Cold zone Austin photos please

3 years ago

I've been trying to find all of the older threads by cold zone growers to see photos of their David Austin roses. It would be great to try and build an updated thread with bush shots of everyones plants. Please feel free to post any pictures from your collections over the years. I've only had my small collection for one season, and would love to see how any of your Austins end up looking after a few years of growing in zones with harsh winters.

To start things off, here are some photos of one of my Bathsheba plants...awkward angle though taken from above, but it has grown up a tall patio wall (about 6 ft) and branched out about 5 ft wide. Pretty healthy leaves so far, probably one of the healthiest of all the Austins I planted. Full sun with coverage from some tall grasses in front of it. Have two next to each other, both doing great.

Second is one of my Carding Mill plants, in full sun, more dense soil. Longest cane is about 3.5 ft and the new canes are thicker than the ones from spring. I have another that I'll take a pic of that's in better soil, even thicker new canes that are about 5.5 ft tall.

*the fluffy fur in some pics is my dog hair. Helps to keep the rabbit and deer away.

Featured Answer

ratdogheads z5b NH

3 years ago

A hedge of Lady of Shalott. I've found that this rose benefits from hard pruning in my zone to maintain an even shape.

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Comments (31)

LauraLG Z5b-NwPA
3 years ago
Great idea for a thread. The outcomes for these Austin’s in our zones 4-6 can be so much different than the bushes for zones 7-10. Especially for us new rose enthusiasts, it’s nice to get an idea of what to expect.

Love your Carding Mill! I’ve gone back and forth on that one. I’ll be interested to hear how she does for you over winter.
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strawchicago z5
3 years ago
Carding Mill is healthier in dense clay. When I made the soil around it fluffy, it went down hill. BS-prone roses like Carding Mill do better in dense & alkaline clay to buffer the acidic rain. Mine is 9th-year own-root.
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HI folks Sorry I've been off posting since last fall - I've missed you all. Partly I've been online so incredibly long hours teaching (university) that I haven't been able to stand being online any more than I have to be. Also, I had a devastating garden-wide bout with Rose Rosette Disease last fall and had to take out about 20 roses and prune ABSOLUTELY everything else to the ground to hope to avoid catastrophic rose disaster. I'll post separately about that, maybe this weekend. Suffice to say for 1000 roses several of which were 12' tall and 10 years old (owning their own dumpsters) this was an exhausting and demoralizing fall. To respond to folks in warmer zones that just got that bizarre freeze all the way to Texas, it doesn't hurt to wait a bit to prune. Dead canes don't cause the rose problems any more than long fingernails cause you problems beyond inconvenience, though if there is downy mildew spotting it's probably good to prune sooner than later. I try to wait till the rose starts leafing out and you can see what is alive at that point. Seil, no I'm not remotely pruning at this point - the post is several years old and was from mid to late March. We're still recovering from the snowiest January ever and one of the coldest Februaries ever. Thank heavens it was in that order! Under the snow it's always 32 degrees however cold the air gets, and we had easily two feet of snow (16" in one snowfall) protecting everything. It's just now starting to melt with temps this week into the 40's all week, but it'll be a long time till I'm out in the garden. Great tips about not pruning once-bloomers Seil. Fortunately those are among the roses that don't take any pruning at all and I almost never see winter damage. Occasionally I'll see a once bloomer shed a cane for some reason, but that can be pruned out after the spring bloom to avoid disrupting the other canes. For the first year ever since growing roses, i have absolutely no rose pruning to do this spring. Everything was pruned to the ground so it's a matter of seeing what resprouts from the ground, and anxiously checking for any signs of RRD and ruthlessly digging out. No second chances or wimping out. Glad this post is helpful! Cynthia
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I don't know if you want reds/reddish purples but Munstead Wood is awesome here. His fragrance just wafts on the humidity. Great bloomer and always gorgeous. Major thorns are his only drawback.. Pat Austin is my best blooming Austin by far. I have two of her and she is blooming every day here. Not much for fragrance but I would not be without her. Ever! lol. Lichfield Angel is another winner in my garden Blooms very well. Opens kinda peachy then fades to an old fashioned creamy white. Crown Princess Margareta is doing a lot better this year. I have two of them as well. I think they are the kind of Austins that need about 3 years to get blooming well. They are big climbers. Nice fragrance and very fluffy puffy peachy colored. They are darker apricot in cooler weather and lighter in warm weather. Blooms in flushes and clusters of flowers. Evelyn is very fragrant, very beautiful and old fashioned looking. She doesn't bloom as well as Abe D for me but she does for others so it just might be me lol. Love her though. Teasing Georgia is a good bloomer here and very clean. Gets really really BIG. Blooming machines in flushes. Soft pretty yellow. Crown Princess M. Munstead Wood Evelyn Teasing Georgia..look at thos beautiful leaves!! and I dont spray...Ever! Pat Austin with cute little tree frogs (one of the reasons I dont spray here lol) Lichfield Angel can get 5 to 6 inches here at times..Really excellent bloomer. Ok one more of Abe Darby because he is just soooo YUMMY sometimes he gets kinda peachy OK i lied...here he is being a very girly soft pink..I'm seriously in love with this rose :p (Lichfield angel is the creamy white rose behind him in the background)
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LauraLG Z5b-NwPA
3 years ago
Straw - Hmmm, I suppose that would mean Carding Mill would be pretty unhappy here. The other two Austins in that color range I’ve been considering are Lady Emma Hamilton and Lady of Shallot. Will those have the same problem?
Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
@LauraLG Z5b-NwPA - Thanks! I have 3 and they are all doing really well so far. Hope they keep doing well after winter.

@strawchicago z5 - Beautiful pic! I love seeing the full shot of the plant (and companion plantings). Looks nice and full as a shrub and I love all the buds on it, they're such a nice color tone. Great info on growing conditions too, thank you. If anyone has notes on those too, that would be great to help everyone with their own plants in this thread.
strawchicago z5
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Laura: Lady Emma Hamilton is wimpy and died on several cold-zoners, including a friend in Chicagoland. 3 Lady Emma Hamilton died on Brittie in Texas as own-roots. My Lady of Shalott is 6th year own-root and I NEVER SEE BLACKSPOTS on this one. I don't like it so I plant it in the worst spot possible: rock-hard clay hill with lots of rocks below, 4 hrs. of sun. I don't water it either. Right now, zero blackspots with week-long fall rain. 90% of my 134 varieties of own-roots are 100% clean for the first 2 years, but it's a decline in health in year 3 and beyond.
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LauraLG Z5b-NwPA
3 years ago
Straw - I can’t tell if you’ve convinced me to pursue or abandon the idea of having Lady of Shalott. Ha! Thank you, I really appreciate your input.
Bc _zone10b thanked LauraLG Z5b-NwPA
Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
Straw, thanks for the photo and info on LOS and Lady Emma. Is that a photo of LOS? Looks pretty even if not a great rose. Do you recommend Pat Austin instead of Lady Emma? Similar colors maybe?
strawchicago z5
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Laura: yes to Lady of Shalott if you have loamy soil and full-sun. No to Lady of Shalott if partial shade with only 4 hrs. of sun like my garden with rock-hard clay. It's stingy in partial shade. Lady of Shalott has tiny leaves and prefer fluffy & loamy soil. When it was 1st year own-root, it refused to bloom in MG-potting soil. I had to fix my clay with a bag of coarse sand & broke up my clay with gypsum, before it bloomed. As own-root tiny leaves prefer fluffy soil, and Lady of Shalott has nauseating orange peel and camphor scent. I should had listened to Andrea in England .. she shunned it due to its scent. LoS is a big bush 5' x 3' as 6th-year-own-root.

Brendan: The previous photo was Lady of Shalott. Pat Austin has larger leaves & pretty glossy leaves and this loves my dense clay. Pat's colors is deeper orange. Pat's blooms are larger and the scent is much better (mango-nectarine). Pat is 3' x 2' as own-root, see below pics. Pat's blooms fried in full-sun so I moved it to partial shade, and blooms last longer. Pat can bloom in less than 4 hours of sun, now 10th year own-root:

Below pic is in October with less than 4 hrs. of sun. Pat blooms well in partial shade with equal health as Lady of Shalott. Still healthy as 10-year-own-root, much more blackspot resistant than Carding Mill if the pH is kept above 7. Easy bloomer in dense & alkaline clay.
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ratdogheads z5b NH
3 years ago
Grace is one of my favorites. Steady bloomer, a medium height, medium width perfectly shaped shrub with lovely foliage. (Boscobel in the background).
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ratdogheads z5b NH
3 years ago
Young Lycidas in the heat. A near constant bloomer for me. Cooler weather brings out fuller blooms and a deeper shade purple. This photo doesn't show the lanky growth and rather bare legs. Put this behind something else for best effect.
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ratdogheads z5b NH
3 years ago
A failed experiment, a hedge of Hyde Hall. An early lesson in distrusting the glamour shots in the DA catalogue. DA advertises HH as a very hardy rose, ideal for a hedge reaching 6 or more feet.

This was the 1st flush of the first year and I was so hopeful! I found it to be not so hardy and it was particularly susceptible to canker. So no, this was never going to build up to a real hedge. What I got was extremely uneven growth, random octopus canes that required staking. All those stakes were not pretty. Add to that terrible blackspot. DA cautions that there is rugosa in the breeding so to avoid spray. Darned if I did, dared if I didn't, it was bare of foliage most of the summer. It was s a heavy bloomer even without foliage, I will grant that much.
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Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
@strawchicago z5 - Great photos of Pat and great info on LOS and growing conditions for each of them. I'm curious about the scents now, will see what they smell like next year. I like Pat's deeper orange coloring compared to LOS. Good to know about the sun frying her blooms too, I'll have to think of where to place her.

@ratdogheads z5b NH Thanks for all of these photos and your feedback! I love your small hedge of LOS. They look nice all blooming together.

I didn't even know about "Grace". Looks beautiful and kind of like a lighter, tangerine version of Carding Mill or maybe Jubilee Celebration with the pointed petals. I'll look into getting one to try. I'm hoping this thread will help cold zoners figure out what might grow into a nice shaped shrub even through winters. A few of the ones I planted this year are beautiful but throw out the long canes, so I'm trying to take notes on which ones keep a more consistent shape. Looks beautiful.

I like the coloring on your Young Lycidas. Not quite purple, not quite the typical raspberry pink you see in DA roses. Might have to give it a try with a nice color match in front to cover it's legs.

Sorry your Hyde Halls didn't work out. Great info on all of it's downfalls. Hopefully this thread will be helpful to figure out what doesn't stay true to DA's beautiful photos/descriptions for cold zoners. Thanks!
joeywyomingzone4
3 years ago
Queen Nefertiti bush. I think it is worth noting that I took this picture on a day of 101F but this same rose has also survived extremely harsh winters with little to no protection.
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Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
@joeywyomingzone4 Thanks, beautiful photos. I love the color shifts in the flowers. Never heard of that one either. Looks like she can hold her flowers up well too. How big does she get for you? I have a lot of heat/sun and then the winters, so good to know she might be able to handle both
joeywyomingzone4
3 years ago
She's a very nice tidy 3-4 feet tall depending on the deer damage. The blooms are enormous and the fragrance is incredible.
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Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
Joey, great to know. Looks beautiful, I'm going to try and grow her here.

In case you're interested, I have lots of deer here where I am. This year I planted about 10 climbers along my front fence line (front side so any animal could easily eat if they walked up). In front of the 10 climbing roses I put on the outside of this front fence I put 2 motion detecting sprinklers by Orbit. Kept them out of my yard and away from the roses. I also put little bowls next to my roses filled with a mix of beef bouillon, water, a couple eggs, and whatever hot sauce or hot spice I have (just a little and let the rain fill them up over time). It's gross, but I think it kept the animals from eating those roses all season. Other ideas I've used for some roses on a hill near my patio wall (bowls wouldn't stay put)..... threw some of my dogs hair on the roses and stopped the rabbits or whatever was eating the roses. Or hung a nylon stocking or sock full of a little Milorganite which apprently they hate the smell of.

I think all these nasty smells helped keep wildlife away all season. Especially with deer, I know once they get spooked off their usual pathways (sprinkler or smells), they'll eventually take your property off their map. They're constantly in my neighbors front yard across the street but think I've only seen them on my yard once or twice. Those few times, I've watched out the window and they sprint off back across the street fast once the sprinklers go off.

Hope some of these ideas help. Your roses look beautiful-
rideauroselad OkanaganBC6a
3 years ago

The English Rose rose that I found to be the most cold hardy in my former 4b garden was Saint Cecelia,. Little die back, even with temperatures to -30C in winter. She grew to about 3 ft, on her own roots. She was quite upright and bushy with excellent rebloom and an intense glorious fragrance. Did sometimes get a little mildew. Palatine Roses should have on their list in January.

Cheers, Rick
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seil zone 6b MI
3 years ago
Zone 6b, Metro Detroit, Michigan on the lake here. My Austins do fairly well here.

Golden Celebration is my oldest. Mom and I ordered her from DAR sometime in the mid 90s. Her best year ever was 2010 when she looked like this! The next year was the first polar winter, I think, and she had to get cut way down due to winter kill. She hasn't ever returned to this glory since. She does black spot regularly but shakes it off and blooms anyway. The fragrance is divine, especially from those nodding blooms hanging over your head! The orange photo bomber in the front is Hot Cocoa, lol!

Next oldest is Graham Thomas. This was a body bag rose from Home Depot in 2005. It gets about 5 ft. tall and 3 ft wide each year. Another BS magnet but he smells so good! The yellow is much clearer than the golden tones of GC, A caution here: some people say DAs are water hogs and GT is the poster child for that! He is the canary in the mine shaft of my garden. Always the first one to wilt when it gets dry so I know I need to go out and water!

In 2015 I decided I need some other colors of DAs and ordered Queen of Sweden and Jubilee Celebration from DAR.

Queen of Sweden is small, only 3 ft high. I love her soft, shell pink and upright blooms. Not as fragrant as the others but does have some fragrance. Also not as BS prone!

Jubilee Celebration has been a bit of a disappointment. It is so small! In 5 years it has only got about a foot and a half tall and the canes are very lax. The blooms are lovely and fragrant but they often lay on the ground and get mussed up. It also spots easily. The jury is still out on this one.

In the future I am looking to get some other colors. Maybe a bright pink or red. The hard part is I can never decide which ones. lol!
Bc _zone10b thanked seil zone 6b MI
rosecanadian
3 years ago
B - I love the blooms on your Bathsheba and the color on your Carding Mill!!! They're both beautiful!!

Ratdog - I'm in love with your Young Lycidas flowers!!! Love!! Oh, and then I see your hedge of LoS!!! Stunning!! The bright color sings!!! Wow!!! Your Hyde Hall hedge looks like a success to me!! So many blooms!!!

Straw - I love your Carding Mill picture. Yeah, I tried Lady Emma Hamilton 2 or 3 times...I've given up on it. I never even got a flower...not one. Interesting how Pat Austin does so well in so much shade!!

Joey - your QN is one tough rose...and beautiful to boot!

Rick - Oh!!! St. Cecilia is a rose that is on my I WANT THIS ROSE list!!! And to hear your rave reviews about its fragrance!!! YES!!! Lovely photos!

Seil - your Graham Thomas really speaks to me!! The color and the amount of blooms!!! Beautiful!!!
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Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
@rideauroselad OkanaganBC6a - Rick, Thanks for suggesting Saint Cecelia. I was actually looking her up a couple of nights ago on HMF because I read about her scent. Her coloring looks really beautiful in your photos too, I love the cupped shape and glow. Great to hear she survives winter well. Does Palatine sell all own roots of austins?

@seil zone 6b MI - Wow beautiful photos, thanks so much for showing them. That GC is awesome. I saw one at my local nursery this summer in bloom (much smaller in a DA rectangle pot) and was really floored. I tried taking a picture of it and then another customer grabbed it. But the blooms were the biggest I've ever seen on a rose.

Great to see how Graham Thomas does for you. I planted two this year, one next to the 2 Bathshebas growing up my patio wall. It's reached the same heights/growth as the Bathshebas: very healthy 6 ft and probably 7 ft. cane reach after tying them to my wall. Great info about watering him. Maybe that's why mine didn't bloom much compared to the other Austins. The Graham Thomas planted here, in amended looser soil (still clay underneath but fewer rocks) grew big healthy canes and healthy foliage. My other, in more compact soil on my fence is still a third in size and even fewer blooms. Hopefully mine look like yours next year!

Queen of Sweden looks beautiful. I love the flowers I've seen in pictures. I was thinking of growing her in my frontyard near my door/house since she has a nice upright habit, but it's north side/shady there so I'm not sure. Yours is beautiful.

Sorry about your Jubilee. I planted two this year, I think grafted (I didn't even know to look for grafted roses before Houzz ha). For the first month they did almost nothing that I can remember...then I deadheaded everything I saw once it flowered and gave it a few rounds of alfalfa tea and seaweed+fish formulas. Each of them finally shot out some good 3-4 ft canes. Only 1 or 2 a bush, but they're thicker and sturdier than the original thin canes it came with. I love the flower on this rose and want to plant a bunch somewhere once I see how tall it might get.

For red or bright pink, I have to recommend Carding Mill :) Have you tried that one yet? I love that plant. Have 3 and they've been growing and flowering all season since I planted them in late May. Just when I think it's flowered too much, it sends out new growth and buds. Ranges from deep rich coral red, to light pinky-orange with yellow tones (and everything in between). Below are 2 pictures I just took of flowers that are about 3 days old...lightening and cupped more after their bolder pink-reds when they open.

@rosecanadian - Thanks! I love both those plants, really nice bold colors with lots of different tonal shifts. Great info on Lady Emma too.
seil zone 6b MI
3 years ago
Thank you, B! Carding Mill is lovely but then most DA are. That's the problem. lol!
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Magda (Ontario, USDA4/5)
3 years ago
@Bc _zone10b all roses from Palatine, Austins included, are grafted on multiflora.
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Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
@seil zone 6b MI - It is a problem hah! They all look so beautiful in photos, it is really hard to narrow it down.

@Magda (Ontario, USDA4/5) - Ah ok, thanks for that info!
rosecanadian
3 years ago
B - good gravy!!! I love the color of your Carding Mill!!!
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oursteelers 8B PNW
3 years ago
Another idea for Young Lycidas is a container, then he can drape out. I put mine in one last spring and I really liked it. Jubilee Celebration is on my wish list (depending on whether or not I get gift certificates for Christmas) and if I get it, it will also go in a container
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Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks @oursteelers 8B PNW - I want to try a few roses in pots next spring. Does anyone have any tips on roses that survive in pots without being brought into garage for winter? I gave up on moving any pots this year after hurting my back moving a giant palm back inside.

@rosecanadian - Thanks! I don't know if you heard, but I love Carding Mill hah! Maybe it will continue blooming through winter? ;) It's giant glowy flowers would sure look nice surrounded by snow.
Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Here is a pic from yesterday of my tallest CM next to a New Dawn on the side of my garage. It shot up a tall thick cane late summer. You can see the height it was for most of summer with the shorter branches below. My other two CM haven't gotten this tall yet, but still bloom non-stop.
strawchicago z5
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Brendan: I like the deep-orange of your CPM, mine is always boring yellow in alkaline clay. It's snowing right now on Oct. 26, so I'll post bush-shot of CPM in summer in 4 hrs. of sun. this was topped with alfalfa hay in previous fall:
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Bc _zone10b
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
@strawchicago z5 -beautiful pic of your CPM. I love how many blooms there are, mine never had that many at once this past season. The above pic of my orange is Carding Mill, I think I called it CM to shorten, but it isn't my crown princess. I wish my crown princess was as healthy as my Carding Mills. Hopefully next season it will be after it over-winters with alfalfa hay on top.

I did notice that my cPm DID get deeper orange/dark pink tones that then faded to yellow a couple days later after I watered with Neptunes this past summer. There weren't as many blooms as yours, but the Neptunes seemed to make the few fowers I got, a deeper color :)
rosecanadian
3 years ago
Brendan - it sure is photogenic!

Straw - There is no way I would call that gorgeous rose bush boring!!! The petals are stunning and I love the color too!! This is Beautiful...not boring... IMHO. :) :)