I started last summer with about 10 different varieties and they've all fared fabulous but that probably has to do with our weather down here. Much different than yours I'm sure. Do you want regular bushes, climbers, how much room do you have or are you going to do pots and what kind of sun conditions?

Winchester Cathedral
Snow Goose
William Shakespeare 2000
Jubilee Celebration
Eglantyne

Make sure they get good rose food often and stay watered well.

BEAUTIFUL!!!

William Shakespeare 2000 (red)
Mary Rose (pink)
Molineaux (yellow)

Good Luck,

Colleen

Bishop's Castle (larger pink)
Sister Elizabeth and/or Harlow Carr (smaller pinks)
Abraham Darby (apricot with some pink but so gorgeous, larger bush)

Ingrid

sharifa asma for the pink.

I have both Heritage and Scepter'd Isle, and both have been reasonably vigorous and disease-free for me, but I don't think they have that very full, quartered-bloom look you're interested in. I had an Abraham Darby (did not survive being transplanted to a new spot) that did have that very full look, wonderful color and fragrance, and was also pretty vigorous before I stupidly decided to move it. All three are/were great repeat bloomers, and I would recommend them.

I think Molineux does really well here in Northern California. Have you considered any roses other than Austins? One of my favorite roses, which is virtually disease free with no spraying, blooms all the time, maintains a perfect bush shape with little or no pruning and has cup shaped blooms?

Duchess de Brabant, Tea:

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This rose is about three years old. She does not have quartered petals, but her blooms are nicely cup shaped.

Joanne

Molineux:

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William Shakespeare 2000

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Tamora may not have the desired bloom form, bue she's a star here and easy to grow:

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I agree about Tamora...She was one of my first Austins and has performed well from the get-go. She's loaded up with buds right now, and is nice and full...a great shape. She's been very carefree for me. The blooms are beautiful and have a nice fragrance to boot.

Another one I would recommend is Pretty Jessica...now mind you, I JUST planted her bareroot last fall so no long term experience, but already she is full of buds and and very healthy. I can tell she's going to be a real winner.

Graham Thomas - Will go down in history as one of the great roses.

Evelyn - Big beautiful blooms and a wonderful fragrance.

Abraham Darby - A classic!

ahh Molineux.
Last year I was contemplating getting you guessed it...Molineux. But thanks to your enabling it now grows outside my patio door in a pot. Happy as pie. I bought it as an own-root last year and got a few blooms off it but this year I am expecting more. I realize Austins can take a couple years to really build up steam.
How I crave TAMORA!

Abraham Darby
Eglantyne
molineux
Pat Austin
Prospero
william shakespeare 2000

My Graham Thomas is 8 feet tall - in ONE YEAR. It was grafted from Pickering.

Abraham Darby has been much slower, an own root from...Chamblees I believe it was. It looked pathetic all of last year, but this spring seems to be coming into its own a bit more. By next year I'm sure it'll be wonderful.

Sharifa Asma...omg the SCENT. You can bury your nose in her for hours and hours and hours...I'm pretty sure she must be what heaven smells like. I want her in a perfume!

Of the ones mentioned here, I have the Graham Thomas, which I LOVE. It gets very large, no matter how small you prune it and is really disease free. I have three at the end of my yard and it forms kind of a screen between my neighbor's yard and ours.

I have three Sharifa Asthma and they are always the first to bloom. They too perform so well every year, even if it's been a year that I have not catered to my plants very well. They come through for me and are much smaller than Graham Thomas.

I have Mary Rose, which I love. Over the years I have removed the ones that didn't fare as well, such as Brother Cadfael and Heritage. Another one of mine that just does it's own thing quite well is Bow Bells. I begin to forget exactly which ones are David Austin...

For my arbor in my front yard, I have a climbing Eden, which is beautiful. Not a DA, but I think it has a similar rose form as the DA's.

I think a lot depends on the space you have. Good Luck.
SharB

Hmmm, I'm fairly new to Austin's myself, but I have some suggestions.

First of all, Evelyn. Beautiful rose, wonderful scent, but apparently quite a diva. Not necessarily the rose for a beginner.

White - I have Fair Bianca and she's lovely. Small, compact bush. Healthy. Myrr (kind of) scent -- she's the one that smells kind of like noxema.

Pink - I second Sharifa Asma. The smell of that rose is incredible. You could bury your nose in there for hours. Again, healthy and an easy rose to grow well.

Crimson - William Shakespeare 2000 has been suggested already, and is a good choice. He is a spreading bush, growing more wide than tall usually. He'll get pretty sprawling and large. Beautiful though.

Also, if you're looking for a yellow as well, Molineux is a nice rose with a blend of yellows. Happy Child is another nice yellow. It is a more compact bush, again, with bright yellow roses. Healthy and well behaved.

I'm trying Tess of the D'Urbevilles for the first time this year. She is a red rose, and a small climber. Looks pretty thorny, but healthy and beautiful. More red than crimson, I would say.

Definitely Graham Thomas, he's a keeper. A beautiful smelly old bloomer that never lets you down.
I scanned the list and didn't see Geoff Hamilton. I have one that I never touch and he's humungous, pink blooms, nicely quartered, covered with blooms.
I would disagree about Fair Bianca for a beginner. Mine has required a lot of babying and pampering and still doesn't do well. But I had to have it for the fragrance! I love my Evelyn, but she's not an easy rose either.

Eglantyne and Sharifa Asma have been excellent roses.

Evelyn is a wonderful rose, I've found it an easy rose to grow in my garden setting.

Mortimer Sackler and James Galway are relatively new to my garden, but show signs of being excellent roses, strong growing and reliable.

Gertrude Jekyll is a classic Austin, wonderful blooms. It has taken some time to mature.

The Prince is a wonderful red rose. Slow to mature, but worth the wait. The blooms are fabulous.

Amanda,

I think I know your climate pretty well and most Austins should grow just fine for you but some will establish faster. For a crimson, you can't go wrong with William Shakespeare 2000. David Austin still considers it his best crimson and there is good reason why so many forumers have already recommended it! It does grow wider than tall, mine is 5 x 3.5 feet in his second season in the ground and very tolerant of pruning. The look and fragrance are superb.

For a (light) pink with the old-fashioned look, I would second Eglantyne. A vigorous, pretty bush bearing abundant, luscious, very large blooms. Although the scent is described as "delicate", it's much more fragrant than I expected and a winner in every respect (this is based on only her first season in my garden!). I also have Gentle Hermione, the scent has a touch of the famous myrrh, I love it but it's not everybody's cup of tea! It's very disease resistant, does not spoil in the rain and a gorgeous powder pink with slightly paler outer petals. The Alnwick Rose is also gorgeous, slightly deeper pink veering towards apricot, great fruity fragrance, growth a bit less vigorous (will take longer to achieve size). James Galway is another splendid, fragrant pink rose but the flower shape and petal consistency is quite different from the classic English rose. It's a very strong grower if you wanted to try a climber type. The Mayflower is dainty and reliable, but maybe not the flower shape you're after. I got Evelyn last winter so cannot comment on her, but she's supposed to be difficult to grow well.

If you want a deeper pink, you must try Gertrude Jekyll. She does not always suit conditions in the States, but she's very happy here for us and I think would be equally great for you. One of the most outstanding in the fragrance department and a show-stopper when in full bloom (which is constantly here). If you can grow her against a wall and train the canes horizontally, you will be amazed! On second thoughts, you must try Gertrude!!!

None of my whites are Austins, so I cannot make any suggestions but I'm sure there are many great ones. And finally, don't worry about growing roses well. They are among the easiest of plants to grow. Just give your new plants the best soil you can, a good sunny spot and time to establish. The rest will follow.

Have fun choosing!

MayBee