I would love to have some input from everyone who has tried the David Austin Roses. In particular, I'm looking at the Pat Austin Rose, which seems to be an orange/copper sort of color. I'd like (especially from Eva) an evaluation of how the DA roses do here in North Central Texas, and if anyone has tried this particular rose, please let me know.

This pic is from the David Austin catalogue.
The darkest colored rose is the Pat Austin.

I grow several D Austins Caro. They are heavenly. Gail and I were wallering in the fragrance of Perdita yesterday. It is wonderfully lemony. There are some D Austin pics from my garden on the rose kalidescope thing on the Blooms page of my navi bar. Graham S Thomas is said to be the best yellow for around here and its a beaut.

Eva has probably grown every DA there is - even orders those not available here, directly from England. It would be wonderful to hear which do best for her. She does have sandier soil than mine and probably tends them better than me ;-).

I heard back from Eva. She not only has the Pat A. Rose, but says it was one of the best performers this past awful summer. She also told me that the David Austin Roses get much larger here than the size set out in the catalogue. So, I've been working on my order!

OOOh , order a PA rose for me ??? oxoxox:o)

I know Eva's bushes grow HUGE! Wish I could haul in a few tons of her soil, or have her come tend mine, or whatever it is that makes hers grow larger than anyone else's I know. But wait,,, mine are going on a strict Rabbit Hill diet this year,,, maybe that's her secret ;-)

Although the Pat Austin rose was pictured and named in the David Austin Rose catalogue, there was no ordering entry for it. I emailed an inquiry to the company, and the following was their response:

Jackson and Perkins currently have an exclusive right to Pat Austin so you
can purchase only from them. Their telephone number is 1800 872 7673.

What can you tell me about the Zephirine Drouhin? The David Austin catalogue indicates that it does well on a North wall. The place I'm thinking of putting one would get only a couple of hours of morning sun, and would be shaded by the house the rest of the day. Do you think that would work?

The catalogue also mentions another climber/rambler that does well in the shade. It's called Veilchenblau. Does anyone have any experience with this one?

Both are just great Carolyn. I use them a lot in my plans, both are almost thornless which is a big plus. My book says nothing about location for either rose but both give good perfume, Zephyrine Drouhin is prone to mildew and blackspot though. Veilchenblau has a lovely colour to the flower which fades out to a sort of greyish mauve. Try them both and let us know how they do.

I saw a Veilchenblau one day on a garden outing and fell in love with the color. Wish I had the room for it. I keep thinking I'll squeeze it in somewhere....

I have Rosa Zephirine Drouhin on a North wall, but it does badly there for me, it does suffer from mildew and blackspot. A more open aspect would certainly help with the mildew. The scent is good and it is completely thornless. Please don't let me put you off, Carolyn, most roses do badly on my North facing slope.

Am I right in assuming that the Veilchenblau has less tendency towards black spot and mildew than the Rosa Zephirine Drouhin? If so, what do you think about putting the Rosa Zephirine Drouhin on a West facing wall? It would get late afternoon direct sun, but would be shaded by porch and house the rest of the day, probably considered bright shade. Do you think that late afternoon sun would be too much? The Veilchenblau could then go on the north side. If you've seen a pic of my house, I'm referring to putting the climbers on either side of the turret (don't mean to sound pretentious, just know of no other architectural term to describe that particular feature).

On the west side, I need a good hearty climber to cover up a stupid oval window that is just above the stove in the kitchen. It has frosted glass so you can't see out it anyway, and when trying to cook dinner in the evening, the sun is literally blinding coming in through that blasted window. L

On the north side, I have no really good reason for a climber, except that I want one. J

That's what the builders call um here, right? But if you like,,, how about 'towerettes'? ;-)

You can research track records on the mildew and black spot etc, for each rose, but every locale and even each site within the same garden may provide diverse conditions for the same plant. So I go by trial and error in this garden more often than following recipes. Your place is so windy that susceptibility to rose disease may be far less than the usual reports.

The longer a gardener has worked her land, the better the garden, because not only has she culled many definite no-gos out, but has also learned the personality of every nook and cranny in the place. Then, plant selection becomes rather instinctive - based on what a particular site can provide. Yet, the learning never ends and that is what lures us on.

Pic of my Zeph is under Seasons, 'Rose Gate' button. Can't seem to do a copy and paste for the url here today. Dunnowhy. There was an enormous tree hanging over it for the first few years, but it took hold well in spite of the shade. Now the neighbor's have removed the tree, it does do better than before of course.

Just for the record, Zeph and Veil are old roses, not Austins, even tho offered thru the catalog. Veil blooms only once a yr in spring.

'Pinkie Climber' tolerates more shade than any other I know and blooms more than any other bush here. There is pic of mine under the History page, 'Rose Covered Porch' button - its a north wall, also shaded from western side-light by upper story. It grows rampant everywhere I have seen it used, but is easy to train and groom because of pliable canes and no thorns.

Wow Maggie! Great save! Thanx. I would have been really upset had I bought the Veilchenblau only to discover it blooms once a year. That is NOT what I have in mind.

The main reason, besides lack of time, energy, and money, that I haven't done anything with the north side of the house, was that I did want to wait a while to get an idea what would grow there, and what the light was like during the various seasons. It's a good thing too. Had I just jumped in and re-landscaped it when we first moved here, I would have made several pretty costly mistakes. Now, I actually have a plan that I think will work.

Neat Caro.
I figured out later why I couldn't do a copy and paste back then. My puter was all stoved up and needed a reboot!

Costco is carrying potted D Austin roses - at $10 each !

Who, what, and where is Costco?

Haven't been to town in while huh? ;-)
Closest Costco to me is on Overton Ridge between Hulen and Bryant Irving. They are popping up like Walmarts 'round here. Heaven forbid, Walmarts has even invaded the UK. Costco is like a Sam's Club.
Now,,, so HE won't ask me what a Sam's is,,, that's a 'cash and carry' to you Terry :-)

They had Othello, Gertrude J, and the best yellow for these parts - Graham Thomas, also the Romantica series and a lot of hybrids packaged by Jackson Perkins, as the DA prob are too. Can't list all the varieties, but I bet they'll be gone fast at that price. I so love the modern 'French Lace', but steered clear of any hybrids. They just hate my garden. :-(

I went; I saw; I bought.

By the way, there are quite a few Cosco stores in the UK according to the website.

Thank you for explaining the Sam's, Maggie. Don't think I could have figured that one. I need land not plants Carolyn, wonder if the lady who owns the horses would notice if I moved my fence about 100 feet?

Why don't you try it, a bit at a time, and see if she notices? Just think how fertile the soil would be.

oooo yes!
But then, we backyard gardeners never seem to have enough space, no matter the size!
I only bought 1/10 of the roses that Caro did and am still worrying about how to get them in.

I once met some rose collectors who made a deal with the landowners behind their place. They rec'd permission to plant against the fence and that is were they kept all the once-blooming varieties. Now there's a thought Terry!