I have to say, that even though I've only had this rose since about January or so, I'm really pleased with it. It was the last of my DA bareroots to show growth, (all planted at the same time) but once it got started it really shot up and seems to be very happy and healthy. It's leaves are entirely green and beautiful, while many of my other bushes show some, I guess, salt build-up from my water, or crispies from the heat or something.... but not James Galway... it's leaves are gorgeous! and like I said, it's grown more than some of my other DAs. How it will do in other years, who knows. Even though it's it's first year, it's tried to bloom several times. I think the flowers are interesting and unusual, they have a bit of a pointed look to the petals and a complex bloom shape. It's not like every other "Mary Rose" type "old fashioned" rose, it's a little different. It's hot/dry where I am. zone 9-10. clay soil Here's a photo I took this month showing the growth since Jan. (note the size of the marker)

Yes, me too! Love Summer Song and wish I could get it. The other roses are also to 'die for." Gorgeous! That Yeoman is something you don't see every day. Just beautiful!

Farmers Branch on my visit list for Spring! Have visited DA in England was not aware of Farmers. THANks. I have grown all the early Austin's most in Houston, which often gives different results. My experiences.... In Dallas - Sharifa is ok not one of my favs. Liked him better in H. I was considering removing him to make room for a modern, he is healthy but tired of his thorns and his semi double summer washed out blooms. . In Houston, Jude did better than Golden. Jude bloomed continually in shady spot, kept flower form and peachy yellow color in summer. My Dallas Jude does not get enough sun to perform consistently. I must have pushed his shade tolerance too too far but I wanted him at the back of my garden where his paler color would draw your eye without stopping it, esp. in evening and at night. Golden gave me a lush spring fall displays in Dallas but he took up too much real estate with little summer rewards so it is gone. Olivia Rose is never out of bloom. NEVER. I am trying to train it into a climber but she keeps telling me she wants to be a large shrub. She is so dependable as to be almost boring. Though she is smaller and paler in summer blooms are still pink and full. The rose no one mentions much that gives me year round beauty is Mary Magdalene; bush stays small and neat, flowers good size in summer, always smells great, little or no disease. She has a lovely habit of leaving a few small petals on her spent buds like tiny pop pom that are lovely for a long time, making for more bush beauty. This even in summer. Though she whites out in high heat she never looks dirty,but rather giving impression of white rose. She looks delicate but isn't probably appropriately named. I have not grown Bolero (on my spring list) but I would think Mary is rather like that rose. Another plus... sprays of both Olivia and Mary last forever as cut roses. The tighter buds will actually open if they have even the tiniest bit of color. I know everyone loves Munstead Wood but his dark summer color reminds me of Prince which I disliked. I grown MW and he is lovely when not black red, but he does have all those thorns. Sophy's Rose is another constant bloomer that keeps form and color. Funny thing, I tried grafted Evelyn when she first came out in Houston. I hated her; octopus arms, with few blooms and then only at tips. I have her in Dallas and she is one of favorites, very consistent bloomer, keeping form and color in summer. Even in Texas results vary so much. I did not give Evelyn much time in H or TLC so fault could have been mine. I grown do grow many others but this is already more info than anyone probably wants. I do go on and on and on it seems. :)) My Dark Lady has been super, I just cut 10 giant blooms before freeze comes.

Those are beautiful! I did go down a clematis rabbit hole a couple of days ago when I realized I might be expecting too much for a rose bush in that area. But I think that they grow entirely too large for my purposes here in the PNW. I just have a 6.5 ft by 6 ft fence I need to cover. My house runs perpendicular to two other houses so it's at the intersection of two fences from both houses and I don't want anything that I can't keep pruned down to my side of the fence. All the shade tolerant clematis I read about seem to grow monstrously large. I'd love to hear if anyone thinks differently though. For now my plan might be to shift the climbing rose bush a foot or two down in the other direction where it's sunnier. I won't be able to see it from my window but visitors to our house will see it. And then to cover the part of the fence I can see through the window with the evergreen star jasmine. I'm not sure how many flowers I would get due to the partial shade conditions, but it seems like it's easier to keep pruned down. I'm going to have the same star jasmine vine in another part of my yard that does get more sunlight so it could be an interesting experiment. I'm still thinking this through though. And I have time since I don't plan on planting this area until next February/March.