No, I didn't snag any, but it's a gorgeous rose. I hope your hedge still works out--I'd love to see a photo or two, which should be stunning. What a shame Tradescant has been discontinued. I've never seen it for sale around here. Diane

Wow, you really go all out Benaminh!! I've had my TRADESCANT for many yrs. It's in between WS2000 and OTHELLO. The best bloomer out of those is WS2000. The other two don't bloom much. Hope your TRADESCANT does better for you.

Wow nice bare roots you got there..so much fun planting all of them..what made you decide to plant in pots first before going in the ground..sorry just reread your post due to pests

Yes, gophers. But I have almost 100% success potting the bareroot roses first, and then planting them in the ground after new roots have been formed.

I think this first year or two I will focus on optimizing growth and getting the plants to grow as big as possible. The flowers will be of better quality when the shrub is at full potential.

Tradescant started blooming several weeks ago beginning of May. This was taken today, the colors are very purple in real life

Thanks so much for that useful comparison of red Austin's! Which is your favorite?

Those are really beautiful. I like the comparison of all the reds. I love the Squire's form. I just got WS2K and its been blooming up a storm in its 10 gallon pot lol. I love <3 its quartered blooms! Mine is a more of a hot pink than red due to the heat and crazy weather we are having right now.

Wow I bet it was a lot of work potting up all those roses at once. Did your back hurt after all that? lol

~Sjn

We have the same taste in color. Your reds are phenomenal. It makes me wonder why they would ever discontinue such a gorgeous rose. Glad you got so many.

Very pretty indeed! Which one has the strongest fragrance? Can you smell them for us? :-)

Those are all beautiful blooms! Would love to see a photo of your mass planted hedge; when it gets growing.

Huh, I had forgotten all about this thread.

@totoro. THE SQUIRE is still my favorite of all DA’s reds.

@SJM & Kristine Yes, it was backbreaking labor, but I have no regrets. I’m glad I planted them in pots first because it gave me some forewarning about their growth habits and heat tolerance.

@summers I will have to answer that question come May because they all smell so different, and I didn’t think to compare intensity when I was enjoying the fragrance.

I added more varieties to my garden since spring: DARCEY BUSSELL, FISHERMAN’S FRIEND, OTHELLO, SOPHY’S ROSE, & YOUNG LYCIDAS. I’m still looking for LADY OF MEGGINCH and WISE PORTIA.

I left out the following because I don’t like the flowers and don’t see the point of growing them:

THE KNIGHT

CHIANTI

L.D. BRAITHWAITE

NOBLE ANTONY

PROSPERO

RED COAT

SIR EDWARD ELGAR

TAM O’SHANTER

THE DARK LADY

THOMAS A BECKET

WENLOCK

Wise Portia http://www.highcountryroses.com/modern-roses/english-shrub-roses?p=2

@Witchy Thanks for the lead! I know Cool Roses has LADY OF MEGGINCH, but I have to wait before getting them.

Love those Austin reds. You have quite a collection of stunning reds.

I planted Darcy Bussell and even thought it is a wee little thing, it has bloomed several times.

I also love the fuchsia colored. Young Lycidas is ordered for the spring. I can't wait. I also just planted Twilight Zone

I am looking toward spring and new growth and new life.

Your Tradescant is stunning!! I love petal-packed blooms and am a sucker for those purply reds.

I hope Young Lycidas is fragrant for you. It is one of my favorites for nose-diving into blooms.

Thanks @DLV, I really need to find a permanent in ground location for YOUNG LYCIDAS, it’s sulking in a #5 pot. The flowers it gave me last year looked just like PRETTY LADY ROSE. Do you have any pictures of your YL? The ones on HMF are so variable. I’m hoping it will look more like this instead of PLR:

@Kristine You will like TWILIGHT ZONE, it’s a winner! Beautiful aubergine maroon purple that rarely fades on relatively big full flowers. I just wish it was more quartered with a few more petals, but I’m nitpicking. The color is amazing... better than EBB TIDE.

Young Lycidas

And then bleached out by the sun when the temperatures were in the low 100's

When I grow this rose again, in a different location, I hope the color is more like yours, Romogen.

Good morning, Romogen. Your Tradescants are beautiful! One of my top favorite roses! Amazing color, and rich old rose fragrance. I think I may have permanently altered my Tradescant with accidental over-fertilizing. And now it is unavailable at both Heirloom and David Austin. Wish I could get a slip or two from yours!

My Tradescant with Margaret Merrill, lower left.

mjmello - love your bouquet! My new bareroot Margaret Merrill from Walmart is blooming today and she is gorgeous! The only red I have blooming is one flower on new bareroot Traviata from Home Depot. Not enough for a bouquet and the stems are quite short on such new roses but I love them both already!

I think I am going to order a new red from David Austin this coming year. I have had L.D. Braithwaite in the past, no problems, but may try Falstaff or Thomas A Becket. I hate it when they discontinue good roses!

Yes, it's a shame about Tradescant-areal, dark, dark red/purple...why o why did they discontinue it???

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but if anyone has any information on where I can find a cutting of Tradescant, it would be deeply appreciated!

Thank you in advance, Terri

Roses Unlimited has it listed, as does Hummingbird Roses!

Hummingbird Roses - English Roses

Roses Unlimited

I just nabbed a Tradescant here in the Netherlands! Arrived 2 weeks ago with an Augusta Louise (stunning German rose bred by Tantau, not David Austin). Looking forward to the results, although they will be growing in pots on my terrace. I LOVE Falstaff, which is also easily propagated, so I'll be trying with Tradescant when it settles in.

I already tried both Hummingbird and RU. RU doesnt have it, and Hummingbird is already done with spring orders. I'll check back this fall. Thank you for the suggestions.

You are a lucky man Sean, its my favorite red. Enjoy!!

I now see that RU doesn't have it on their webisite. HelpMeFind had them listed as source - I wonder if RU has discontinued it.

I wonder what DA considers Tradescant's replacement, and how it stacks up against the original. Is it actually a better rose (in some areas of the country) or is it just under patent?

I actually called David Austin's USA number to ask exactly that. What is the theoretically better replacement rose? The lady I spoke to didnt even know what Tradescant was, let alone if there was a replacement.

It was a very surprising call, for me. I expected much more knowledge from a David Austin rep. She had never heard of it. Her only suggestions came from getting on the webpage and looking, the same as I had spent hours doing, lol.

In my own opinion, the *pictures* I see of Munstead Woods have the same color and texture of Tradescant. I wont know about the fragrance as I havent ever smelled it, or the color or texture as I have not yet seen a bloom in person. Yet, lol. Its not a big bush though. It says 3' on the site. Maybe it will get bigger in Texas. Tradescant did.

In my backyard, my Tradescant was this huge, awesome bush with long natural arch forming canes with lush foliage and a profusion of the most fragrant blooms. The weight of the buds bent every cane at the perfect angle to grow even more blooms.

When I saw how big it kept wanting to get after the first couple of years, I let it just grow like I did with some unknown gallicas I had let grow "wild" on advice from a friend. I was going to train it, but it didnt need me after the first year, lol. It was around 7 feet tall, and 4 or 5 feet wide. I hardly even pruned it. I wanted to see what would happen if I left it "wild" looking. It was magnificent.

It took a great deal of deadheading. That was its only drawback, but.. big deal, lol. I fell in love with that bush. It didnt start out being my favorite rose... yet it was easily my favorite. So easy to care for.

Aww, tganksthanks Terri- I really hope you get luckier. Munstead Wood has a trait, funnily enough, of throwing up these long, vertical canes at times. You can therefore give it a try for growth form but rate of bloom, I cant compare. MW really does have an amazing 'quintessential old rose' fragrance though... very thorny, mind you!

I have Tradescant as well as several other "red" Austins, and the closest comparison I can think of would be The Dark Lady for Tradescant. Both are kind of sprawly hot-pink reds that bloom sporadically but not very enthusiastically. Tess of the D'Ubervilles is another similar grower. Frankly, I prefer both Munstead Wood and Darcey Bussell as more reliable and compact bloomers than any of those older plants, and more reliably purplish-red rather than hot pink once the weather heats up. It may have been different in your zone, but that has been my experience with Tradescant in a cold zone.
Cynthia

Has anyone heard from romogen? Hope the wildfires and mudslides stayed away from his properties last year. At one time he was loading up his car running away from one wildfire.

@Sean

> Munstead Wood has a trait, funnily enough, of throwing up these long, vertical canes at times

This is news to me - I thought from reading online descriptions that MW is short and shrubby. So now I'm very curious, as the owner of a still-small MW bought last year - do you think it could be trained as a short climber?

Tradescant in central Texas was always dark magenta. I seem to recall hearing years ago that it didnt do as well in the cooler states. It must like heat. Mine was the most prolific bloomer of the 120 roses I had, super lush foliage. I had it on a fence on the west side of the yard. After noon, the fence gave most of the plant a lot of shade. It didnt ever pink out on me, or burn up. Too much sun can be the big problem down here.

I just planted my first MW. I read that they can pink out the first season or two, but to give them time. I read that about the Ebb Tide floribunda too, which is a "new" rose to me, that I am considering.

If I recall correctly, Tradescant was billed as a 4 or 5 footer, but it was much bigger. I'm hoping MW gets at least 5 feet, though I'll be fine even if he stays in the 3' area... as long as it smells great, lol.

I did get an email from a vendor in Canada that said they have Tradescant, but they wont be ready till summer. I'll be waiting, lol.

Cynthia, what is your darkest purple or black red? That doesn’t fade to magenta.

Teuth, I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a short climber. It has an unpredictable habit of throwing up some vertical canes at times. Feed and water well, and you will probably see it... it's been discussed here before, as others have noticed it too.

Im so sorry to hear of the loss of your roses. I can commiserate. Until last July I grew 150 roses on a little less than 1/4 acre in North Central Texas.
I sold to a couple from California who my realtor assured me were avid gardeners.
Before buying the home they commented to neighbours that they loved the garden.
I had several buyers lined up who daid they loved the roses. However, I sold to this couple because they were living out of a hotel for several weeks.
It only took them 1 month to rip out every single rose..and flowering perennials( the front yard was cottage garden styled).
I was disappointed because although I knew there was a risk associated with selling I choose them as an act of kindness.
I made several cuttings of roses that were difficult to obtain and those I had paid a fortune to ship from Palatine Roses.
However, being so busy after moving and the awful summer temps here prevented me from establishing the cuttings.
I recognize that the property now belongs to them...but I just felt ot was ruthless to remove every single plant.
There were other houses with just grass and green shrubs that they could've chosen in that neighborhood.
Sorry for the rant!
I pray you find a replacement gor Tradescant and all of your hard to find roses.
I wonder if there is a forum where cuttings are shared for those of us starting over from scratch..?

@Hippiechick I sent you a PM.

Tradescant is unique, none of the other DA’s resemble it. The flower form is like Christopher Marlowe and the blackish red color resembles Black Baccara.

Hippie chick, happy you might be getting what you are looking for.

Good to read your voice again romogen!

Shop shops that is so horrible to hear! There is a cutting forum, but not sure how active it is right now. Maybe post a list of what you are looking for on here and on the propagation forum?

ShopShops, that is always heartbreaking to see a much loved garden trashed by the next owners, particularly when they said they loved roses. Maybe they were just saying what they thought you wanted to hear since they wanted the house, but that's just a rotten thing to do to an enthusiastic gardener.

JC, by far the blackest red rose I grow is Nigrette, and it stays mostly a burgundy color to a black-red. It's a scrawny bush but it's been OK hardy for me in my zone 6 pocket. Other reliably black-red roses are AC Navy Lady, Black Magic, LavaGlut, and Peggy Rockefeller. None of the Austins are reliably red, much less black-red, since they all tend to pink out in the heat.

Cynthia

Yes, glad to hear from you romogen! With all the wild fires and mudslides I was worried about you. Hope everything is good with you and your roses!

Thank you, Cynthia!

I got some black magic on an impulse, hoping it would stay very dark.

Sounds like it will work if I can keep then out of afternoon sun.

@hippiechick33 8B

What is the name of the vendor in Canada that sells Tradescant? I’m still looking! Thank you!

Oh no! Shopshops, they could have told you that they planned to get rid of them! At least they could have offered you the opportunity to reclaim them after they'd dug them up. :( So they just threw them away??

JC, there is also 'Black Baccara' HBT rose but I'm not a fan as it is scentless. 'Barkarole' is also a very dark HBT but with fragrance. I don't have the experience of your level of sun and climate for growing roses but certainly in the UK, I have seen the DA roses 'Falstaff' and 'Munstead Wood' produce very dark red blooms- perhaps even the darkest for DA, although I have not seen the hard-to-find 'Prince', which is also reputedly quite dark red.

Hippiechick it looks like Hummingbird doesn’t start taking orders till May - she’s in a colder zone - maybe shoot her an email and see. Good luck!

Sean, Pam from Angel Gardens has The Prince, but will only take special orders for it. I think it's $15 if you want her to try and root it.

I'd read that most folks who have both, prefer Munstead Wood.

I have Chianti coming in a month or two, so I'll see how dark that one is too.

I might try to look for Barkarole if Black Magic doesn't turn out well. I read a lot of people like that one. If you like red roses, that is.

EDIT: I forgot you are on another continent lol. I don't think Angel Gardens ships to the Netherlands.

I remember the special order is $40-45, not $15. You could double check.

Haha! Thank you JC- I am not interested in getting the Prince but I did have the chance to buy it in the UK. I am pretty happy with Falstaff to be honest. I do love Munstead Wood but to me, the flower form of Falstaff is more elegant.

OHHH!!! I forgot to add! If you like the OLD ROSES, there is a hybrid perpetual called Empereur du Maroc! I actually have it. The only caveat is that you have to be prepared to pamper this rose: it is very susceptible to powdery mildew and black spot so you will need to spray BUT!! DAAAAARK red blooms, packed petals in a beautiful old rose form and top fragrance! Disease resistance not great but when it's happy and healthy, just WOW! Ignore those pics on the David Austin website- they aren't very flattering. This site is much more accurate, although unfortunately they can't ship to the US: https://www.trevorwhiteroses.co.uk/shop/hybrid-perpetual-roses/empereur-du-maroc/ You get a proper picture at least though.

Thank you for all the responses! I havent been online in a coupe of days and am just now catching up :)

@mjmello52,

Palatine, is the name of the place. I wrote them and they will have it in the fall. However. I was reading on their site and they require a minimum purchase of three roses. That isnt so bad, but the shipping (to Texas) for those three roses, according to their site, is @ $150.00 +.

I love Tradescant so much that if I have to, I will find a way to pay it... but I sure cant to afford to, lol.

@ shopshop. I dont know if you read the thread I posted on the antique side, but that was how I lost all of my roses... in a home sale. I had no idea that I wouldnt be able to dig them up and put regular bushes back in. When I found out after I had a contract, I practically begged the young man who bought it to please let me take them, but he wouldnt. He didnt want them, but he wanted to choose his own bushes, at a time when he was ready to do it.

I cant blame him for that.

100% my fault. Now I know. But.. 120 old garden roses, with quite a few Austins thrown in here and there. All mature, all big and beautiful. That was 10 years ago. I never grew another rose until I bought this house recently. And, they are in containers for now, lol.

I still cant believe Tradescant is gone. It's such a great rose that I cannot understand why they got rid of it. Especially as there is nothing even like it now.

My first tradescantTradescant blooms