I only have one of the three-Carding Mill and I love it.

It took a couple of seasons to get more disease resistant but now i think it does pretty good. Not located in the South but blackspot is pretty prevalent here

Mas, I'm hardly located in the hot, humid South, as you probably know. So what I am I doing making recommendations for that area, anyway? I couldn't resist putting my two bits in for Golden Celebration, one of my favorite Austin roses. It does grow huge if you want it to, and mine is always in bloom. In spite of its size, GC gets along beautifully with its close neighbors, Boscobel and Augusta Luise. Darcey Bussell is quite beautiful, but if I wanted a rose in that color range, i would grow Munstead Wood (I have two), one of the all time great Austins--for some of us, at least. Diane

I have all three. GC is grafted one and it grows big and flowers very well in my garden Northern VA. Carding Mill and Darcey Bussell both are own root from DA and in third year in ground and they have remained 3 x 3 shape with very little pruning. For compact size and repeat flowering I will go for Darcey Bussell.

Darcey Bussell

Carding Mill

Thank you all. I truly feel like I need all three but with it I will have to buy more land to plant them in or maybe start a roof garden. 😂

Diane, your roses always look glorious! I’m yet to hear talk about any rose underperforming for you. I tried doing your method of fertilizers/manure. So expect great things from my roses this year. 😂

If you really can't decide, just do a gut-feeling process of elimination. Write all three on strips of paper, mix them up, pick one randomly. If your initial reaction is to accept what you got, then get that one. If your initial reaction is disappointment, ditch that choice and reach for another paper, repeat until a winner is chosen.

I don't grow Darcy Bussell but grow the other two. For me, GC is much more vigorous than Carding Mill. Both get a good bit of bs in NC. Carding Mill gets more . Carding Mill is a pretty rose but I don't think it's a very good plant, at least here. Mine are own root. Sometimes a short growing plant is just what you want though.

Mas, my old Brother Cadfael wants to stay large, but spring is his main bloom time with some rebloom. He was better when younger. So I'd consider him an underperformer with reservations. I am also disappointed with Olivia Rose. I'm not impressed with the looks and pale color of her blooms. She blooms OK as far as production, but I have lots better. I have an own root Abe (surely you've read my complaints about Twig Darby). His blooms are beautiful, but on the small side, though his little canes at the lower part of the plant often let those blooms do face plants. And, of course, I don't think he's normal size, either, and grows at a glacial pace. Whew. Diane

Diane, can’t believe Abe doesn’t like your garden. I grow Olivia Rose but it is too early to evaluate her.

Erasmus, since you are in NC which is pretty similar to GA makes me think that maybe Cardin Mill might not be the best option for my no spray garden.

m. Magpie, I’ve done that before. Always fun to get the luck of the draw. 😂

DB is a BS disaster here in my garden. I'm giving both of my to my friend who lives across the river and has very little BS. Ill report back how they do there. He has outstanding all day sun, so may that's the difference.

Yeah, sun can make a difference, especially morning sun to dry the leaves. My Carding MIll plants do get some shade from nearby taller plants so that might be part of why it's not so healthy here.

Of the 3, I only have 2 Darcy Bussel. She had stayed a bery manageable size. She is the first and last to bloom. But, I agree with Diane that Munsted is a more beautiful rich color

I LOVE Golden Celebration. It’s the flower in my profile picture. In my garden it does get a bit of BS but it’s a young rose so i won’t hold that against her. I also have Darcey Bussell, new last year. Some BS, less than GC, but also not as vigorous as GC. The huge, fluffy, fragrant blooms of GC are worth the effort it required to maintain it in my garden.