I suppose it is due to different zones, but Abraham Darby is a star performer in my garden. It gets a lot of good comments from passer by. The blooms do not last long, but is always loaded. I do spray weekly and it does well or it would be covered with black spot.

I love my AD too, and Carding Mill, and other Austins :-)... I do understand, however, that they can be a disappointment. I grow Heaven on Earth and it is a great rose so far. Very clean, lots of blooms, somewhat weak stems but I think it is still young and will improve. I think you made good choices.
Masha

I have all of your new roses and GC too.

I am guessing you don't spray so Don Juan may be a problem from what I have heard but I spray so no problem here. But then again you may not be in BS heaven like I am.

OLOG, HOE, SIR, JC and HP are all vigorous roses. The only one I may get rid of is HP.I don't really like the flower form and there is no fragrance to my nose. The rest are fabulous and I know you will love them.

mashamcl:

I live in Sunnyvale. Practically, we are neighbores. My problem with my DA's are that in summer, blooms just dries up on the bush, like it was freezed dried. They do not repeat fast enough and they shatter.

How old are your roses? Are they grafted or own root?

I will be keeping my Christophor Marloes, Jubilee Celebration, Crown Princess Margarita, Clamis Castle, Eglentyne and falstaff, at least until next year. They will be in their 3rd year. Maybe by then they will last longer.

Wanttogarden:

Since you live in Sunnyvale, you're very close to the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden in San Jose. Since they have 2 or 3 thousand roses, which get no special treatment, you can go over there and have a good look around on a regular basis. I'm not sure how much value it would be to you right now, but next year. Also there's the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden.

-Gala

Wanttogaren,
My Sharifa and Geoff are in morning sun-afternoon shade situation and doing well. Carding Mill is in full sun and does not mind. So are Christopher Marlowe and Bishop's Castle. I have two WS2000 - one in full sun, one in part sun (the one in full sun blooms much better). Gertrude, GC and Janet have long canes and few blooms but I will still keep them at least one more year and then decide. I like Crown Princess Margareta a lot, I have one in full sun, one in mostly shade, the one in full sun is a shrub, the one in shade really climbed to get out into the sun (really nice strong canes, not spindly ones), they bloomed about the same.
All my Austins are young. Most of them are grafted from Reagan, except for GC, CPM, Janet and GC which are on their own roots. I hate Janet.
You are very welcome to come see my roses any time.
Masha

Actually I forgot Pat Austin which is a show stopper and I love her really really much! Great tea fragrance and the color is really pretty. People here say that it fades to an ugly pink and shatters fast. It is all true, but I am not looking for perfection! I also have Heritage and love that rose a lot too. The blooms are so delicate and the fragrance is strong. Yes, they shatter quickly too and the shrub wants to grow into an octopus. My Heritage, Pat and AD are all grafted. Most of them have not been blooming as frequently as can be, but that's OK with me. Perhaps, I am seeing the good sides and am blind to the bad, but I am pretty relaxed as far as my requirements to roses go, and I enjoy my garden a lot.
Masha

We had all sorts of problems with Golden Celebration -- until we doubled the water those plants were getting.
In fact, we thought we were going to lose them.
Then, they took off like racehorses.

If our little lane had traffic, that hedge of GC would likely stop it.
We HAVE had motorists stop and comment on the fragrance.
They do not bloom continuously (in the manner of a Tea Rose, for instance) but they bloom in repeated large flushes. (IOW, they are "croppers.") And they do this, whether they are deadheaded or not -- tho deadheading probably speeds the next flush along.

GC is among the very few Austins that we will probably always grow. (Prospero is another.)

Jeri

Jeri:

Your oppinion counts a lot. So, what I will do I will replace AD with Julia Child and Strike it Rich. I will give GC one more year with more water. In fact I am thinking of adding a drip line for my roses by myself, ( I got tired of waiting for my husband to do it.) If it does not improve, it is a goner and will be replaced with an other yellow.

As much as I love to add DJ, I am not sure that my 3x3x8 obelisk can support it. That obelisk was constructed to support the AD.

{{gwi:215434}}
(looking at the photo my heart ache to rip it out. Ouch.)

Thank you all for your oppinions,
FJ

My Abe Darby has lived for 10 years with NO winter protection in partial shade. If you love it,try try again.
In zone 5 it has lots of winter kill but rebounds like a champ afetr pruning. Maybe you got a lemon

Jeri,
I'm glad it's not just me, GC IS a water hog compared to most of my other roses.
Sadly, although WS2000 is according to the DA catalog, one of the DAs that are supposed to do well in hot and humid conditions, mine just withered away.

Gosh Cindy -- I'm glad to know it's not just ME!
I confess, we are more attuned to the Teas and Chinas which, once-established, don't mind a little drought.
Here in SoCal, drought times, increasingly, R-Us. :-(

We've compromised.
The Golden Celebrations get most of the dishwater.
Fortunately, they find that acceptable.

That water-hog thing, tho -- it's one of the main reasons why we'll plant no more Austin roses.
We can't afford their demands.

Jeri

Abe Darcy is a complete rust magnet in my coastal so cal garden. I've had the plant in about 8 years but have been too lazy to rip it out -- it's quite big and becomes an unsightly mess with yellowing leaves and crispy flowers in mid-summer. Sunset Mag calls it one of the state's top ten roses, but I don't think it's a good choice for the humid areas of the state.

Don Juan can get a lot of rust in the San Jose area. I got rid of mine.

Glenna, I betcha Abe Darby would be less-troubled by rust if you gave him twice as much water.

A better idea, though, might just be to eliminate him.

Jeri

Jeri:

How does more water means less rust? Does than mean the rose is healthier?

I have two Heaven on Earths side by side, one is completely covered with rust the other has absolutely none. Considering that they are suppose to be "an exceptionally mildew and rust resistance," can water be the answer?

FJ