I have two of this rose growing up the Western side of my house along with Casino & Graham Thomas. David Austin has introduced some wonderful yellow roses but this cultivar gets my vote for the being the most beautiful. The flower form is perfection and the blooms last well as vase flowers. The delicate coloring is perhaps my favorite selling point: in cool temps the entire bloom is an exceptionally clear pastel yellow, while during the summer the bloom turns white with a pastel yellow "blush" in the middle. The tea rose fragrance is strong and very refreshing on a hot summer day. A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND: The growth habit is typical climber (although he can be pruned into a tall upright shrub) but be forewarned the canes are only flexible when young. They will stiffen up with age and at that point have a tendency to snap when bent. The rose is also best grown own root. Grafted, he is overly vigorous. Lastly, don't overfeed him with chemical fertilizers. I've found this encourages growth at the expense of blooming. He really does do better long term with organic fertilizers like alfalfa. If you haven't guessed already I truly love this rose. It gives me all the beauty of the Tea-Noisette climbers but on a plant that can handle my zone 6 winters. Image of The Pilgrim by Penhalion-z5-IL at Hortiplex.

I planted this poor little thing last October, long after it should have been tucked in. I promptly forgot where I put it, and tramped on it several times before it emerged this spring. It must be a fighter, just not a beauty this year!!! It can only improve. Jan

Poppy - even if a rose is rated hardy to our zones, it doesn't mean it's cane hardy, or even that all of the canes will be healthy ones. For instance, Teasing Georgia is rated to zone 4 or even 3 and is resolutely hardy for me. However, like a lot of Austins the canes are fairly susceptible to winter damage in my climate. They can look fine on the outside but I cut into them and they're dark brown on the inside. Both of my TGs had zero winter protection or babying of any kind, they're just not likely to hold their canes after our winters and are pruned entirely to teh ground. You won't know a thing by June or so though, as it regrows rapidly, almost as fast as you can watch. No telling what it is about some Austins that make them do this - The Generous Gardener is another one that's hardy but almost always damaged to the ground, yet Scepter'd Isle just needs some tip pruning. Any number of things can affect the health of an individual cane - the important thing is if the rose survives and grows happily once spring sets in.Once you get these weakened canes off, I suspect your rose will be just fine. Cynthia

Hi Kate, from what I have read it seems that Happy Child prefers a warm climate as she does not over winter very well in cold ones and vigour in cold climate seems to be an issue, but in a hot climate she is wonderful. Nancy, Evelyn's blooms can be peach or pink or Ivory depending on the age of the flowers and how much sun and heat she receives. As a rule give your Austins as much sun as possible and they will reward you with lots of blooms.