prob wouldn't work with our soil.
Sooo, here's my question now: Does anyone know if the Bush form on the Fortuniana be vigorous enough to climb?

Rick your photos are gorgeous! I am going to add CPM to my rose list for spring.
~SJN

From what I understand the climbing and bush forms of the Austin roses are one and the same. It's just that some of the larger and more octopus-like Austins can also be used as climbers and so they're listed as such, even though it's the exact same rose as the bush form. At least that's my understanding, and I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Ingrid

That's true. I planted golden celebration to grow as a bush but it kept throwing super long canes so I decided to train it as a shorter climber. I have Evelyn also planted close by and she also threw super log canes but I have been cutting those back even with the other canes as I want her to stay ore bushy. I understand that I could have done that with GC too but I thought it would be pretty a a climber. Whatever you choose to do it will be beautiful :). I have also considered Benjamin Britian and I for sure want CPM at some point. My for sure next climbers will be Crepsecule and clotilde soupert.

You guys are such a wealth of great information. Thanks so much for answering. I am going to order several of the David Austins this year. I had been afraid to in the past because since I moved to FL (NE coast) all I've heard is how horrid DAs and other roses do here due to the fungal issues and nematodes.
Where I used to live, I had 50+ roses in the ground and fungus wasn't a issue (dry climate). Now I only have a few roses in pots here and have been really missing having more roses around. So I have been researching the rose forums which ones I might have some success with here.
~SJN

Good luck with whatever you order and plant! I live in a humid part of Texas and almost all of my roses get some BS at some point, some not as bad as others. My best roses for no BS are my Nacodoches, sunsprite, SDLM and the cl pinkies. I have learned I cannot control EVERTHING in my garden so I tolerate what I have to in order to have my roses. Julia child has also been very healthy but it is just in its first year.