I noticed this also, but people are saying he may be mistaken. I hope so.

I fear many of these much loved roses, in years to come, will be axed from the Austin stable. Hopefully there will be nurseries who will propagate these lovely roses and keep them available. Abe Darby & Evelyn are two of my very favorites - I am adding extras to my collection yearly. I will be doing the same with others. If roses like Tiffany, Mister Lincoln, Tropicana, Granada, Chicago Peace, etc. can stand the test of time and still be made available, why not these lovely Austins? Who knows......we might see the discarded Austins in body bags at Walmart one day beside the Don Juans, Americas, etc......

I don't know about NOW, but at one time, Austin's policy was punitive.

If a nursery propagated and sold the varieties they were dumping, it would not be allowed to buy/offer the shiny new ones. And their policy was not that the roses were patented ... but rather that they were COPYWRITED -- to prevent continued propagation of older varieties.

Interesting to know, Jeri, but I can’t “like” it. :-(

Wondering if this is just a press stunt?

Palatine Roses (Niagra-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada) and Hummingbird Roses (new address in Clare, MI) will continue to sell many of these 'outdated' roses that are no longer under patent.

Perma, me too. Maybe they are saying all this to get people to hurry up and buy them for fear of them not being available later.

Business selling tactics are usually fear, guilt, greed, sex. Lol! I guess you could throw hunger and/or addiction in there (food & alcohol commercials)

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.

If DA follows its own wants and ignores what the customers want, we will just buy it elsewhere. We really dont care so much where we buy it as long as its a reasonable price and healthy. Others will step in and gladly sell these cast off roses and get the cash. "One mans trash.."

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