Hi Janet,

Based on what you are looking for and what you describe, Mary Rose is a more suitable choice for you. She does grow rather upright and twiggy and once mature, will hold the blooms nice and upright. Do keep in mind that she blooms a lot and the clusters of blooms can be very heavy, especially if wet. In year one she will struggle to support the blooms. In year two, she should do much better and by year 3 she will be a nice, large and upright shrub.

Gertrude Jekyll, on the other hand, is a large, vigorous growing Austin that is actually better as a climber than a shrub. She will throw out long canes everywhere and the blooms will nod unless tied to a support. She is a very beautiful rose, exceptionally disease resistant also, but does not repeat well or reliably unless really pampered. A fantastic scent however.

If you like pale pink roses, I cannot say enough good things about the Austin rose, Eglantyne. Closely related to Mary Rose in parentage and also grows twiggy and upright. It is one of the best of the Austins.

Good luck.

Mary Rose is a fine rose, but to my nose it has only slight/ elusive scent, so I did not keep it.

Bishop's Castle is a new Austin with heavenly sweet Tea Rose scent. It's so new there's not much info on size and growth habit. It does have similar color to Mary Rose and Gertrude Jekyll. Jackson & Perkins sells Bishop's Castle.

I think some of the newer pink Austins are better for rebloom than both MR and GJ, and there are better pink Austins for scent than MR...have a look at Sharifa Asma and Eglantyne, or possibly Scepte'd Isle.

Sharifa Asma's fragrance is particularly fine, and it has an upright growth habit.

I shovel pruned my Gertrude Jekyll. Didn't bloom very much (I had it for 4 years, so it probably wasn't going to get any better.) Very, very thorny. Flowers were always scrunched up and not much scent here.

I agree with you on Crown Princess Margareta!!!! I have mine in a pot. Just today I was thinking that it is my prettiest rose. I adore this rose!

How about Golden Celebration for a rose to go with it? Another gorgeous rose!

Carol

"Gertrude Jekyll" can grow to over 6 feet tall in California. If you'd like a smaller rosebush, you might be happier with one of the roses it was bred from, which also bears pink cupped roses, with a strong Old Rose fragrance; "Comte de Chambord".
It is an excellant cultivar which produces 3 to 4 flushes a year, in our garden in Northern California.

We also grow "Mary Rose", its' flower stems are slender and some of the blooms hang downward when fully open. However "Mary Rose" blooms early here, at the end of March, and has very long flushes if one deadheads promptly. It is a more gracile bush, than "C de C" which is upright, and I love "Mary Rose"s pretty soft green leaves. It also produces 3 to 4 flushes a year in the S.F. Bay area.

I hope this information is of help.

Luxrosa

Thanks for all your replies. They are very helpful. The reason I had ended up with these two as choices is because that's what the rosarian at David Austin recommended. Actually the list he gave me consists of:
A Shropshire Lad
Gertrude Jekyll
Mayor of Castorbridge
Othello
Snow Goose
St. Swithun
Tamora
The Pilgrim
Mary Rose
L.D. Braithwaite
Winchester Cathedral

These are all supposed to be exceptionally resistant to mildew. I live with a very heavy marine influence so am constantly battling mildew. I've had to shovel prune many "disease resistant" roses, and have finally realized that I may just have to pay the price, buy the rose and see for myself how it does in my garden climate.
Anyway, if any of you have similar climates (foggy nights and warm days) and can recommend an Austin that would go on the side of the garden that has Crown Princess Margareta, Golden Celebration and Marilyn Monroe ...I'd appreciate your advice very much. I'm not too excited about pale pinks, in the sun they seem to fade too much. Although I had noticed Eglantyne and thought she was a beauty.
Again thanks for the replies
Maybe I should just go with another CPM

With respect, the rosarian at Austin does not live on the California coast. I do.
I've not grown all of these, because I took the pledge on Austins some years ago, having squandered more money on them than I care to think about.
But of the ones I can speak to:

Gertrude Jekyll -- Inland people force repeat bloom by re-pruning brutally. and feeding mightily. I don't know any Austins that tolerate that treatment at the coast, however.

Othello -- is a lanky thorny mess with awkward canes to a good 6 ft. In Coastal Southern California, it was sparse of bloom and inclined to rust unless sprayed. Blooms, when they appeared, were on short stems, and wonderfully fragrant.

Tamora -- Does it rust more than it mildews at the coast? Or does it mildew more than it rusts? Difficult to say.

The Pilgrim -- Will grow 18 foot long canes and bloom at the vine-like attenuated ends. Breathtaking bloom. The plant is too much trouble to bother with, unless you just need something to do with your time.

Mary Rose -- Blooms as a "cropper" but will repeat well if deadheaded. It grew here as a 5 x 5 "ball" of a plant. Decent mildew resistance. Not much rust. Completely clean if sprayed. Not a lot of fragrance.

L.D. Braithwaite -- Striking "Christmas Red" blooms on a plant that will go chlorotic if faced with alkaline conditions. Mildews just enough to be annoying. Rusts late. Can grow as a 12-ft-tall climber in Southern California. Vigorous as all getout. NO fragrance.

Winchester Cathedral -- Said by many to lack vigor here, and that was our experience.

If you want a good BIG Austin, plant Golden Celebration, which excells at the coast. (Don't prune it hard.)
If you want a CLIMBING Austin, plant Abraham Darby.
If you want a small bloom machine, plant Prospero, and don't prune it.

Just MHO.

Jeri Jennings
Coastal Southern California

I have Mary Rose and it hasn't been spectacular. It tends to get long canes which I'm now starting to peg. It doesn't get a lot of blooms.

I am growing Bishop's Castle. So far it's great. A bit darker bloom than MR, with cup shaped blooms and a great scent. Can't tell size yet, it's too new.

I have 2 Gerties and I tell you what, they both would have gotten the boot a long time ago if it wasn't for the incredible perfume that permeates around those beauties when they are in bloom. I have planted them as close to my bedroom window hoping that some of that perfume would waft in through my window.

Otherwise they are terrible! the thorns are vicious. I have other plantings near them and it is like running a paper-shredder gauntlet to try to tend to those other plants near them.

Betty

Jeri, Have you tried growing Crown Princess Margareta?
I'm amazed at how well she does here on the coast.
I do already have Golden Celebration...per your recommendation about a year ago. It's doing great. No mildew!!! Maybe just a touch here and there. It's still young so I'm sure it'll get even better.
You've given me some other recommendations that have done well. Thankyou.
Janet