I'm in Chicago and I'll put in a good word for Bishop's Castle. Some of my roses are in what seemed to be a suboptimal location, planted between the garage and the gangway, with the neighbors' garage not too far beyond that. I was worried, but Bishop's Castle exceeded all expectations. In its third year with me, the tips of its canes have just topped my head (I'm 5' 6".) It's the Energizer Bunny of blooming and has a wonderful old-rose scent which seems to carry better than any of my other (eight) Austins. It's also my healthiest bush. There might be a trace of blackspot lurking in there somewhere, but it's not apparent. The blooms nodded considerably during its first year but, although they still still drape a bit, things improved dramatically in the second year. It's to the east of the garage, which protects it from the worst of the winter wind. I dump soil over the crown, put a circle of chicken wire 'round the base (rabbit countermeasures) and toss an armload of leaves into the wire cage. That latter is probably overkill; most of the bush protrudes well above this attempt at protection. I've had to do minimal pruning in spring, perhaps due to its location in the lee of the garage. Jude the Obscure (in a sunnier and more exposed part of the yard) overwinters very well and smells delicious. Ditto Tradescant. Cindy

My goodness, that was an exhaustive list! What do you know about the new white that is supposed to be coming out nex year? Heard about it from "Molineux" on the Antique forum

Ken & Strawchicago, Thanks for the heads up on K&M discontinued Austins. Straw, thank you for the list names. Straw, Is Generous Gardener & Jubilee Celebration now discontinued, also? I see them listed on DA & K&M website, but I guess it will be discontinued soon? Wise Portia is gorgeous and I’m excited to hear she blooms abundantly! She has a deep almost wine & purple color at times! Little different shape than Princess Anne. I am so amazed to hear your Princess Anne is 7 feet-Wow! If you pruned P Anne shorter would!’t she bloom more? Wise Portia is very small rose & is she available at any nursery for purchase? Is Wise Portia disease resistant? Many of my roses take all season, but by fall finally reach 5-6ft. ( In CA, when si lived there, I oruned off 1 ft weekly, as they were growing rapidly into giants.) I don’t really want rose shrubs/hybrid teas/floribundas over 5-6ft. I suppose I can prune them to keep their height down-that’s ok, right? Pruning height should encourage more blooms? I love Princess Anne.... She has bloomed some for me, very hardy, NO black spot, which I prize! Love her beautiful blooms! Gorgeous shape/color of blooms & petal count! I need to move her next spring, She’s grafted & on front hill-too cold a location-stunted her growth at 2 ft, winter freezes--not good location-moving her to back yard T-bed level ground next spring-DAs are growing better in back yard. Love to see her grow taller. Some day I would like to maybe replace all my grafted DAs with own-roots. Love to see them reach their full potential in my NY freezing climate! Princess Anne I guess I don’t worry about watering.... it rains so much here in NY Fingerlakes region. Lol! I just have to be careful freezes don’t damage my DA.

My Mom got the first DA rose, Golden Celebration, the year it came out, 92, I think and it is still here. Later I got Graham Thomas as a mislabel. About 5 years ago I thought I'd try something pink so I got Queen of Sweden and Jubilee Celebration. I'm not real impressed with any of them. GC can be gorgeous when it's in its spring flush and it does smell divine but so far the rest aren't anything to write home about. Also, they are all water hogs and spot magnets for me! Having been an exhibitor I guess I just prefer the HT form better myself. I have no trouble wintering any of them really but I'm a full zone warmer than you, Steven. Madison, Dr. Huey and Multiflora are the preferred root stocks for cold zones. Dr. Huey was almost exclusive for decades until the Canadians started using Multiflora with good results. Now almost all the roses from the Canadian mail order nurseries are on Multiflora. The only root stock I wouldn't recommend is Fortuniana. It is marvelous in warm climates and really pushes big, fast growth but it has a habit of rooting very shallow so it is very freeze tender. I know a few people who have managed to get it to survive but it takes a lot of effort and protection.