Hello Geo,

I see Patrick has not responded. Though I live in a completely different zone than Patrick, I have grown Jayne Austin for about 12 years; first in zone 8 Coastal British Columbia, where it was my absolute favorite rose, and now in zone 4 Ontario, where it does not do quite so well.

Here is what Patrick had to say about Jayne Austin in his famous "Fragrant Rose List":

(Austin, 1993) buff yellow tinted golden apricot. Another unusually scented Austin, the fragrance is a blend of strong Tea rose and phenol. I thought Buff Beauty was the ultimate Noisette look-a-like suitable for cooler zones until I read the description of this ravishingly beautiful English Rose. The Old Garden Rose flower form is absolutely perfect. The tall shrub is extremely vigorous and can be grown as a low climber. It also roots very easily and grows like a weed when not grafted. The foliage is said to be extremely disease resistant and suitable for no spray gardens. DonÂt miss this one! Winter hardy all the way up to zone 4b. Recommended by RideauRoseLad.

And yes, it was I who submitted Jayne Austin to Patrick's list. I do not know if Patrick ever actually grew Jayne Austin. I do however grow both Jayne and Evelyn, which are the roses you wish to compare; and have grown them, both here in cold climate Ontario and in British Columbia.

Here is what Patrick wrote about Evelyn:

(Austin, 1991) Â apricot pink blend. Before I begin let me tell you that this is not a good English Rose for the beginner. Evelyn is a temperamental prima-donna who just so happens to have the most beautiful flowers that IÂve ever seen. This is the rose responsible for switching me from Hybrid Teas to David Austin English Roses. The blooms are ravishing, an irresistible blend of pastel pink and apricot. At times she can be entirely pink but trust me this isnÂt a fault as the pink is luminous and heart lifting. Form is incredible and entirely changeable. At times she is deeply cupped with too many to count petals intricately arranged within. Other times she is flattened into a dinner plate sized quartered shape around a button eye. Yummy!!! This is my sisterÂs favorite rose (she loves it so much that she buys the entire Evelyn line of toiletries from Crabtree and Evelyn just so she can smell like it) and our mother is very fond of it too. Ironically they grow her to perfection and Evelyn is THE STAR of my motherÂs formal rose garden. Personally IÂve always had problems with Evelyn and it wasnÂt until after I had moved out of my parentÂs house and returned for a visit that I discovered the tricks of growing her successfully. My sister Tracey had taken over responsibility for the garden and Evelyn was thriving in lush blooming health. She does two things differently that seems to make the world of difference. First, Tracey never hard prunes, instead she cuts just enough off to keep the shrub shapely (BTW the Hybrid Teas look incredibly ratty with this technique but that is another story). Second, she is a heavy feeder with organic fertilizers (lots and lots of Mills Magic Mix, chopped up banana peels, alfalfa and anything else her "intuition" tells her to put down). IÂve also read reports that Evelyn does not tolerate shade at all and resents root competition from trees/tall shrubs. Honestly I think this is a rose that only women can cultivate. Evelyn has a fragrance that is a complex blend of classic rose and fruit (it has a definate "peachy" aroma). To me the fragrance is only moderately strong but others rave about it. I'm not surprised since my nose is very insensitive to fruity scents. Winter hardy to zone 5.*

So on to your request for comparison, a bit of an apples and oranges thing. Both are very good roses, Evelyn is already a classic, Jayne, more of an undiscovered gem.

First, habit:

Evelyn is a vigorous shrub to about 4 feet. She also has a tendancy to throw both longer canes and small, wiry canes that inevitably flower. While the flowers are large and beautiful in the extreme, the habit results in a number of small wiry canes with flowers in the dirt in my garden. I cut these and use them for posies, but this tendancy still annoys me a little.

Jayne is much more upright and in a warm climate will be a pillar rose to 7 or 8 feet.

Both repeat flower very well, short of continuous, but rapid repeat flushes never the less.

Next, flowers:

Evelyn's are larger (4 plus inches), intricately muddled, and multi-hued pink, pearl and apricott depending on the weather (temperature). Jayne's are smaller (2.5 to 3 inches), buttery yellow, much more formal and closely resemble the Noisette, Celine Forestrier. In a temperate climate like Oregon, or Southwestern British Columbia, they are perfection, and unrivalled. My West Coast experience backs Paul up absolutely. Jayne Austin is my no holds barred favorite rose for the Pacific North West. Unfortunately in the East, where heat and humidity are the norm, the flowers are less ephemeral. Jayne seems to have more fragile flower petals. They do not seem to stand up to the heat as well as those of Evelyn and wilt in hot sun and extreme heat. Mind you, I moved my plant of Jayne last year to a better site and the flower performance has improved. I have moved her again this year, next to Evelyn actually where she will have more room, and afternoon shade, so I want to see what she does this summer.

Fragrance

Both roses are EXTREMELY FRAGRANT all the time and even in the heat. You will not find more fragrant roses anywhere. Evelyn has a soft fruity myrrh fragrance as is immortalized in the Crabtree and Evelyn fragrance, sigh...
However, Jayne, has a potent blend of Tea rose and phenol, yes phenol. But to my snout Jayne's fragrance is the greatest rose scent there is. Major personal preference here; but Jayne's scent is TO DIE FOR!!!!!

Vigour and Disease Resistance

Jayne is the winner in both vigour and disease resistance in a warm climate. Jayne is 100% disease free in my experience over 12 years and 2 extremely different climates. A rare feat for a rose variety. Evelyn is also very disease resistant for me in both climates, but not 100% clean. Evelyn grows strongly and vigorously, but her habit is more eratic, and less pleasing.

As I have learned through direct experience, roses will act much differently in different climates. So my suggestiion to you is get one of each and trial them. You may end up with two roses you love, perish the thought, or you will discover which does better for you in your yard. So as the saying goes, follow your bliss. Roses make us happy, some more so than others. You will never know for sure until you grow them.

Cheers,

Rideau Rose Lad

This is probably irrelevant for George -- but in my coastal CA climate, Jayne mildewed if not sprayed regularly.
By the end of her tenancy here, I'd begun to wonder if perhaps Mr. Austin disliked the lady in question.

Jeri

Wow! Thanks for the feedback; will definitely have to try Jayne, now.