Think Marla Rana has already debunked that post. They did not realize where those Roses are on the site.

Abraham Darby disappeared a couple of years ago, but the others are all still there... bare root or potted...

..but who knows what the future holds for any DA rose... I would expect them to downsize their old fashioned varieties, as just about everyone else is doing that unfortunately...

'M Wood'

'G Thomas' also available climbing version

I thought the Teddington Gardener, whose blog I followed once upon a time, was a reliable source. It popped up on my feedly, dated yesterday. I am glad it is not true.

I think Martin, the blogger, jumped the gun a bit there, although he may have information that is not generally known at the moment, - he probably has more contacts than I do - but those roses are certainly still available, and many other vendors here sell them too...

Martin also mentions Thomas a Becket, wondering what has happened to that rose, yet it's still there and DA have just sent me an email offering it as a Valentine's Day gift... so I think a little oversight on his part perhaps..

Two roses I notice that have recently dropped are 'Janet' and 'Maid Marion'... I was thinking of getting that one too..

Marlowe Arena, did you ever grow Jayne Austin?

Vap... no I've never had that one... Rick in Canada told me it's heavily scented of 'tar'... as is Dame Judi Dench...

correction.. Maid Marion is still offered by DA... Janet gone though... it would make things so much easier if they just came out and told us which they are removing instead of doing it oh so quietly so no one notices...

I wonder why they keep The Lady's Blush or Lady Salisbury because apart from myself I've never heard anyone else growing them, yet they remain...

He was not speaking of what is available now, in England, and I think he very probably does have inside information. But that does not mean that his forecast, whatever it is based on, will definitely come true. He has always been a fan of Lady Emma Hamilton. This is the first post I have seen by him on my feed in many, many months.

I think he's been ill for some time...

All I'm doing is disputing this first line of his...

Well, lots of them but first. Lady Emma Hamilton is no more. Munstead Wood, Falstaff, likewise. Even Graham Stuart Thomas. Cut from their listing of available roses ..

..that isn't actually true as they are all still available... along with some others he mentions are gone..

Their new catalogue will be out here soon, so we'll see what's in that... perhaps he's had a preview of it...

Well, yes. Only time will tell. It could be that he is using the present tense for the future tense. Or that he is mistaken. Obviously some of the roses that he mentions as on the way out are still in the catalog. I for one am sorry to see the Alexandra Rose gone, as the growing specimens I have seen are particularly lovely. I don't have room for such big shrub roses, myself, alas. So haven't been keeping track.

I shall have to assume he's seen the new catalogue before the rest of us, and has taken it from that... otherwise I've no idea where he's got this from..

I can think of a dozen roses they could remove before any of those... I mean does anyone still buy The Countryman, Shropshire Lass or Comte de Champagne..?

Marlorena, are all the roses in the English catalogue or are some online?

Vap... I no longer have last year's catalogue to check but I do remember seeing ''online only'' against a lot of roses, so you couldn't order those using the form in the catalogue... including Munstead Wood, I remember that clearly, it said online only for that one, which surprised me as you would expect it to feature more prominently, considering its popularity..

The new catalogue is due in about 2 weeks... so this makes me wonder if Martin has already seen it and found a number missing, but I wish he had made that clear in his blog if that's the case, because all those roses he mentions I can still order online, bare root or potted... but if they are disappearing in a few weeks time, then it would be nice to know for sure although they are mostly available from other vendors here,,.. and cheaper too.. so we wouldn't be losing them altogether as such...

I still can't believe it because they are amongst the most popular roses... I mean MW is unique amongst Austins.. and everybody loves Lady Emma and GT...

Just a quick clarification on the scent of Jayne Austin Malorena, "smile". The smell of "tar", while a simile for a tiny portion of the scent of Jayne Austin, is a bit strong, pardon the pun, as a description of her fragrance.

I and another fan of this particular rose have described her fragrance as "tea with a note of phenol". Phenol is a derivative of coal tar, doesn't sound nice, does it? But mixed with the sweet Tea fragrance of Jayne, it is potent, heavenly, and distinctive. Jayne is one of my very favorite roses, both for flower form and fragrance. She also is extremely healthy in the three different climate zones where I have grown her. She blooms very well and is vigorous. She makes a stunning pillar rose here in British Columbia. I have also heard someone describe her scent as Licorice mixed with Tea, so get her, smell her and decide for yourself. I doubt that you will be disappointed.

Cheers, Rick

Thank you, Rick. I have a rooted cutting that I haven't managed to kill yet. Fingers crossed that she'll be big enough for planting this year. I can not wait to smell her!!! She will go on a fence next to Quicksilver.

I planted Jayne Austin at my friends' house in Maryland, perhaps 20 years ago (or more). It was not a good situation for it, as it was a bit shady and has only gotten more so and my friends don't weed. (I try when I go down there.) I can say that the flowers last in a vase, the bush is amazingly still hanging on, but the canes are very leggy and stiff, and the blooms are sparse and only at the top -- this had been true since I first planted it. It grows but doesn't thrive. The blooms look to me in shape and color a little like "Perdita", also long "superseded." I think the fragrance is very good.
On the other hand, Charlotte has been very satisfactory, though it would have been even better had it had better care. I have seen blooms on it in January! This rose is a sleeper, even though I don't remember anything about the fragrance, and usually fragrance is the first thing I look for in a rose.

I'll say, Ingrid. What a beauty!

..thanks Rick... I think we really need more of Jayne Austin... I like that strange scent actually.

...Ingrid, I think we shall never see 'Janet' again unfortunately...

...just to add, I've been in touch with DA here in England, enquiring only about Lady Emma Hamilton, and I have been told that it will still be available this year, and I can order it bare root or potted now or during the summer...

...there was no mention of it being withdrawn...

I’m having a lot of fun discovering how varied Rose fragrances can be. I’m planting my little cutting of Jayne Austin this weekend, and can’t wait to get to know her. Thanks for the additional info on her. :-)

Marlorena, have you ever grown the Countryman? I never considered it before, but since you mentioned it, I went ahead an looked it. up. Seems like an interesting rose but maybe doesn't bloom as much as newer introductions?

-Chris

freedom Gardens Carrie's this Rose if you find you are interested in it.

Chris... no I've not so far but it looks a lovely rose and worthy of more attention... it seems to be well regarded by those who do have it... I'm not sure if Magnus, who writes here has it... perhaps it doesn't repeat that well, but its reputed strong scent appeals very much..

'Windflower' is another rarely mentioned... I'm looking to order a few of these more obscure roses before they drift off the last page.... we are lucky that Austin offers some 793 roses.. so I can't blame them if they reduce by 30 percent, some are so obscure, it's hard to imagine anyone buying these days but I'd like them to know that at least someone pays attention..

I have to access the 'shop all roses' tag to see them all..

Windflower is not on the US website.

oh ok.. I was just reading an old thread by Mr Jerome in California and he had it, and seemed pleased with it ...

I was just doing an order but find so many of the old and specie roses are already sold out so somebody is buying them, which is good to see really..

I shall get Windflower though...

From Horticulture Week, 1-19-2020

David Austin Roses consolidates range

David Austin, has cut its range by 30%.

…no longer available: 'Munstead Wood', 'Lady Emma Hamilton', 'Abraham Darby', 'William Shakespeare', 'Elsie Braithwaite', 'Alan Titchmarsh' and others.

…Numbers of varieties available are now 86, down 30%, with more old varieties set to be dropped. 'Gertrude Jekyll' remains a top seller and will continue to be sold.

David Austin Roses' Kate Porter said: "We've made some significant changes to the range for the good of the customer. Some of the well-known varieties we are withdrawing from the range. What was wonderful 20 years ago, standards have changed and we've improved breeding standards."

David Austin's Paul Manley recommends new varieties such as 'Olivia Rose Austin'.

*Emphasis and a grain of salt are mine.

..as of right now, the facts are not quite right and I've no idea why DA is putting this out there at this stage, or it's being misinterpreted as already happened when it's something for the future, because all those roses are still available for purchase.. except A Darby and W Shakespeare because they were withdrawn a few years ago.. I can still get all the others.. including LD Braithwaite and Alan Titchmarsh..

..here's a part of an email I got from DA only yesterday...

''Lady Emma Hamilton should have a flush at the end of June, in September and beginning of October.

You can order the rose in June or you can order and pay for the rose now and then request delivery for June.''

...yet we given to believe it's already obsolete...

..even if it's a case of selling off remaining stock, it's still misleading to claim that they are no longer available.. that's my point really..

I think you're both right. It's still available, but probably won't be beyond this year. Why can't they phase things in. Many of these such as MW and Falstaff are still in patent and once discontinued will not be available anywhere. I would like to see the complete list to plan future purchases.

Some, if not most, of the varieties mentioned in the article are still available from DA. But you have to remember that Horticulture Week is a professional trade mag for those in the horticulture industry, and it's entirely possible that DA has already stopped WHOLESALE sales of these roses, or stopped granting a license to propagate (justifying the use of present tense in the article), which would limit availability at the retail level to what is currently on hand. I don't have any way to confirm that supposition. But if you want them, and can find them, you'd better order this year just to be safe.

John

I do not understand their policy. Yes, new varities come out every year. But they sholud have some varities which stand out as their trademark. For me, Lady Emma Hamilton is one of their best roses. Unique in color (the whole bush not just the blooms) and completely healthy. I have some of their newest varities which cannot compete in health with their older ones. I love my Evelyn, Munstead wood and Lady of Shalott! The last one is also an outstanding rose!

soncna, I feel sure you will still be able to get these roses in Europe, even if sold under the AUS codes.... or from other suppliers here that export.. I can still get all of them here from my local nursery Style Roses too.. bare root and potted...even long since discontinued like Evelyn, Heathcliff, and WS2000... I'm surprised that American gardeners on Instagram and Facebook are in a panic as what happens here, and this is from DA UK, does not always go the same way elsewhere.. Their DA U.S arm seems to operate in a different way..

I'm not in the least concerned about the DA bred roses, but what does concern me more, and I'm quite disturbed about this, is that they have given us no warning about which of the OGR and specie roses they are discontinuing amongst the reported 30%... when Peter Beales did this they gave us a ''Last Chance to Buy'' option... DA have sold out of most of their Old Roses... they have some that are not sold by anyone else amongst over 700 roses... for instance the Hulthemia 'Edward Hyams'.. is quite rare, from Iran... if they remove roses like this without telling anybody, - and they are fond of keeping things quiet - then I think it's really poor form on their part..