The only Austin in that group I've had experience with is 'Cressida'. IMHO, its blooms are among the most impressive (if not the single most impressive) of all Austins. The relatively large flowers are a gorgeous blend of pastels -- peachy pink, ivory, apricot -- and they're VERY fragrant. The foliage is a bit coarse, but I found it to be healthy.

In my garden, 'Cressida' was an extremely vigourous grower. Both it and I would have been much happier if it had been trained as a climber. Large, difficult-to-control roses become utterly impossible for me when, like 'Cressida', they're also equipped with a super abundance of large thorns.

Perhaps in your garden this rose won't be as robust as it was in mine. I would simply caution you to be aware of its potential, and to give considerable thought to its placement.

-Emanuel(1985)-I'm pretty deadset on getting Emanuel.

*** I have NEVER understood why Emanuel isn't a star. At least, in CA (I can only speak for my own mild, mainly arid location).
It makes a lovely arching shrub, blooms A LOT, and is very fragrant. It is disease-free in my area. Blooms have a great vase life.
You could compare it to Abraham Darby, but Emanuel's blooms are smaller, and are in excellent proportion to the stem and foliage.
We think it is one of the better Austins.

-The Squire(1976)-A descendant of The Knight. Has similar true red coloring

*** The Squire has many virtues -- The blooms are very large, and exhibitors love this rose.
The plant is angular and awkward, and might benefit from some companion plants that would hide his bare bottom.
Fragrance, for us, was light-to-nonexistent.
Disease resistance was fairly good, most of the time. It could mildew in the spring, and rust in the Fall.
The flaw that annoyed me the most was its tendency to weak necks. I have often picked blooms of The Squire
on nice long straight stems, only to have the bloom snap off as I walked up the garden stairs.
I would not plant it again. Prospero, if treated as it likes to be treated, is ten times the rose, in my conditions.

Jeri

'Emmanuel' is very nice. It doesn't get too large. Not much fragrance to my nose--the major flaw, probably. Otherwise, good in every way.

'Cressida' has large, gorgeous, elegant, very fragrant flowers on a large, coarse, thorny, awkward plant.

Look for 'Cymbaline' as well, that's kind of a hidden gem.

I had Ellen and she had major post-winter canker problems. Even with cutting her back completely in spring, the new canes had canker problems develop before June. In my warmer than your situation, the growth happened before the weather got too warm for canker to gestate.

I have a mixed review of Happy Child here in Zone 6 Kansas. I adore the bloom--wonderful full bloom, nice shade of yellow --though mine don't get quite as full-bodied yellow as some of the pics show. Mine is a bit more pastel or more subdued yellow. Rebloom is quite good also. It is fairly good on disease-resistance.

My one complaint is that it isn't a very strong plant. I've had mine several years, and each spring I swear it did not survive the winter--but belatedly it begins growing canes which never get much beyond the wimp stage--which is why I always worry about it as winter approaches. So far it has not grown more than 1-2 ft high and wide. Fortunately I have it in a spot where a shorter rose looks fine, so I am not planning on getting rid of it, but its wimpish constitution is aggravating. But then it starts pumping out those full blooms and reblooms, and I forgive it for being a wimp otherwise.

I really love the blooms.

Kate

Thanks a bunch everybody!

Jeri, how would you describe the scent of Emanuel? Also, how much smaller are the blooms? Are they similar in size to Graham Thomas, Golden Celebration, Pretty Jessica, Pat Austin, etc? Would The Squire have growth similar to WS2000 that tends to throw out lateral canes? I considered Prospero, but HMF says it grows rather large, although I find the bloom unique and nice. I am growing all of my roses in 20" containers, so I was unsure how Prospero would grow with it's size according to HMF. With that said, I am growing Golden Celebration, Evelyn, and Abe Darby in containers as well, but they mostly have tall arching growth aside from Abe Darby.

It seems like you all like Cressida. Is it comparable to any other Austin varieties and how large does it get for you?

hoovb, what can you tell me about cymbeline? I also considered cymbeline, but forgot to list it.

I grew Cressida as a climber trained on a low fence. Wants a lot of room and the rebloom is better trained that way. Had to shovel prune it because I couldn't keep it healthy (no spray). But boy, did I love the look and smell of those flowers. So if you spray and have room, get it. Probably the one rose that really tempted me to go back to spraying.

Of the ones you have on your list, I have Claire Rose, The Squire, and Happy Child. Claire Rose is nice, but mine is still in a recovery mode from that awful Easter '07 freeze. So far this year it has bloomed only once with small flowers. It has tried to have some new growth and appears to be coming back. Mine is an own-root plant. Own root Austins just seem to take a lot of time. My Eglantyne is the same way.

The Squire is also on its own roots and came as a band. It just recently started to bloom. Its color here is along the lines of a Mister Lincoln or Papa Meilland with some darker shadings. It does have a light fragrance. It is a darker red than LD Braithwaite in my garden. It is too early to give it much of an evaluation.

I have two Happy Childs, one an own-root and one a grafted plant. They are worlds apart. My own-root plant is the size of about 4 to 5 inches tall and about that wide after about 4 years I think. The flowers are small, but clearly recognizable and a vivid yellow. My grafted plant in one year is about 18 inches tall and has what I would call medium sized flowers, about 3 inches in diameter, also a clear, vivid yellow. I am just going to see if either of them wind up doing much. I hope this helps.

Jeri, how would you describe the scent of Emanuel?

*** I don't remember, sorry. There are very few Austins left here, and will be even fewer soon.

Also, how much smaller are the blooms? Are they similar in size to Graham Thomas, Golden Celebration, Pretty Jessica, Pat Austin, etc?

*** Maybe Pat Austin? Think of it as a Floribunda, with smaller (2.5-3-in) blooms in nice clusters.

Would The Squire have growth similar to WS2000 that tends to throw out lateral canes?

*** Never grew WS2000, so I cannot say. Its growth is simply angular. Not a handsome plant in the garden, to be frank.

I considered Prospero, but HMF says it grows rather large,

*** Are you sure? Prospero is one of the small Austins.
Until we learned that it did not tolerate pruning, I don't think it got over 2 ft.
Now, it is "bend & snap" deadheaded, and never pruned, and it HAS made it almost to 5 ft.
My only question on this one would be whether it will take your winters? It's got some tenderer ancestors. We treat it like a China, and it thrives that way.

I am growing Golden Celebration, Evelyn, and Abe Darby in containers as well, but they mostly have tall arching growth aside from Abe Darby.

*** You know that GC is a very big rose here?
But beware of the Pernetiana heritage behind this one.
Evelyn was an unweildy giant with a few blooms at the top end of 12-ft canes, and is long gone.

Jeri

I grew Happy Child, a very small rose, which for me was not very exciting. I'm not quite sure why, the flowers are a strong yellow and the foliage was good but it just did not stir me. That's just one person's opinion, and for me it was healthy and bloomed fairly well.

Ingrid

I ordered a bunch of older Austins from RU back quite a few years ago. All are still in containers and I've had to be patient to see them fulfill their potential. That said..

Admired Miranda....love the bloom form, it's much like Austin's newer Mary Magdelene and even has a similar fragrance. To me, quite strong. A lower shrub, I have seen no tendency to throw the longer canes. Hasn't been a particularly healthy bush, even with a spray program.

Emanuel....strong fragrance to me and it's much like Jeri described grown here. Long canes with huge clusters of medium flowers. Healthy with a spray program.

Happy Child....my favorite yellow Austin..Symphony would be if she held color in the heat as well as Happy Child. Strong fragrance on a smaller grower..except for the occasional huge cane which I cut off.

I only grow Emanuel from your list. The blooms are loosely formed swirly goodness. :-)

I would describe it as very fragrant licorice scent similar to Ambridge Rose. Good repeat and color intensifies some when the heat gets cranking in summer.

The reason I would guess that it's not more popular is that in both my Austin books where it is listed, he describes it as very prone to blackspot. BS is pretty rare here, so mine is disease free.

Hope this info helps