i've never had a problem raising Pat Austin, BUT her blooms have never lasted more than one day-and not even that in a vase

fortunately she has lots of blooms and i do like her color
and i've never had a real problem with diseases on her

When this rose has been discussed in the past it had a lot of admirers..I have had one for a long time and like Okokok says it blows quickly. It gets a lot of comments and people seem to like it. It is not a favorite of mine but it can go pumpkin in cool weather-not a favoirte color and it flops all over its neighbors. It blooms its head off. Mine blackspots if it doesn't get some spray but not too badly and we have a great climate for blackspot. Like I said most people are very enthused. I have found it to be very vigorous.

patricia

Not worth a second try in my book. I love Austins but this one has absolutely 0 disease resistance, it doesn't bloom a lot in my garden, and it has hardly grown in the last 3 1/2 years despite all of the other roses growing to sizes way beyond the "mature sizes" given to me by other Texans.
Plus the blooms don't last even 1 day.
On a positive note, the fragrance is one of my very favorites. The problem with the fragrance is that you have to catch a bloom first thing in the morning that opens during the night before in order to catch the fragrance.

Here in our garden, she's a staple and a favorite. May be because she was the second Austin we ever planted..right after Abe Darby. I loved her so much, I planted a second one. Granted, in the heat, the blooms crisp by the afternoon but she replaces herself so quickly I can't fault that. I do have to prune them regularly to keep them in bounds..say 5-6' thru the growing season.

I didn't like mine, and I am a fan of most Austen roses. Blows too fast, and fades to the ugliest pink I have seen on any rose. Not for bright sun. Also had weak stems. I think the water requirement is fairly high, even for an English Rose. I would not recommend this one for hot and dry climates.

Oddly enough, Carrie and I usually have similar experience with disease resistance with roses, but Pat Austin is one of the most disease resistant Austin roses in my garden. She blooms constantly and though the blooms don't last long, there are so many of them it doesn't matter. I kept my Pat Austin cut back to self supporting canes from the time I planted her and she doesn't flop at all.

Carol

Shame on you for killing Mrs. Austin. Yes, you should try again. I can't imagine not having PAT AUSTIN in my garden. She is my favorite orange rose. I love the soft fade out tangerine to a pearly coral pink. The nodding flowers and burgundy foliage reminds me of a Tea rose. Sure the flowers blow fast but ahhhhhh, what fleeting beauty! Not to mention the yummy fragrance. David Austin named this rose after his wife, and hybridizers do not name bad roses after their spouses.

I love my Pat. I planted it last winter and so far no sign of disease except a little mildew. The scent is strong and consistent and the color very unusual. Yes, it does blow quickly but it has lots of blooms. Definitely a keeper for me.
I tried to post a picture but couldn't figure out how :-)

I love my PA. I got her from Chamblees in the spring. Beautiful. I spray, use organic fertilizer (Beales), and she is hit by the sprinkler system and has a drip system too. Her blooms last a few days for me and always in bloom. I love the color/smell. She does not fry in my heat. A keeper in my opinion. She is one of 3 austins I have.

My Pat Austin is doing very well this year. I planted a "Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate" next to her and it gives just a little shade and its pendulous pink flowers hang down nicely. Pat is now blooming more than it has in 3 years. The color is like no other rose. I also took the advice of this forum to not prune as much as I have before. It gets more water that my other Austins and has had 3 apps of alfalfa. What a rose!