He does stand out in the garden, and practically glows in the morning sun.

Steven

Very nice!

@oursteelers thank you!

Steven

It's a great bloomer for you! I love those flowers...wish I could smell them. :)

I thought that I knew every rose that Palatine offered and I dont remember this beauty.

Im glad that you snagged it. The blooms are gorgeous! Thanks for the update

It’s so funny you say that Kristine. I couldn’t sleep last night so i was on their website just looking :)

I ordered it and several others through the Open Food Network  platform because there was a necessary one plant of a variety restriction, and OFN had better "real-time" inventory control. It was a ridiculous, slow loading ordeal, and I missed out on several I wanted, but I did get Fisherman's Friend, The Squire, Tradescant, and Golden Celebration all grafted on R. multiflora. 

They were all sold under their registered 'AUS****' type code names, so if you didn't know or do your research beforehand, you'd have no idea that you're looking at versus the known trade names. 

It was a one-off special offering of many classic and dropped David Austin cultivars. Palatine does not actively sell them. 

Cheers!

Steven

That is a good, to the point review.

Was it grown by Palatine but not sold directly to you by Palatine? - please clarify. Your 1st post said ”ordered last year from Palatine”.

Do you spray to combat BS/PM?

rifis, Palatine raised it and sold it, but they did do through a third party platform.

My apologies that it wasn't clear: I bought them from Palatine through The Open Food Network.

I have not previously, but I have this season. It is a world of difference.

Steven

Ok, I looked at https://openfoodnetwork.ca/palatine-fruit-and-roses/shop

and I think I see what you did. I presume the seller was Palatine, not OFN.

How did you come to learn of OFN, and how did you learn of Palatine’s presence on it?

Yes, like I previously stated in my prior response: they were raised and sold by Palatine through The Open Food Network.

I discovered the sale and arrangement for the "vintage" Austin cultivars via a thread on this forum. 

Steven

How interesting, Steven and so informative. Your Fisherman's Friend is exquisite and such a gorgeous red. It reminds me a bit of Munstead Wood. I'm impressed with the many blooms and their beauty. I also noticed you don't seem to have a lot of wind and rain damage on your blooms like here. My reds and purples have really suffered with this, and it shows in the photos. I've found Ascot to be impervious to this kind of damage, which is nice (but off topic). Anyway, congrats on growing a stunning rose, and I've really learned something from your posts. Diane

Interesting. I have ordered from Palatine but never heard of OFN. Checking it out. That’s a beautiful FF! There are so many beautiful older Austins, and I grew a lot at my last garden. I am glad some nurseries still propagate and sell them. I like some of the older Austin cultivars better than the newer ones because they more closely resemble OGRs. Carol

Palatine received budwood for a bunch of out-of-patent Austins from a big collector several years ago. They budded them and sold them (twice, I believe, one year apart). They sold out almost immediately both times. For some reason, they decided to use this weird network for the sale. Apparently, they either decided to discontinue budding the old Austins, or they're taking a break from it. No one seems to know. The person who provided them the budwood is one of my rose trading partners, which is how I know this.

@susan9santabarbara thank you for those additional details for those wondering how I got these from Palatine. I didn't wish to quote anything from those prior threads as I didn't wish to make a mistake in citing those details, but it's absolutely true I got them from Palatine via OFN. I didn't feel it necessary for me to include them for those reasons, nor did I feel any need to "prove" the stated fact of how I obtained them.

Now; if one doesn't mind paying Heirloom Prices but for plants up to twice as big and still grafted on multiflora, Cattail Creek offers a handful of unique older Austins. They are how I acquired my 'Othello', Abraham Darby, and Port Sunlight on multiflora.

Steven

@Diane we had terrible heat last week after I took the full bloom pictures. Basically EVERYTHING burnt to a crisp- OGR's, Austins, and even other moderns (ever seen Flamenco Rosita/Ivor's Rose burn? I did!)

Today (yesterday now) and Wednesday are supposed to be pretty brutal too- near record breaking after a long, cool, damp spring. 

Steven

Steven - sounds like your hot weather was through the roof. Horrible.

My sympathy, Steven! I still have vivid memories of Portland’s Death Valley stretch last summer. Carol

Steven, after wind, cold, crazy rain for this area, deer, and thrips, we will hit 100F in a couple of days. We didn't have spring, but we never really do. Basically, we have sort of a mild winter, then we have blazing summer. I'm sorry your lovely roses are burnt up. Mine will be in a few days, and some of them have barely started to bloom. I'm moving to somewhere in California that has water. Is that possible to find? Diane

What a beautiful rose! Thanks for all the pictures, Steven, both up close and full bush shots. It looks like it might be more upright than some Austin’s? Or perhaps it will spread out more as it matures. I love that rich crimson pink/red and, odd as it might seem, I think a little proliferation adds some charm, so I wouldn’t consider that a fault.

It is a beautiful rose. Many years ago I posted a picture of L.D. Braitewaite and it looks similar to FF. One of our fellow poster said that sometimes the two roses are sold under each other name. Mine is red but it looks like FF is more of red purplish colour. It could be the camera but is the colour true to the picture?

The colour is relatively close; it's usually a touch darker and a bit more purple than the images show, but Fisherman's Friend did lighten up and get a little bit Pinker as it progressed versus something like Tradescant which tends toward extreme darkness or Munstead Wood which can vary greatly depending upon conditions.

These are both Tradescant. The "redder" one was much more blackish red in real life and is a multiflora plant from Palatine. The more purple one is Dr.Huey grafted and from David Austin Roses. He gets the same black red tones, but more pronounced in autumn. The multiflora plant seems to grow better and bloom more here. YMMV.

Steven

Both Tradescants are beyond gorgeous

@MiGreenThumb (Z5b S.Michigan/Sunset 41) Elevation: 1,029 feet I was kinda surprised that folks were so shocked about your having gotten the Austins from Palatine. Both sales were hot topics of conversation here 1-3 years ago!

Your pics are gorgeous :-D

@susan9santabarbara @MiGreenThumb (Z5b S.Michigan/Sunset 41) Elevation: 1,029 feet

It was a different ordering style but it was so exciting to get the older Austins. I ordered both years and really hope they offer them in the next couple of years

@oursteelers 8B PNW It's so odd because both Austin sales were incredibly successful, so I wonder if Palatine figured they had enough on their plate with their normal offerings to continue with the old Austins. Those Austin sales were so successful, and they're a mom and pop operation. Think of the mayhem they went through this fall with their normal online offerings. I know my friend is disappointed that they're (maybe) not continuing with the Austins, after all of his work providing them, but he has been supplying Mindy at Hummingbird tons of Austin budwood.

I got a few from Mindy for the first time this year-they all looked great. Vanessa Bell, Kathleen Harrop and Geoff Hamilton

@susan9santabarbara I thought it was odd as well! The sales were wildly hot topics in the forums. There were even threads this past winter into spring when I discovered Palatine wasn't doing the Austins this year and I expressed my disappointment.

@oursteelers- I'm definitely going to have to order from Mindy at Hummingbird Roses. I've heard nothing but positives!

Steven

I love this forum! I just searched for and bookmarked a new (to me) rose nursery: Hummingbird Gardens. 🙏

Update; Fisherman's Friend is initiating its autumn flush! The new basal break bloomed in a candelabra, then grew some more from those branches, and is budding up around 8' plus! Both new basal breaks last year arced over, but this year? Straight UP.

These blooms are larger and more nicely formed than the spring time ones. I've seen no proliferation so far. Fragrance is truly lovely. Does black spot!

Steven

Steven: Your blooms are absolutely gorgeous!!

A friend is rooting some Fisherman's friend, she sent me below pic. of its thorns:

I love the deep dark red tones of the fall blooms! I've always wanted to get this rose for my hubby since he's such an avid Fisherman bordering on obsessed with fishing lol.

Wow! Even prettier in the fall. So glad to see some of these older Austins.

Steven - !!! That RED is amazing!! And the bloom form....WOWZA! You are growing Fisherman's Friend so well! And she'll probably keep getting better every year! How is the fragrance?

Straw - yikes...talk about thorns! But, based on Steven's rose...well worth it. :)

Final flush for Fisherman's Friend!

The autumn blooms are much larger and have greater refinement and colour versus the initial spring flush. Up to 4" blooms easily. 

Love the decadent scent.

This monster topped 7 to 8' with its new basal break. With all of the wind and rain we've been having since autumn arrived (truly autumn really did arrive as the very first day of fall the temperature was at 60 whereas it was 83 the day before). Thorns are vicious- like dear ol' Gertie J and even Munstead Wood. I cut the blooms because I didn't want the entire cane to snap from the weight of them loaded with water or from any winter or ice damage. Black spot for sure, touch of powdery mildew. 

If I could, I'd get a whole bunch of him. I'll have to try rooting some cuttings. He is magnificent.

Steven

Now for the bouquet...

Steven: Blooms are absolutely gorgeous and so big !! You have a grafted Lady Emma Hamilton from David Austin, how do you like it compared to Fisherman's friend in terms of: rebloom, scent, and health. THANK YOU.

I'm tempted to get Lady Emma as grafted from David Austin but I'm concerned about RMV. I have 2 RMV-infected roses in my garden, both are own-roots (Queen of Sweden and Gruss an Teplitz). Q of S is very stingy, even after I gave it to a friend in sunny California. Gruss is a blackspot and mildew fest, plus only 2 flushes. Gruss is the father of Dr.Huey-rootstock, which is used by David Austin for USA,

Straw, thank you very much. My Lady Emma Hamilton is undeniably infected with RMV. The foliage looks so nasty with that variegated oak leaf pattern. She blooms well, but the one I had seemed to go into a general decline. My original is still here and still blooms well enough but it's gotten stingier, and it's still better than the pathetic DA one I got most recently. A Grade #1 1/2 at best. That one is potted and pathetic. 

Her foliage is so unique with its red tones. The scent is wonderful. Absolutely love it. Rich and sweet lemon oftentimes. Sometimes fresh blooms are tea scented. Once, I had one that smelled like ripe peaches. Only that one time though. Honestly? I want to get a couple more of her. She is so petite and cheery.

Steven

Magnificent is the word, Steven. And the bouquet! I wish I could reach into the screen and grab it away from you--ha. And if I only had room for this one. Well done, a glorious end to your fall flush of FF. Diane

LEH definitely isn't very prickly opposed to FF. Healthwise, she has a bit of an edge over FF. Less PM, a little less BS.

These pics of Lady Emma Hamilton are from 2018, mind.

Steven

Thank you very much, Diane! He is only one year old, but has been impressing the dickens out of me. I guess when I have vigour, hardiness, great rebloom, and scent, i am happy! Spotty leaves? Bah. I'll deal! 

I'm surprised I feel smitten because you know how I feel about DA, and Fisherman's Friend doesn't have the same presence and positive press in media, including my reference books, the way the other DA crimsons do. I figured maybe he wasn't very good.

He's a hidden gem.

Steven

Steven - I commented on another thread about the exquisiteness of your Fisherman's Friend bouquet!!! To die for! :) I really love the colors of your LEH...so happy looking!

I saw! Thank you so much Carol!

LEH does have wonderful vibrance to her shades. She's a great option for potted!

Steven