She's a beauty, isn't she!

I've had her for several years now and have somewhat mixed reviews. She doesn't bloom as much as I wish she would in hot weather, her bush is not overly attractive, and she gets BS more than I expected--not the worst for BS by any means, but Austin brags so much on her disease-resistance that I expected her to fight off BS much better than she actually does.

My one reservation is that perhaps I don't water her enough--she's a little beyond the main bed, so perhaps the sprinkler doesn't always reach her. I plan to keep a close eye on her this summer to see if that is the problem with her less than wonderful performance.

But those blooms are beautiful.

As for hardiness, most Austins are supposed to be hardy to zone 5, but I sometimes have my doubts. Usually winters are relatively mild where I live (compared to S.Dak. where I was born!)--but the occasional bad winter, particularly if the bad freezes come late winter/early spring, have damaged some of my Austins. Finally had to dig up two of them--they just didn't seem able to recover even a year later. So far I haven't had that problem with Lady of Shalott, but I sometimes think she got a bit of damage --the way she hesitates to take off in the spring. I'm not sure about that, but I should add that I provide no winter protection for my roses--other than the stray oak leaves that sometimes blow into my yard from my neighbor's 3 oak trees.

Wish I could recommend her with more enthusiasm because I just love her back there in the spot I selected for her.

Hopefully you will get some other responses that are more encouraging.

Kate

I have had similar results with Lady of Shallot, however, i wouldn't give her up. Her form is a bit sprawling, and flowers are not overly abundant however, mine is in a good amount of shade. I have wondered if she would do much better in more sun. Mine gets plenty of water since we have a drip irrigation system. I just love the coloring of the blooms and find myself admiring her blooms more than most of my roses. I grow mine against a fence so i tie up the sprawling canes and it works out well.

I'm in zone 5 SE WI and she has come through winter just fine with no winter protection. BS resistance is pretty good, not my best Austin nor my worst in this category.

I love my Lady of Shalott, one of my best! Mine were slow starters, prime examples of sleep, creep, leap. I started with a cluster of three and after the third year they were so gorgeous that I decided to plant a hedge.

I'd rate the bloom production & repeat better than average, but bear in mind that a mass planting of one variety may appear to be "always in bloom". So YMMV with just one bush. Still I think it's a very good bloomer, once mature.

BS resistance in my garden has been about average, hardiness has been much better than average. I plants my grafts about 6 inches below grade, and do not winter protect. The only significant winter damage I see is if I've had autumn basal breaks. I've lost couple of these, presumably too young and tender to survive the winter. It's a very vigorous grower, and quickly makes up for anything lost during the winter. To my nose the fragrance is slight.

Yes, it does throw some long canes but unlike some DA's with this habit, it will produce laterals when the long arms are pruned, and this is important for shapely shrubs and good bloom production.

Thank you everyone! And well, you haven't talked me out of it, that's for sure! :) I think I will give her a try.

Give her a shot. Mine was in it's 4th year this past season. Once mature, it's a fantastic bush and bloomer.

I would love to grow this rose if I can find it. Just curious, how fast does the colour fade on the rose?

Karen, that last photo is incredible!

Now to find a vendor...

redwolfdoc, am I missing something--you can order from Austin, I'm sure, and I think, Hortico (I need to recheck that one)? I've been interested in LoS myself, and I love the photos on this thread. Karen's are outstanding, especially LoS and the blue flowers (are those Baby Blue Eyes? or a campanula, maybe?).

Nanadoll, you're not missing anything, and I probably will order from Austin and just pay the phytosanitary certificate to get it here to Canada. I've ordered twice from them before and I have always had great roots and service.

My comment arose from the fact that I looked up Palatine's list hoping it would be there, but alas it is not! And I actually forgot about Hortico, though truth be told I have not had great luck with them in the past.

Thanks everyone!

I just checked Hortico and they do have Lady of Shalott. I've had good luck with Hortico myself. Good luck in your quest. Diane

Diane, the blue flowers are Orion hardy geranium. They bloom from May-June, one of my favorite perennial. They bloom about the same time as peonies too.

I should have guessed hardy geranium, Karen. I don't have Orion, but I have some others and they have that look, but not that neat color. It's so blue. It looks great with LoS. Diane

I can't compare to the gorgeous photos of Lady of Shalott here, but I can attest that she's hardy beyond zone 5. I've had mine in a virtual zone 4 pocket of my yard for about 4 years and she overwinters there just fine. I don't get the profusion of bloom that others report, since she's also partly shaded there, but she holds her own with the best of them. Her flower form and color is terrific and I'd rate her in the top 5 of Austins. It's so rare to see an apricot rose actually stay apricot in most seasons.

Cynthia

I have also grown 2 LOS for 3 years. So it should do fine for you. I know several people have had issues with hortico, but I've heard they have been on the amend. I had wonderful experience with them as they went out if their way to get me pretty jessica that no one else carries. This year they have cressida so I will Prob be ordering from them again. I can't get my pictures to post but I will keep trying....

Thanks Kelly for sharing your experience. Pretty Jessica really is! :)

Kelly, I looked twice in the last few days for Cressida, and they didn't have her listed under Austin roses on the Hortico website. Maybe I should just do a search there. Diane

Well shoot. I'm not seeing it anymore either. I know they had that and the reeve listed because I had them on order for spring. I got an email that the reeves did not make it. I wonder if cressida is a failure too. ..

Well, I did it - from Hortico. Even added some geranium and yarrow as companions (Karen, that Orion geranium looks absolutely wonderful with LoS!). Thanks everybody for your input - it's been really helpful!

I think you will be very happy with your purchase. Hope you will get a good one! Karen, this is a bit off topic but I don't know where I can ask you this. I think you mentioned awhile back that you got Pastelegance peony. Did you happen to acquire it? If you did, can you tell how it did for you and whether you are happy with how the flowers turned out?

Karen, good memory! I did break down and buy Pastelegance in the fall of 2015. It cost an arm and a leg - more than I ever imagined I'd pay for a plant - but I haven't regretted it for a second! There's nowhere in Canada, so I ordered from Adelman's in Oregon. I've bought from them twice and have had wonderful experiences both times. Excellent service and huge, super-healthy roots. Pricey for the phyto, but worth it. Anyways, Pastelegance was so big and nice, and just the right shape that I actually steeled my nerves and split it in two! Both divisions grew well last year and even produced flowers! It's really a very special plant. I put one with some fantastic striking purple iris and the other next to Crocus Rose. I was very happy with the flowers and I know they're only going to get better as it matures. Wish I could tell you more but I haven't had it long enough! If you are interested, I recommend checking out the Swedish Peony Society's Facebook page and searching Pastelegance. Those photos will break your heart!

I didn't manage to get any really good shots of its first year, but here are a few:

Oh, and I had a couple others in my order (if I'm paying for a phytosanitary certificate, I'm gonna make it worth my while!). One of them was Courage. I wasn't familiar with it and took a flyer... SOOO glad I did!

Karen

Yes, I have seen pics of it and I am so in love with it. I just want to ask opinions from someone who actually grows it to see if they are happy with their purchase. I remembered reading it in one of your post last year. Thank you so much for the response and pics! The flowers are gorgeous, both P and Courage! Thanks for your high praises of Adelman. I am planning to get mine from them too. It is incredible that you are able to divide it and still get blooms from them. Adelman does send great roots!

I can comment on Lady of Shalott. I am in Z6, at least on paper. Realistically here we have seasons that occur in random order. Fortunately, Lady of Shalott is for the most part rather impervious to the weird weather that we get. Same goes for Crocus Rose. Lady of Shalott gets quite large, so be prepared to give it some room. It blooms all growing season on and off without too much fuss. The flowers are not as large or as intense in color in summer heat, but that is typical for roses anyway. It does not have the fragrance quality that Lady Emma Hamilton has. If I were limited to only 5 or 6 of the Austins, this one would be one of them. Disease resistance is reasonably okay for this rose. I find that all my roses need spraying no matter what. It just goes with this climate.

Redwolfdoc, thanks for the pictures of your Pastelegance peony. I have been curious about it. I have also ordered a few plants from Adelman's and have gotten nice plants from them. Pastelegance looks to be quite beautiful. Maybe if the price comes down from almost $300 each at the places I have seen it listed I might get one. I have been putting in peonies of various kinds including herbaceous, tree, and intersectionals where I have had to take out a rose that had rose rosette disease or some other problems. Marauding neighborhood deer are also a factor, and deer don't eat peonies. The herbaceous ones are toxic, but the trees are not, and I don't know about the intersectionals.