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Does anyone grow Maid Marion (the Austin rose)?

7 years ago

I have a voucher for a garden centre with a limited selection of Austins. I was planning to buy Sister Elizabeth for my mother in law who wants a compact pink English rose but it's sold out. They have Maid Marion or Gertrude Jekyll (talk of stingy flowering puts me off the latter).

Does anyone grow Maid Marion? Is it a good repeat flowerer? How does it fare in the heat (I'm in Italy)? In your opinion, would it be happy in a big pot? There aren't many ratings on Helpmefind, though the photos are pretty.

Featured Answer

Henrik (Sweden, USDA 4-5)

7 years ago

I don’t
know how Maid Marion will perform in a warm climate but it is supposed to be one
of the smaller Austins and the growth habit is compact and upright. I have
grown it here in Sweden for four full seasons now (first season in a pot and
from the 2nd season in full ground) and it isn’t really cane hardy here, so it stays
small. Apart from one autumn when it got a bit of black spot it has been
exceptionally healthy (particularly resistant to powdery mildew which is good
if you want to grow it in a pot). Flower “quality” has been a bit inconsistent
(variable petal count and size) but it’s beautiful and fragrant when at it’s
best…

Comments (7)

nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska
7 years ago
Hi MinaLoy

Didn't want you to think we were ignoring your question, but Maid Marion isn't a rose that has a very wide distribution here in the US. I've never seen it offered in places I order roses, and helpmefind.com (a great source of rose info) only lists David Austin wholesale as a source here. I have about 50 Austins, but not this one.

My impression is that this rose is likely to be your best bloomer of the three you list. My Gertrude Jekyll isn't in ideal conditions but in 3 years has never yet bloomed, and yes the reputation is for a lovely but infrequent bloomer. I've heard some of the same for Sister Elizabeth that hasn't bloomed for me either, but Maid Marion has some good reports. She's reported to stay small, so I think she'd be better in a pot than Gertrude Jekyll who gets long and lanky in many conditions.

Hope this helps!

Cynthia
MinaLoy thanked nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska
MinaLoy
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you Cynthia, it's very kind of you to explain, although I certainly wouldn't begrudge any ignoring anyway as I've already been the recipient of a lot of helpful advice here without being able to offer anything useful in return! I did think it might be new/not widely available when I saw that helpmefind had limited ratings, but I hadn't thought about distribution patterns.

Your feedback on my other options is certainly useful, perhaps I'll just take a risk with Maid Marion!
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User
7 years ago
Sorry - I have been away from the forum, am only just now seeing your question! My climate is very very different from yours, so I'm not sure how useful my comments will be. For me, Gertrude is actually quite a good rose. I get a beautiful spring flush, and then reliable if not profuse rebloom (she really is better in this department than a lot of other roses, at least for me). She does get big, though, so not sure if she'd do well in a pot. I just planted Maid Marion this spring. She didn't bloom much, but then she's a first year rose so you really can't expect a lot in her first year. The flowers she had were lovely. So far, she has stayed quite small, so I bet she'd do well in a pot. Good luck with whatever you choose!
MinaLoy thanked User
MinaLoy
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for the info Frances. I think I will give her a try.
MinaLoy
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks Henrik. I have gone ahead and ordered it bare root as I think its size and healthiness makes it a good container contender... we'll see how it like the heat!
ramblingroots
5 years ago
Mina, would love to know how Maid Marion fared for you, especially in hot weather. Thx

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