I absolutely love Happy Child while Julia didn't do well for me.
Julia caught every disease that was out there and just didn't thrive. Probably due to this there were very few flowers to evaluate.
Happy Child is about 4x4 here and blooms constantly.
Fragrant to boot so what's not to like.
I don't know who else but David Austin carries it but that's where I bought mine.
It's not in the main catalog, but it's on their supplemental list.
Good luck

Wow -- really? I'm really surprised to hear a bad report on Julia Child, one of my favorite yellow floribundas. I've never seen a lick of disease on her here in mildew heaven (a coastal California canyon)even when everything around her was covered in it. And she is floriferous and makes for a colorful landscaping statement. So I can report a clean bill on mildew -- what diseases were you seeing, Chuck Billie?

I've never grown Happy Child however, so I can't make a comparison.

Happy doesn't even compare to Julia. Julia blooms 100% more, is more disease resistant and has a much nicer habit. Happy ain't happy in my garden and is on the shovel list for the year.

Mariou,

What region of the country are in? Most California rosarians do not have to deal with the rampant black spot typical in my zone 6b garden. Their biggest problem is mildew. If you garden in the Mid-Atlantic, for example, you will have to contend with the worst fungal pressures in the country. Roses that are completely clean - no spray - in places like Petaluma CA will defoliate elsewhere.

I do not have Julia Child but I have grown Happy Child for years. It is pretty little rose, approximately 2.5 feet tall with an loose, open growth habit. Good repeat bloom and truly lovely flowers. Fragrance is moderate to strong, and Tea-like. The foliage is rather unusual looking, resembling spinach leaves. In my region black spot can be a problem but is resistant to other fungal diseases. To prevent defoliation you would have to spray it with a fungicide every two weeks to control the black spot. About my only real complaint is the vigor. Without disbudding during years one and two, an own root plant will limp along never maturing. It is also a wee bit more sensitive to the cold than your typical English Rose. I lost one during a particularly cold winter, which I quickly replaced in the spring. You would too if you ever saw the blossoms. The yellow color is extremely pure without any secondary tones. Very few roses combine fragrance with such clear, canary yellow color.

You can purchase an own root plant of HAPPY CHILD online from Heirloom Roses.

Good luck,

Patrick

I'm in New York City, Molineux. I'm a "newbie" and have very little "real estate" for planting so I don't want to make a mistake ;-) I've had great luck with Heritage. Pat Austin did OK but the flowers nodded. Joseph's Coat was a blackspot, spider mite disaster.
I didn't know you were supposed to "disbud" own root roses. I planted Autumn Sunset, Golden Celebration (no buds yet) and Westerland- all own root- this summer. I haven't disbudded. I hope that doesn't affect their growth next season.
Thanks for the tip.
I'm looking for 1 small white and 1 small yellow rose to grow in a container. Julia Child and Happy Child seemed like good options Today I read about Molineux, and was thinking of adding that to my list of possibilities. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Thank you!

Wow, this thread just goes to show you how one plant can behave so differently in different areas!

I do not have Julia Child, but I do have two baby Happy Childs. (Children??) I got them as baby bands late in the growing season and planted them right in the ground some time in July or early August. They were both the most vigorous bands I have ever planted, and are already preparing to pop buds in their second flush since planting! Their growth was amazing, and each has also thrown at least two basals that are about 2 feet already. I am actually concerned about this new growth since it cold get snappy-cold very quickly, anytime now. I fear they will not get a chance to harden-off well. But vigor? Holy cow...AMAZING vigor for me. Each has a smidge of blackspot, but nothing to break your heart.

I only have Happy Child, one grafted, and one own-root. The grafted plant is doing better than the own-root plant which is several years old and has not gotten more than 6 inches tall, if that. Another good yellow one that I have for a container that stays compact is Shockwave. That one does quite well. That said, I notice that J&P has a new yellow one coming out for next year called Monkey Business. I have no information on that one, but at least the picture looks interesting. Time will tell on that one.
I hope to add Julia Child to my menagerie along with a few others, but I have to be judicious because I am basically short on space.

I grow both of these roses in my never ending search for a good yellow. Julia Child in my garden is usually free of disease for most of the season and has just started to have a little bs now that it is September but not bad at all. I love this rose. Is always in bloom throughout the season as long as you deadhead regularly (every couple of days for me.) My verdict on Happy Child (from Heirloom) is still out. Have had it for a year and it has not been very vigorous for me. Perhaps this next season it will do better--such has been my experience with some of the Austins. The blooms remind me of Sophy's Rose in general shape (of course, not color)and they did fade to light yellow for me rather quickly.

One thing is for sure: Stay away from Sunsprite -- a highly rated rose, but shatters in one day and was not quick to rebloom for me at least. I also have Easy Going which I do like for a hardy, disease resistant yellow floribunda. But its shrub shape is more vase like. Just my two cents worth. What are you looking for in a white? I have Pope John Paul II and it is magnificent for me. So fragrant. Wonderful! CJ

I have both! They were planted the same year and both are grafted. Julia was from a local nursery and HC from Tyler, Texas. In my case, Julia is much taller so far, about a foot taller than the HC. The color is a bit different, BTW. Julia starts out a kind of golden yellow. My DH loves to tease me and call it orange. It is not orange but more gold than yellow to start. Then it fades to a soft (pleasant) yellow.

HC, after two years, is nowhere near 3x3 yet. This year it has had a tendency to ball occasionally, we have had gobs and gobs of rain. HC is a bright yellow, not golden.

I actually have 2 Julias planted side by side to kind of look like one big mass. One of the them got extreme BS this year, try to find my old thread if you want to see it, it was posted about a month ago. The other one got almost none. Not sure what happened there unless I forgot to spray it, which is what I suspect.

Size of flowers are not remarkably different, Julias a little smaller. JC has more vigor but I prefer HC, just a matter of personal taste. I think others like JC a little more than I do.

I've enjoyed two grafted Julia Child's for two years. Both have grown to 3X3 very quickly and are covered with blooms all summer. They are still blooming at this moment. Mine are the color of butter (appropriate) and never fail to elicit ohh's and ahh's from my friends. They do get blackspot in my no spray garden, but I use fish emusion, and they leaf right back out. I have them right on the edge of my patio, and they are a favorite. I bought a third own root Julia Child and killed it by leaving the hose on drip a week while we were at the beach. Oh well, it happens.