Here is my experience with Abe in Central Florida. It is a lovely rose, but unfortunately, the insects share my opinion. On the other hand, it is a fighter. I just started growing roses last year and then six months ago my mom bought a house and inherited an antique rose garden (Abe was in it, the only rose that wasn't an antique!). Anyways, in her garden, they were all neglected for the last two years because of emotional turmoil the previous owners had gone through culminating in divorce. Abe didn't get the best air circulation and suffered the worst blackspot of all the roses, even worse than Autumn Damask (this is in Lakeland, Florida). He has two blooms on him even though it is January and his leaves are black with green spots. In my yard minutes away (Plant City, FL), I put him against a chain link fence and I've never seen blackspot. From the moment I brought him home, though, the bugs have just loved him. NONE of my other roses have the problems he does. Perhaps he is such candy to them they forsake chewing on my other roses and go straight to him? I have no problem with spraying, but I suddenly faced a debilitating pregnancy and literally cried at times because I couldn't tend the roses I had just lovingly planted (Summer '05) and was so excited about as it was a brand new venture for me. So it was survival of the fittest in my garden. The pregancy will be over any day now and I got my energy back recently and have been in the garden since. I was pruning my roses just the other day when one was found to have cane borers (disgusting!!). Which one? Yep, Abe Darby. But he is still green as ever and ready to put out blooms!

Lilyfinch, I was just trying to rock the boat a bit and came off sounding harsh. I didn't mean to imply that you think fungicides are evil. And I don't use them because we don't have fungal diseases here on roses, so I should quit feeling so self righteous. I do feel there is sometimes confusion on the forum about sprays because fungicides are not the same as insecticides. If my roses got blackspot, I would use fungicides. LL, I think Evelyn is mostly apricot and is called that by David Austin. But pink Evelyn roses do show up fairly regularly. They are lovely, too, cause she's most always lovely. I'm in love with Evelyn, so I'm not biased--ha. Diane

Haha! Titian - I really laughed at the description of your "feral" hollyhock! I could just picture it in my mind!! Do you have a photo? I'd love to see it! Yes, my hollyhocks have been a LOT of bother too. As I said, they've had rust and spider mites and white flies and every-other-pest-in-the-garden... the lower leaves turn yucky & yellow and fall off, leaving bare knees... and the individual flowers only really last a day... but still, I really love them. :-) I've cut down all the big "first" stalks now as I read online that this will encourage new - shorter - stalks to grow from the base and that seems to be working. So hopefully I'll get another crop of flowers before the summer is over. Do you know if they'll flower again next year? Should I leave them in the ground or dig them up and start again with new seedlings for next year? I know normally, they're biennials so you leave them the first year - but mine have all flowered now in their first year so I don't know if that means they're finished? Oh, I'd LOVE to try and teas and other OGR's but sadly, I think I'm already running out of garden space. At least, of the prime spots for roses... I really only have a tiny garden, with very narrow beds. . Kristine - thank you for the compliment! :-) I'm sad to report that I had a look at my Abraham Darby yesterday and oh dear - he DOES have some blackspot on the lower leaves!! :-( It's only very little and the overall bush is still very green & healthy and he's blooming again... but it's a bit ominous that he's doing this in hot, dry, summer weather. So it seems everybody is right about his disease susceptibility. Just thought I'd let you know so you're prepared - I hope he does well for you, though! ~ HY

Abe should do well for you in zone 7. And he will probably reach quite a big size. I grew him in zone 5 and he got to the top of an 8' arbor. But as you say some BS. I have a new Abe in the ground this spring - missed the fragrance and color.