It's a shrub. A sprawly, not very vigorous, thin caned shrub. If you look up Summer Song in the search box for this forum and the antique roses forum, you'll find that it's been withdrawn from the US market, presumably because going on forum members experiences, it tends to grow backwards there. I have it and the lighter sport, Carolyn Knight, and they both have the same habit. They are actually ok plants for me, but I'm in the UK, and I have them where they can sprawl if they want.
If it's growing well for you, and you're in an area where austins want to become jolly green giants, you could try growing it as a climber and see what happens. I find a lot of austins can go either way depending on conditions and pruning.

Thank you! I don't live in USA either . So i'm kind of unsure what i should be doing with this rose. I guess i'll wait and see what it grows like this year...

..I'm growing mine as a short climber. I do like the large luxuriant foliage on this, and I imagine this would be very much a water hog in drier climates.... I've had to water mine this dry Spring...

Bumping this - so after confidently stating that my Carolyn Knight is a shrub, I have to revise it. I vaguely noted earlier in the year that it had been swallowed up by a dicentra with ambitions and put it on the list, but between one thing and another and my mum breaking her leg, I've not done anything with the garden in weeks, except throw water at the most parched potted things. Anyway, in my absence, Carolyn Knight has thrown a 6+ foot cane. I dunno if it's the competition from the dicentra or the collapsed lilac or a combination of both, but right now it's looking like it has climberly inclinations after all.

Beth, I am so jealous of your summer song. The pictures I have seen of it in gardens in the UK are just stunning. If it does well for you, I would imagine that it would probably do well in my area as well. I wish someone here in the US had it available commercially.

Mustbnuts, I wanted Summer Song for my garden, too. But I was advised, nay, warned, cautioned and admonished that SS was a total dud (I think "dog" was the actual term used). If you'll search the forums you'll find the thread where Suzy (campanula) and others all but doubted my sanity if I kept looking for one, lol.

john

I think it is kinda tricky because it depends in what zone you grow them at. I would say that all David Austins are shrubs especially in colder zones. In warmer zones, they are just larger shrubs which you can train as climbers.

Thank you guys. I have to agree that Summer Song is a complete water hog. It needs so much water that it's annoying . I mainly grow some hardy german roses so it kind of surprises me how much water it needs. I'll grow it as a climber, short one at least. I'm happy with repeat, but not the quality of the blooms sometimes. the last flush for example had flowers that were so small that you needed a microscope. Never did it last year, I guessed it's because of drought... Thank you for your responses :))

I still have this peculiar rose...but only because I have been too idle to remove it. It mooches about, still just with one long cane and a couple of spindly offshoots and occasionally throws out a really rather good bloom (with a weak neck), most surprisingly around November. I can see why it is seductive but after 4 years, to get only a tiny handful of roses in a season is just hopeless. I freely admit to being rubbish+ with food and water, but enough roses seem to manage perfectly well. I have to conclude that this is one of those fussy types.

...I tend to agree with Campanula here....in fact I'm surprised I've still got this rose, it's hanging on by the skin of its teeth... albeit I've dug it up and put it in a pot until further notice......I think this rose needs the fullest of sun and moistest of soil... drying out or semi shade will not do...

...the few and far between flowers open a gorgeous rich colour but quickly fade to a rather strange salmon pink, which I couldn't abide I'm afraid...

...goes well with other dumpy roses..

Rather wet and breezy today - Summer Song thinking about blooming, and Carolyn Knight attemting to climb.

Does anyone know where I can get Summer Song in the US? Thank you

htracyn Summer song is no longer available in the USA. Maybe someone who got her before they removed her still has it, but it is not readily available anywhere that I have seen.

Dianela, I’m interested in buying some cuttings since Summer Song is not available to purchase in US now. I love the color and would like to try to grow it. No luck so far 😬

Any roses that look similar to summer song? ETA: Similar color/form.

htracyn79: sorry my comment was not very clear. Summer song was patented in the USA according to helpme find in 2007, this means you can not legally purchase cuttings from anyone. Patents are usually 20 years or so, but of course you can always try.