SaraAnn, I agree with you. There’s something about DA roses that makes they always look graceful in photos. I wonder if there is a gracefulness requirement when the DA team selects a rose to release to the public. Helen

I grow fewer than many people here, but they do add something special to a garden, and I have it in mind to add a few more in the future. There's a richness and romance about them that to me many of the modern roses don't possess, and even for me, a lover of the old roses, the Austins strike me as being old roses on steroids because of their impact in the garden.

I, too, love whenever someone shares their DA roses. Although it has definitely been hard on my “Want” list haha! It is growing exponentially. Here is my second year LOS.

Close up of some blooms

LEH and Sharifa Asma

What a beautiful bouquet! I've been thinking about Sharifa Asma lately, and you're definitely inspiring me, rosiewells. Your LOS in the garden is so lovely.

Thank you everyone! What a beautiful bush of LOS rosiewells, nice bouquet too! Love your Royal Jubilee and Lady Emma Hamilton Jo! Helen and Ingrid you both have beautiful Austins!

Helen, you were the first person I thought of as soon as I read the words Austin Roses. You grow them exceptionally well.

Jo, I'm in awe. My Royal Jubilee is only a year old and even here, she is a big girl, though not a climber. I would think I was in heaven if mine looked like yours. If I gave her something to climb or lean on, maybe she'd grow upward. She only had a little winter tip damage, no cane loss.

I love Austin's too! I love them so much my husband knows to only look for the green and gold buckets at the garden centres. They are mostly winter hardy too. I've only had a few who have struggled come spring. Mine are just starting to bud up here, hoping to have some nice pictures this year. I think I'm at about 35 - 40 Austin's now. The blooms of these just wow me everytime! And even today I was looking at the status of all my plants & noticed how pretty some of the Austin's foliage colours are in spring. Tess of the D'uberville has beautiful leaf colours, reds, bronze and yellows mixed in. And each variety has different leaf colours. So I have Gertrude next to Charlotte and their foliage is completely different, Gertrude is burgundy and Charlotte is a nice green. I like this so even when there are no flowers there is a bit of interest in foliage. Anyways, I'm super excited to see them grow & bloom this year!

Ingrid,

I first heard about Sharifa here on this site a long time ago. Just the person’s description of the smell made me covet her badly. I found her last year on a trip to Roses Unlimited and snatched her up. Her smell does not disappoint! I would say go for it!

Jo,

Thank you and your Jubilee is absolutely stunning! So glad you did not give up on her. When you say she struggled was she just not growing? How is the health/smell for you? I love how rich in color she appears. I need that tone in my garden, me thinks :). Wondering what might be a good alternate for this color due to you saying she has been finicky for you?

Sara,

Thank you! And thank you for starting this thread. I could look at y’all’s pictures of roses all day.

Crown Princess Margareta has been the star out of all of my Austins this year! So in love with this rose.

These are just the best of the best..... Royal Jubilee, LEH and CPM! All are so beautiful. I'll post pics of some of mine in a bit although my dark ones are so hard to photograph.

I agree! I have seen so many beautiful pictures of DA roses on this forum, and learned so much about them - some do better in my yard than others, but I'm grateful for the shared knowledge, and love seeing everyone's photos!

The Lark Ascending (2 years old, but I moved it over the winter):

A baby own root Munstead Wood, doing what Munstead Wood does best:

I was going to ask what it was. I just planted a Crown Princess. Omg that is beautiful. Can't wait now!

Cyndita,

What lovely shots of The Lark Ascending! I love the setting you have her in. And Munstead Wood is gorgeous as well.

Vapor,

Cant wait to see what you share with us!

I just bought my first 2 Austins last week. Got a Charlotte and a Winchester Catherial. I'm not sure but I think Winchester will go in a container by my door. Will it do well in a container? How big should I get?

Rosie...How do you get the blooms to look so pretty in that vase. If I bring in any blooms from mine they just wilt seemingly in hours, or the petals just fall away.

Gorgeous Austin’s in this thread. I have to agree that David Austin’s have a special grace. They are very romantic and to me they bring feelings of peace and happiness when I see them. My only complaint is that I wish they would be more blackspot resistant, but how does that saying goes? if wishes were horses, beggars would ride? Sara wonderful thread topic. Austin’s are certainly very lovely.

David,

I happened to take the picture right after I cut those three blooms. Typically, my LEH drops her petals about 2-3 days after I cut them. Sharifa will last around 3-4 days. I don’t do anything special but I do try to cut them before it gets too hot outside and I immediately put them in water. We are also on well water which is super filtered so not sure if that has anything to do with it? Once I put them in the vase I try not to move them as I find LEH especially will shatter at the slightest movement. Both of them are also young plants (two years old) so not sure if they might become more resilient as they get older?

Sorry I couldn’t give you definitive answers! i did hear someone say to put a penny in the water so I was thinking about trying that. And I want to say someone said something about a tiny bit of vodka in the water as well might help.

David you can always try the rose in a pot for a couple of years and if it wants to get too big find her a place in the ground. I don't grow Winchester Cathedral, but I do grow Mary rose. If I am not mistaken Winchester Cathedral is a sport of Mary so their habits must be similar. Mary wants to grow very large in my zone 7b so I wouldn't be able to keep her long in a pot unless I pruned her very hard all the time. Mary's canes are pegged to the ground, here she is on her 2nd year. I think both roses you purchased are beautiful and I am sure you will love them. My answer for a choice of container would be ( as large as you can find =)

I can't wait until my Lady of Shallot, Royal Jubilee, Lady Emma and Crown princess look half as awesome are these posted here. Specially my Crown princess has been slow to get going with long canes that drag on the ground. Seeing these beautiful pictures gives me hope, I just need to be patient.

cyndita thank you for posting your Lark Ascending, I haven't seen much of this rose and it seems lovely.

here is another Austin I don’t see much. Christopher Marlowe. Just planted in March, very healthy and seems to want to be a crazy little super bloomer.

Jo, Your Lady Emma looks stunning. I'm also curious about the pot, what size is it? How long have you had it in there? Is it plastic?

I'm looking for a pot to my Winchester in and that looks nice.

Dienela, thanks for the advice on Winchester. I have been debating whether I might want a pink rose on my porch anyway, so this settles it.

Choosing among Princess Alexandra, Boscobel, Desdemona, Eglantyne, and Gertrude Jekyll, which do you think is best for a container? Light conditions on my porch are it’s very bright mornings, the light gets a bit filtered later in the day.

Hello David,

From the ones you mentioned I grow Princess Alexandra (still very small, but I have heard it gets large), Boscobel (would be perfect for a container, stays small here) and Desdemona would be perfect anywhere I think (this one is one of the most versatile David Austins I have seen).

Please click on image to expand or they look weird
Here is my Boscobel after 3 years in the ground without too much pruning. Desdemona in the back with almost no pruning.

Spring 2019 · More Info

here Desdémona on 3rd year. Would do great in a large pot in my opinion.

I, like you Sara, have my first love in HT's. BUT, David Austin did the rose world a huge favor in his creations. I have a great love of Old Garden Roses but to get a nice looking bush under a great looking bloom is tough. They are out there but they are usually limited to a light colors. I don't grow mass' of DA roses but I REALLY like what I grow. Me, like everyone on these forms grows what pleases us. Here are the varieties I grow;

Crocus Rose. I wasn't a big fan of this rose for the first couple of years and almost pulled it but it's pure beauty kept it in my garden. Now in it's 6th year, I can't imagine it NOT being in my garden.

Molineux. By far my favorite Austin. I like it enough where I now have 3 bush's of it. 2 are young but I can't wait to have a huge vase full of these beauties.

Munstead Wood. One thing I really like about this variety is the bush looks like an OGR that stays half way bushy and the blooms are drop dead beautiful with a scent that screams OGR. I will probably end up with 3 bush's of this beauty before long.

Scepter d' Isle. There is something about it's simple beauty that keeps it around. I've been growing it since the early 2000's and it still holds a place in the garden. Big healthy bush with dozens of blooms each bloom cycle doesn't hurt.

The Prince. There is something about this rose that I can smile at it even when the sun cooks the blooms. It can be a picky sucker but it's been in my garden as long as Scepter d' Isle when others have come and gone. I guess I must really like it.

LD Braithwaite has performed way better then I thought it would do. It's planted in a vital spot out by the road and catch's your attention even if you are not looking for it. Big tough bush with dozens of bright red blooms that recycle very quickly.

Lady Emma Hamilton is new in my garden, again. I grew it several years ago and really liked everything about it. Then it got some sort a fungus on the root system and died. For reasons unknown, I'm just getting around to replacing it. Pictures will follow as it grows up.

Love you Austins Ken, specially The crocus rose and Moulineux are amazing. I just added Munstead wood to my garden this year and haven't been very impressed, but all the blooms posted here are amazing so I guess mine is just too young.

Oh, came back to this thread to find amazing pictures and great comments about David Austin roses.

Flowers - my Royal Jubilee is more a tall shrub than a climber. I am hoping it will put out some octopus canes that I can train up the arbor.

Rosie - Royal Jubilee has been a reluctant bloomer for me - 15-20 blooms in it’s spring flush and fewer in a second round and nothing after that. It’s grafted and in it’s 4th year in my garden and most Austins here come bursting out of the starting gate so I’ve been underwhelmed by it. I can’t complain about the flush this year and we’ll see how the repeat bloom is this year. It probably has enjoyed all the rain we have had this winter and spring. Disease resistance is good though it gets some anthracnose on the canes especially near the buds. The fragrance is amazing- very different from other roses. We used to unkindly call the rose “Bubble Gum” but the the color has grown on me and I like it now. Another rose in deep pink is Princess Anne which I really like very much. I’ll share pics in a following comment :-)

Greta - your CPM is absolutely gorgeous. If mine had looked even half as good I would have been super thrilled and wouldn’t have evicted her from my garden.

Cyndita - The Lark Ascending is beautiful and Munstead Wood - the color and shape!

Dianela - your Mary Rose is lovely! I am going to show your pic to mine which is a poor copy of yours! Christopher Marlowe has such interesting colors, doesn’t it? I regret leaving it behind when I moved to my present home. It was a good bloomer.

David - congratulations on your 2 new David Austins. Be warned - they are like rabbits and multiply like crazy: 2 will soon be 4 and....!

The pot I have LEH in is resin. I think the brand is Southern Patio. I got mine from COSTCO but I have seen them in box stores like Home Depot. I’ll measure and confirm later in the evening but think it’s 24” in diameter.

I am in a different zone but Princess Alexandra of Kent is huge here and I can’t imagine her in a pot. In fact I had to move LEH to a pot because PAoK encroached into LEH’s space and was smothering her. My 2 PAoKs each grow to 7-10’ wide by the end of the year. But they are show-stoppers when in bloom. I have seen Boscobel in a park nearby and it seems a smaller bush than PAoK but someone who grows it should confirm size.

Jo

Took time with my comment above and, Dianela and Ken, you both posted amazing pictures. Wow, just wow!!

Jo

Rosie - here’s Princess Anne:

It makes a nice shrub and flowering is profuse and repeat is good, too.

Ken - Molineux is my favorite Austin too! It’s such a workhorse. I lost my older one last year. I had it for over 13 years but it was older than that. It moved with me twice and bloomed its heart out for me.

Here, Molineux (my second one) at the back with PAoK in front:

Jo

WOW fantastic picture Jo. I can't say how much I LOVE your PAoK. It is gorgeous! I have some in my garden that have barely grown because the deer have been eating them and I never even look at them much because they just aren't much to look at. If they could please please turn into something even remotely similar to yours I would be delighted. Molineux is gorgeous too, they are all amazing.

Thanks Dianela. Once PAoK takes off you can only stand back and watch. Your Boscobel is gorgeous.

David - I just measured the pot. It’s 24” in diameter and 16” high.

Jo

Thank you for sharing your beauties here, I am still in awe and love seeing them. They are all so lovely!

sara ann - I'm one who has posted a lot of DA rose photos over the years and I'm glad you've enjoyed them. It gives me a lot of pleasure to share the beauty of all roses with people who enjoy roses too!

Ann

Jo,

Wow, I am absolutely speechless at your pictures of Princess Anne. Stunning! Thank you so much for your comments and I am adding her to my must get list!

Your shot of her with Molineaux/companion plants is why magic is made of. You must get such joy whenever you are in your garden.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I decided to give Winchester a home in my garden

and picked up Desdemona for my porch

The Austins are my favorites. I've enjoyed seeing these wonderful photos of them, so beautifully grown.

Geoff Hamilton

Jo thank you very much, Boscobel is a favorite in my garden. If my PAoK ever gets goi g she probably will be also.

Ann I love seeing all your roses in any thread. You are an amazing gardener.

David excellent choices. Whoever please take more pictures of your Desdémona as the blooms open. I am a bit concerned that what I see in your picture doesn’t look like Desdémona. I might just be the picture but I have never seen my Desdémona look that dark or that shape.

Krista OMG I love that Geoff Hamilton. How does it do for you regarding blooming and black spot? They are all amazing. I know it sound a tiny bit crazy, but I would like to have every Austin in their catalog.

dianela, I feel the same way. I'd like to have them all, past and present, but I'm well behind. I adore these huge apricot ones and Princess Anne.

Thanks again for all the swoon worthy pictures and comments!

dianela, Heres a better lit photo of Desdemona. I checked and all the labelling on the pot, tag on rose base and hang tag all say Desdemona. What makes you think is might be something different?

Here's a bloom closeup...very pink.

Dianela, Geoff Hamilton has scattered blooms after the main flush. It defoliates from blackspot. I, too, wish I could grow all the Austins, I love them, especially the pinks and apricots.

Since I usually just post closeups, I figured I should post a whole bush shot on the size some Austins get here.

These 2 Teasing Georgias on this large gazebo have been in pots since 2015. There is one on the left, and one on the right of the gazebo. There is also an Olivia in front in a pot. They are pretty big and would be bigger if not cut back each spring.

For Scale/size

This Olivia was cut back in the photos, it can up to the top as well.

David thank you for taking a closer picture. I would like to hear from others here, but unfortunately some times roses get labeled incorrectly even when you get them directly from David Austin. I have 2 Desdemonas and they have never been that color. I think you may have a more pink Austin which looks amazing but it is not Desdemona. Here is mine. Maybe I am incorrect and yours is just looking darker, whatever you have is an amazing pink.

Sultry those pictures are spectacular. Lol they make me smile, they are huge and lovely =).

Hi dianela! Thank you for your kind words. My gardening skills are pretty average but I'm lucky enough to live in a great climate that's great for growing roses!

Ann

Sultry - your gazebo Teasing Georgia arch is amazing!

David - I also have Desdemona, and like dianela have never seen it look that pink. (The buds can be pink, but more of a light blush pink - I've never seen them get to medium pink.) Sometimes buds in fertilized nursery pots subject to changing conditions can do weird things, so it's possible it's just a fluke. But, I would also be concerned that it's mislabeled.

Ann, I would guess your rose growing skills are above average, you have some gorgeous roses. I will admit I am somewhat envious of those who live in areas where roses are easier to grow, but happy that you all are so willing to share your beautiful pictures! I love all the beautiful Austins everyone is sharing! Thank you so much everyone!

I agree Sara_ann. Ann’s growing roses skills are top notch :). After being on this hobby for only 3 years I have already learned that a huge amount of dedication and sweat goes into every garden before any beautiful roses can be photographed.

Sara_Ann your roses are fantastic as well. You really have some amazing roses growing in your garden.

Dianela, thank you for your kind words. I’ve been enjoying your roses too. You’re doing great, I’m sure you’ve learned a lot during that time.

I started this Austin thread, because I love them, but personally haven’t had as much success as others. But I know part of that is because of mistakes I’ve made. So I’m not giving up on them! I always need inspiration.

Sara ann, if I've learned anything it's that there's a lot of trial and error even after tons of research. Sometimes those I've bought on a lark have done best. I did want to let you know that the ones growing in the Tulsa garden looked fantastic. They were Desdemona, Scepter'd Isle and one I'll have to look up and post pics. Perhaps you should try those if you haven't already. : )) I've also learned that roses do thank you for even a little bit of care.

vaporvac, thank you. Good to know that about the Austins at the Tulsa garden, I think both varieties you mentioned are gorgeous! I ordered a Graham Thomas this year, which is supposed to be a good one for this area, but they didn’t ship it, because a lot of their Austins didn’t do very good. I did plant a Munstead Wood, it seems to be doing okay. I have Lady of Shalott and Darcey Bussell, and that’s it right now. They both improve a little every year.