Beautiful! Congrats! Really, really pretty!

Wow that is such a cool rose!!!!

What a perfectly formed bloom!

As perfect as a rose can get! Congrats!

Your photo reminds me of Othello. I know the reds & purple roses are hard to capture without a really good camera. Glad you are loving it. I planted one last year. It bloomed, this is the only pic I have it. Hoping it grows well and wows me. I don't remember a fragrance. But I'm terrible for not stopping to smell the roses. My goal this season is to sniff every bloom I see. Mine made it through winter & is starting to grow now. We shall compare notes, very similar climates I think.

Awwesome!

What a beautiful rose......

Beautiful !!

jin

It's a dramatically beautiful rose, the kind that you can't pass by.

They’re both gorgeous!

That is gorgeous.. I can’t wait to see how he performs for you and imagine a whole shrub covered in those blooms !! So gorgeous!!!

Wow! Beautiful!

Oh, that’s beautiful, Vapor! Both the color and the form. I can understand why you are so excited.

Jo

I agree- the bloom form and color are terrific! I just purchased Falstaff from Lowe’s this spring and cannot wait to see it bloom (and hope it really is Falstaff - fingers crossed).

Absolutely lovely! And don’t you just love when a rose lets you know you are making them happy?

Gorgeous!! It’s such a great feeling to see them flourish in their permanent spots. Well done!! :-)

I love your Falstaff bloom. I used to have that one. I need to get another one. It grew very tall here and was a good bloomer.

Wow! So many comments. Thank you everyone! This rose just took my breath away.... when I first saw it had beautiful rain droplets, but I didn't have a camera. This picture was taken later, but it has held this form through torrential rains. I sometimes wish I could keep it this way forever, but I think its aching beauty lies in its fleeting nature. Hallo, we will have to keep tabs on each others' and Dave's as well. I do know it's very hardy with 0 die-back at -7F night and single digit days. I grew Othello for a short while, but it got dug up during a yard redo after being mown down and didn't make it. I was so dejected I didn't try roses again until recently. Sultry, it's growing next to a balustrade on which I'm trying to grow it as a low climber. It's next to First Crush and behind Summer Romance with New Dawn heading for China, so it's a very pretty picture.

I love this rose, rich color and memorable blooms. Mine did not survive, critter damage and perhaps the location was not ideal. But I bought another this spring and will grow it again. I think it's reasonably hardy in this zone.

When I saw the title I couldn't wait to open the post. Since I know you have so many roses I was eager to see the most beautiful! Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.

Wow Vap! I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such a perfect Falstaff bloom. It never really piqued my interest before. Is this the one Cori Ann spoke of so highly in her hot temps? I almost think so. Anyway, it’s just gorgeous! It takes a LOT for me to gasp at the beauty of a “red” rose, but you’ve done it will that photo. Perfect! Lisa

Krista, your bloom is beautiful and I'm glad to hear you're giving it another go. Lisa, this is the same rose Cori Ann grows with Iceberg up metal obelisks. I had planted mine to climb a wall as I had read about that on DAs site and she posed the question shortly after. Hers was a success while mine failed IN THAT SPOT. Actually everything I tried failed in that shady spot except Ghislaine de Feligonde so no fault of the roses. This is a rose that tolerates sun and I had thought being such a deep colour it could benefit from shade.... but not the case here. I have other pics I'll dig up that are also very beautiful where the blooms were smaller in the shade and when replanted into a pot.

I don't feel I grow any "red" roses or at least any with an orange undertone as that would totally clash with what I have going on. I'm currently debating where to move my Milano Kolorscape which is dark, but not in comparison to the Darcey Bussels next to it. Since they both bloom alot, it must go elsewhere and I'm planning on putting Pretty Jessica in its place. As a bonus, this will carry that colour pink to this area of my beds.

Super! In did it is a gorgeous rose : )

Not only is the bloom gorgeous, but the foliage is perfect too!
It has made me think I should start a scrapbook of printed out "best picture" of each of my roses.
Carla in Sac

Lovely photos, Vaporvac, Hallo and Krista! I am also a Falstaff fan. I planted him in several clients' gardens here in Portland, and I believe everyone was absolutely and eternally enchanted with his beauty. Did you notice Falstaff's deliciously rich, old rose fragrance? That's a real bonus, right?

His color quality runs to more of a deep pink than some of the dark Austins, and I find he blends well with and is complimented by so many colors: pale pink, cool reds, blue, purple, black, lavender, silver, white and chartreuse and yellow companions. Just no orange, warm reds or rusty browns. Vaporvac, Pretty Jessica is going to be delightful in your scheme which includes Falstaff and Darcy B, two gorgeous blue-reds! Falstaff is also a stunner next to sparkling green and white foliage, and he looks exotic with chartreuse. I once planted him in a front garden bed smack next to the sidewalk. The design included black mondo grass, black and white violas, Lamium 'Golden Anniversary,' purple-black irises and white spikes of campanula. I can't count the neighbors who stopped by the bed to admire him and ask his name. DA may have sold more Falstaff's in Portland that year than any other!

Cori Ann's pics of Falstaff and company were positively inspiring, and her planting is documentation that this rose can indeed take heat and sun unlike other dark Austins that burn. (Tradescant comes to mind.) Do you know if Cori Ann still posts, or did she abandon HOUZZ after it blew up the forum's technology and her private info was exposed? I had to step away for awhile shortly after all the sheboozle, and I don't see anything recently posted about her garden.

Carol

6 this is strange because I know I wrote a response but now I don't see it here. Oh well. Coriander post for a while after the snap food but I don't know if it's school or having to take care of all those Roses but she has not posted for a very long time. Sorry I'm on my phone and can't type.

So, I guess this is not a fluke on Falstaff and this is what it's going to look like from here on in. This Rose is amazing and the flowers have so much substance! This flower might be my new favorite! :-) taken this afternoon. Click to see its true beauty.

I clicked. Wow! Carol

Carol thank you! But I wrote before I mentioned how beautiful the scent was... I get old Rose and raspberry. It's a fragrance that really suits The Rose oh, don't you think? Is it healthy there in Portland? You know, I assume you live in Portland but your name could refer to Portland roses.

Yes! Old rose and raspberry. That's it exactly, Vaporvac. The scent matches the color.

I do live in Portland (the Oregon one). I grew up in Dallas, TX, with Chinas, Teas, Noisettes, etc. I moved to Minneapolis and gardened with Rugosas, Gallicas, Albas and Mosses. And then I moved to Portland.

In my experience, Falstaff is pretty darn healthy here in Fungusville. A bit of blackspot, but it shakes it off. No spray.

So, when are you going to begin a thread about the origin of avatars/forum monikers? Vaporvac. Hmmmm..... Carol

That bloom I said perfection. I love that rosee that have that shape.

Okay! This time it's really at the last pictures of blooms. These were from today and you can see all of the new buds coming and the long basil canes growing. I love this Rose!

I have wanted this rose since CoriAnn posted about it. Vapor, your photos make me pine even more. If only I were not so strict about my color scheme, I would make room for it.

Does anyone know if it can handle some shade?

totoro, I got one from Lowe's a few weeks ago and it is planted in part shade.

I wish I could tell you how many hours of sun it gets, but I'm not sure.

I think* it gets about 3 hours of intense early afternoon sun and dappled/bright shade for 3 hours in the morning and 3 more in the late afternoon/evening.

So far, it is healthy but no new growth and no blooms other than the ones it came with.

I am slightly worried, but all the new roses I planted this year are having similar productivity (or lack thereof).

You are so right, Vaporvac! The Falstaff I purchased from Lowe’s a couple of months ago or so has the most perfect looking blooms. However, I haven’t been able to detect any fragrance. I thought it was supposed to have a strong fragrance. Do you all detect much of one?

Beautiful fragrance, but yours may take time to develop that. I'm glad you were able to find one! It's also surprisingly healthy. I just don't expect that from some Austin's but it and Tess do really well.

Falstaff was declining in part shade but took off once i moved it to more sun.

still not full sun.

This crazy cane is over 6ft tall. not sure what the final form is on this rose.

Here is my Falstaff, JC.

It's one of those Austin's that can be grown as a small climber. Yours is looking good.

Do those of you who grow him think he could be a good subject for pegging? I'm not so keen on those long bare-ish thick-ish canes of his and wondering if pegging might induce them to put out some leaves and/or flowers? Would the canes be flexible enough? I guess wrapping them around an obelisk, like Cori-Anne, would be another solution.

Comtesse, I do think the canes are too stiff to peg. One could underplant him with fillers to hide his legs.

Ok. I am sold of Falstaff. Adding it to my Christmas list. Is it too early to be writing a Christmas list? 😂

I had a few really great Falstaff blooms this spring

@Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR i dont know if its because mine is young but mine could definitely handle pegging

how old is yours?

mine is grafted on Huey i assume.

i kind of force all my roses to do that because i planted them too close together

it is my only Austin with the famous octopus canes. ill try and get a picture but the tall spider grass hides the very weird form

Sheilas roses look like what i try todo with mine haha.

mine havent filled out and look very sad even though im letting them run wild

Mine is being himself and I don't do anything. I think Falstaff has a very graceful vase shape. He is a few years old. Maybe 4 years. I can't remember if grafted or not.

JC, do you think a couple of those canes might be Huey? The Falstaffs I’ve seen and grown are more vase-shaped and shrubby like Sheila’s. The canes were not lax. Your blooms are gorgeous!! And the fragrance is so delicious. Yum! Carol

carol i wont know for quote some time

now. that teally tall stem broke off in the wind yesterday.

i will keep an eye in it but it is gearing up for a few more blooms