AHEM! Sorry Harry but I DO have a digital camera. After years of asking Rob finally bought me one for Christmas. It is a expensive sucker too. I waited for nearly half an hour for the manager who had the most experience with the cameras. I asked for the camera that takes the best outdoor closeups. It is still in its packaging waiting to be opened. Frankly it has become almost like a holy object. I'm almost afraid to open it, but trust me, I WILL eventually and then ... oh my lord the mere idea gives me the shivers. I've been holding back for years, but very-Very-VERY soon !!!IT IS ON!!!

Hi Kate, I just add a support under flopping canes--often just a Y-shaped stick that broke off from a tree. They blend in beautifully. I have noticed that Austins firm up by their third year, so some of that problem might disappear with time. I also have a couple other type shrubs that occasionally put out an extra-long but heavy blooming cane that gets weighed down dangerously when it rains. I just add a support under these also, but after the bloom is done, I do tend to prune these back a bit more than I usually would. However, I don't think I'd do the pruning on a cane that is just weaker on a less than fully developed bush. I have a 1 year old, a 2 year old, and a 3 year old Molineux, all bought from the same nursery but in different years. The 2 year Molineux is all-around bigger, stronger, etc., than the 3 year old which was wimpy its first two years but has outgrown that now. The 1 year old is obviously smaller than the other two, but not at all wimpy. Just shows how much variation you can get. My Shakespeare 2000 is an example of the second problem--too vigorous growth that the cane can't quite support. Most of that problem has disappeared in its third year. Kate

Anne, beautiful color and form on those blooms. If mine turn out looking like that, I'll consider myself lucky. Carol, ack! Would I be completly smoking crack to think I could keep them pruned to fit the space...other than being higher maintenance, would it hurt them to keep them smaller? Could I skimp on the winter protection to ensure dieback? ;) I'd hate to move them. When I planted them, I used some "soil conditioner" (finely shredded bark), manure, and some coffee grounds. So I think I'll be good on the soil front, from what I've found online, old beds can be a problem if the old roses were diseased or there over 10 years and "used up" all the nutrients...the previous roses were neither of these.

I would call molineux a yellow rose. For the most part it is a yellowish rose. Jude however is not. She leans more towards cream colored, or beige as people have said. Honestly, her color is somewhat blah. What really makes her a spectacular rose is her fragrance. Bloom form and size are good too. But she has to be the most fragrant of all the Austin's and it's not just a rose scent either. She has a spectacular fruity fragrance that's very unique. Also both of these roses have very different growth habits. Jude is tall and can make a huge bush in warm climates; 5ft x4ft. Molineux is one of the smallest Austin's reaching about 3ft x2.5ft so that's something to consider.