I know others can grow GT and it's a beauty, but mine stinks. I wish I'd put Golden Celebration in its place...and maybe I will. GT has limited blooms, weak canes that never behave, and just isn't very impressive for me. The part that's my fault is that he's in an area of the garden where watering is erratic. Not likely to change this season, anyway.

Sue

I wonder if it could have anything to do with the warmer
zones you are both in?
Mine had a pretty impressive spring flush, and the one I
saw at Elizabeth Park in CT was a beauty. I'm really not
trying to brag or be a jerk, but do you think the zone
difference could account for it?
Alida

I took a cuttings from my grafted GT last June and planted one this March. It is already 2'X 2' and always in bloom. It does blow its blooms quickly, but there are always others to take the place of the old ones, so it does not really matter. Right now it has 1 blown bloom, 2 that will be gone tomorrow, 2 that have just opened in all their yellow glory and 6 more buds ready to open over the next few days. I have been very surprised by the constant blooming cycle, but it is in full sun all day long, so I suppose this helps a lot.

Alida, I don't know, maybe you're right. Mine is in full sun for at least 8 hours daily so I don't think it's a sun thing. It had an okay flush in the spring, perhaps 10-12 blooms, but I was hoping for a lush climber and this isn't it. I envy you who can grow it happily. I'll probably move it somewhere not quite so central to the house entrance and see how it does. Maybe it needs the late afternoon light as well as the morning's.

Sue

I'm having the same experience with a budded GT that I planted this spring. It is not putting out many basal breaks, and I have yet to have any flowers from it. From my past experience with David Austins, it will take another year before they become bushy, flowering plants. The only thing one can do right now is to be patient and let the plant do its job.

I have other Austins that are about two to three years old and they were beautiful bloomers in the spring and are about to put out another showing. In fact, a Sharifa Asma has several beautiful blooms on it right now, along with numerous buds.

Jeff

My Graham Thomas attracts Japanese Beetles as well as the rugosas...so, even though it's blooming, I don't get to see many of the flowers so well. I've got mine climbing on an arbor, and it's a bit weaker than, say, Teasing Georgia. But, alas, it's only in its third summer.
Robert

Graham Thomas was not a good performer for me. It broke my heart too, because I was SO looking forward to training it as a climber. In two years it gave me perhaps five flowers. Very sad. Anyway, it got sp'd in January.

In contrast, my Evelyn which some people find a diva, has gotten so big (twelve feet!) that I broke down and got an arbor to go in front of my entryway, and now I have apricot-pink flowers spilling out everywhere.

Still, I wish GT had liked my climate more.

I've found that with my GT, as with most all of my Austins, they have taken at least 3 years to come into their own. I first got an own root Graham Thomas, which promptly decided that it would be better off in rose heaven. I then tried a grafted one and in 4 years, it is now at least 15 feet tall and 8 feet wide and has devoured the side of my garage. The spring flush has at least 100 blooms the color of butter and it blooms sparingly after that. It's also home to a family of sparrows, so this is one rose that I don't spray and deadhead only what I can reach. I'm in a warm zone too - South Carolina - so I think it just needs time to hit it's stride.
-Kim

Kim,
that sounds beautiful!

Alida

I agree with Kim. Many roses take time to grow and bloom. I also agree that different climates and soils can produce different results. My Graham Thomas is growing over an arch. In the spring it is magnificent. After that it blooms in flushes for me much more sparcely. I would say that Golden Celebration has better rebloom.

My grafted GT almost always has some blooms on it though it has taken 4 years to get to this point. I give it a good whack a couple of times a year. I got an own-root GT from Vintage last winter. That one Im training on a pillar. It is already 5 foot tall and is in its third "baby" flush (meaning there are about 5 blooms on it). However, even in S. FL the blooms last several days, starting out rich yellow and fading to soft. Vintage says there are a couple of clones out there and not all bloom well.

Mari

Kim,
are you sure yours is Graham Thomas?
I've grown 26 plants of GT and there has always been a problem with canker in the spring because GT starts to grow too early for my climate.
If your GT made it thought this year's Easter freeze with no damage, I really wonder what rose it is because GT got bitten back badly here and my temps were very much like upstate SC.
GT own root from Muncey's at least doesn't have the RMV issues that its predecessors from Park Wayside had, but it isn't vigorous here.
Years ago, there was an image of a GT that went two stories up the front of a house in California (in a no freeze area) and it was the real GT. But I've never seen that vigor on the East Coast.

OOPPPS..After my original post here I poked my nose outside and took a closer look at my GT from Vintage. Yes, it has about 5 open blooms at the moment. However, it has 10 clusters of buds,,meaning at least 30 buds..WOW..not bad for a baby plant.

Mari

My GT is a grafted 10 year old. I prune it back after each flush and get decent repeat. The first few winters, I did have some winter dieback problems and he did lose all the new growth in the Easter freeze this spring. His second flush just finished and he's whacked back to 1/2 size (about 5'). He grows next to Golden Celebration and I give them both the same treatment. Like Pam, I get better repeat on Golden Celebration..the fragrance is terrific!

I originally purchased my GT from JP as a grafted plant about 10 years ago. Last year I took cuttings and got rid of the original plant, because I wanted to see if it would be more disease resistant on its own roots (so much BS). Perhaps the 'clone' I have is a good one, but this plant from a cutting is blooming much more regularly than the grafted one. I guess my climate must be a good one for GT.

I have friends who grow GT and it blooms constantly. I have three, from three different vendors, one on Dr. Huey originally, two own root from different vendors entirely and it does not bloom as well for me. Not sure if it just does not like my soil or what, but those friends who have one that blooms more frequently live in an even warmer climate than mine, near Florida and in Florida. Just puzzling about GT. Golden Celebration, Pat Austin, Heritage, et al, bloom more frequently for me.

Ann,

I'm 99% sure it's a Graham Thomas. It came from David Austin and is exactly as pictured. It is one of the first I have to bloom in the spring also, but because it is somewhat sheltered (on a trellis against the garage wall) it was protected from the biting winds -which is what really snapped my roses back in the Easter freeze.

Judging from all the postings, looks like I will have to move my GT from its current location. I planted it in an area that gets only morning sun (along with Stainless Steel and New Zealand), thinking that I can prevent the GT blooms from being bleached by the hot sun. However, it looks like this plant likes a lot of sun and warmth in order to do well. This may explain why it's not doing as well as my other Austins that are planted in an area that gets morning and afternoon sun.

Jeff

Here is a picture of my 1 year old GT (took the pic today):
{{gwi:296513}}
As I mentioned above, it has not been without blooms since April (planted in March). I live in Northern CA and our summers are usually around 80 degrees, though we do get up to the 90s on occasion. My GT gets sun all day long, from sun up to sun down. The bush I took this cutting from got less sun that this and it did not bloom as much. So, I do believe GT loves lots of sun.

I have had two GT's, and both died. One came from a friend who kindly dug hers and sent it to me, and it promptly faded away.

The second was from Pickering this spring, bare root, and it never leafed out. Go figure.

I probably won't try it again...

Ole GT must have been listening. He has 3 buds on him right now. WOO HOO.

I've always had good luck with GT, the only problem i have is every 4 or 5 yrs. i get a real cold winter that kills it back to the ground. But other than that i usually get great repeat. Maybe its a zone thing. I would love to try golden celebration and compare the two.......