I spoke to DA just this morning. The nice Customer Service Lady said that its a good rose for my climate (very similar to the Pacific Northwest). She said that its a heathy rose but not so hardy if I lived closer to the sea. (There's a couple very, very small mountains between the sea and my garden so I'm ok) I also asked why its a lesser known variety. She answered a distinctive London accent, "it's just an older variety, we're not hiding it or anything. It's a lovely rose, beautiful cups with fewer petals so the rain doesn't affect them as much. It would do well for you in Donegal as long as your a bit inland from the coast." I hope that helps. I'm not sure what your zone is. M.

Rebecca- your roses are gorgeous but so much work. I live in Massachusetts. It is so difficult to even dig a hole 10 inches deep with all the rock, boulders and ledge so I try to buy only own root roses. I have gotten some wonderful own root roses from DA and have some more scheduled for delivery next week. I hope they add more own root to their collections. I recently ordered 'Queen of Sweden' and 'Windermere' which is by far my healthiest DA rose and covers herself with delicate soft blush pink blooms from early summer till fall. She is cane hardy in my Z5b-6a garden. The only negative is lack of the "to die for" strong perfume scent that Austins are so known for. sharon

Ugh Cynthia - The Prince is coming and he better be on best behavior is all I got to say! Though I will coddle him. lol I love Munstead Wood but planted him next to a tree stump so he's been sluggish, I'm told to feed him more and he may muscle up! Tess is gorgeous but I'd need that beautiful stone wall to put her on. Hmm... what would hubby say about that? What are your thoughts on Othello and Falstaff as far as growth, fragrance and disease? It sounds like they've only been in one year so then it would be premature. I can't wait to see pictures of them! Snow cover here hasn't been so great this year, we got 8" dropped in October then nothing till January 10th I think. There's maybe 6" inches out there now. Our weather man said that this winter will now be the new norm so that'll be curious. We've had very mild temps and if this is the new norm we will be moving into a new hardiness zone, so far that is. Sunday's supposed to be 54 degrees, grab your bathing suits! :)

Beth Hana I'm interested in BUYING your cuttings of the Prince & Cymbaline and any Austin that smell good from you. I almost bought the Prince back in 2012 from Chamblee's Nursery in Texas but my daughter didn't like its color !! Now I regret it. Few years ago I bought Young Lycidas and it died in its first winter in my zone 5a as grafted-on-Dr.Huey. Grafted roses don't survive freezing rain in my poor drainage clay. Get tired of $3,000 worth of roses dying through my zone 5a winter for the past 3 decades, so I get into rooting roses to donate to charity instead. pricklycuttingnoca I rooted a few The Squire this year, it's drought & heat tolerant. Here's the list of the year introduced from Facebook David Austin group. Patent expires after 20 yrs. of introduction. 1963 : Constance Spry 1967 : Chianti 1968 : Shropshire Lass, Scintillation 1969 : Wife of Bath, Canterbury, Dame Prudence, The Friar, The Knight, The Prioress, The Yeoman 1970 : Chaucer, The Miller 1973 : Charles Austin, Lilian Austin, Red Coat 1974 : Glastonbury 1977 : The Squire 1979 : The Countryman, The Reeve 1982 : Admired Miranda, Charmian, Fair Bianca, Hero, Leander, Prospero, Proud Titania, Wise Portia 1983 : Graham Thomas, Mary Rose, Cressida, Cymbaline, Jaquenetta, Lordly Oberon, Lucetta, Moonbeam, Perdita, Pretty Jessica, Sir Clough, Tamora, Troilus 1984 : Belle Story, Bredon, Dove, Ellen, Heritage, Hilda Murrell, Mary Webb, Wenlock, Windrush 1985 : Abraham Darby, Emanuel, Mountain Snow, Sir Walter Raleigh 1986 : Symphony, Claire Rose, English Garden, Gertrude Jekyll, Othello, Robbie Burns, Warwick Castle, Wild Flower 1987 : Doctor Jackson, Fisherman's Friend, St. Cecelia, Swan, The Nun, William Shakespeare 1988 : Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Financial Times Centenary, Francine Austin, Leonard Dudley Braithwaite, Potter and Moore, Queen Nefertiti, Snowdon, Winchester Cathedral. 1989 : Sharifa Asma, Sweet Juliet, Bibi Maizoon 1990 : Jayne Austin, Ambridge Rose, Brother Cadfael, Kathryn Morley, Lilac Rose, Peach Blossom, The Prince 1991 : Bow Bells, Evelyn, Cottage Rose, Country Living, The Dark Lady, The Pilgrim 1992 : Sir Edward Elgar, Emily, Glamis Castle, Golden Celebration, Immortal Juno, Redouté , The Alexandra Rose, Tradescant 1993 : Happy Child, Mrs. Doreen Pike, Radio Times, St. Swithun, Proud Bride 1994 : Charlotte, Eglantyne, John Clare, Molineux, The Herbalist 1995 : Pat Austin, Noble Anthony, Jude the Obscure, Pegasus, English Elegance, Heavenly Rosalind 1996 : Morning mist 1997 : Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Sophy's Rose, Scepter'd Isle, Ann, Trevor Griffith, Barbara Austin, Charity, Geoff Hamilton, Mayor Of Casterbridge, Heather Austin, Mistress Quickly, A Shropshire Lad, Snow Goose, Marinette, Rushing Stream, Windflower 1998 : Buttercup, Dr. Herbert Gray, Mary Magdalene, William Morris, Teasing Georgia 1999 : Falstaff, Anne Boleyn, Blythe Spirit, Portmeiron 2000 : Crocus Rose (Syn Emanuel) , William Shakespeare 2000, Crown Princess Margareta, Cordelia, Miss Alice, James Galway, Malvern Hills, Ludlow Castle (syn. England's Rose) 2001 : Benjamin Britten, Alnwick Castle, Charles Darwin, Comtes des Champagne, Corvedale, Grace, The Mayflower 2002 : Christopher Marlowe, Jubilee Celebration, Lochinvar, Mortimer Sackler, Spirit of Freedom, The Generous Gardener 2003 : Janet, Rose-Marie, Scarborough Fair, Wildeve 2004 : Queen of Sweden, Harlow Carr, Rose of Picardy, Rosemoor, Hyde Hall, St. Alban, Wisley, The Ingenious Mr.Fairchild, Carding Mill 2005 : Wild Edric, Summer Song, Gentle Hermione, Darcey Bussell, Lady Emma Hamilton, The Endeavour 2006 : Sister Elizabeth, Strawberry Hill, Tea Clipper, Lichfield Angel, Windermere 2007 : Skylark, Port Sunlight, Munstead Wood, Claire Austin, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Bishop's Castle, The Shepardess, Alan Titchmarch, Lady of Megginch 2008 : Sir John Betjeman, Wisley 2008, Young Lycidas 2009 : The Wedgewood Rose, Kew Gardens, Lady of Shalott, Tam O'Shanter 2010 : Maid Marion, Cariad, Englands Rose, Princess Anne, Susan Williams-Ellis, The Lady's Blush 2011 : Fighting Temeraire, Lady Salisbury, William and Katherine, Queen Anne, Wollerton Old Hall 2012 : Heathcliff, Tranquillity, Boscobel, Royal Jubilee, The Lark Ascending 2013 : Carolyn Knight, The Albrighton Rambler, The Lady Gardener, Thomas`a Becket 2014 : Olivia Rose Austin, The Lady of the Lake, The Poet's Wife 2015 : Desdemona, Sir Walter Scott, The Ancient Mariner 2016 : Bathsheba, Imogen, Roald Dahl 2017 : James L. Austin, Dame Judi Dench, Vanessa Bell 2018 : Emily Bronte, The Mill on the Floss, Tottering-on-Gently 2019 : Eustacia Vue, Gabriel Oak 2020: Silas Marner, The Country Parson 2021: Nye Bevan