Olga, I can't stop looking at your primula photos. Those are just beautiful. This will be only my 2nd year with roses and I am trying to make decisions about what to add. I want one of those! But they are big, and I don't think I have the room for one. I have a fairly good sized yard that I plan to convert (slowly) into a mix of perennials and roses, and I am unsure about how I could work in something so large. I love how they have such a graceful, airy look and the contrast between the dark canes and the pale flowers. Just beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing, Angela

I have to agree with Carolina. Austins seem to be like some dogs, they go well for one master and fail everyone else. I have a couple such, Evelyn and Gertrude Jeykyll which you will find cursed and derided in threads here but which have such beautiful scents and bloom, they'll be here after I go.'As for the Austins that DA let's go, I fancy he is just making room for the new. I grow one of the oldest ones, Belle Storey and it is an exquisite rose, not on sale very many places with an extremely complex nose and beautiful semi double blooms which open well of a foggy morning. On the other hand L.D. Braithewaite, Prospero,and Abe Darby were highly touted Austins that were absolutely misrerable for me. Maybe you'll find the one woman Austin that loves you but refuses to eat for anyone else. Kind of a quest. la

Here is mine last Spring. It is about 15 years old, and obviously we have not pruned it (except so that we can still walk around it) for several years. I plan to take it down by about 50% in a few days - it really has gotten TOO BIG! IT is 9-10 feet tall right now. My DH built it a support out of plumbing pipes, which is hiding under the rose - you can see a bit of it peeking out of the bottom. We are in North SF Bay Area in CA - it certainly likes it here! Jackie

vesfl... oh that's nice, I'm glad he liked the photos... 'The GG' is one of those I mistakenly put inside the obelisk, but you can get away with it as you see, but it's a little awkward to train up the middle, which is why I recommend putting it outside.. I also have another rose on that obelisk outside of it, so they share the space, although can't see it much in that photo.. some of my obelisks for this season, I've got no less than 3 roses all planted outside, which I shall entwine together, but obviously this is for the adventurous [read insane] gardener. Your friend can make do with just one rose... I like 'The GG' very much, lovely scent, nice first flush, and continues to bloom until late... Oh, you asked about the training, well I just let The GG go straight up really, it's quite an upright grower fortunately, not too thorny and troublefree, but the other rose on the outside, I'm training it around the structure, twirling it around upwards as it goes...