"Susan Solomon" writes:

For sheer vigor,
the Austins have it. But the ugly mildew, the blah color, and the quick
demise of blooms outweighs their positives for me.

I've only grown two Austins and I hope I never sucumb to the urge to buy
another. Abraham Darby put out lots and lots of really beautiful blooms and
they smelled nice. But the plant suffered severely from blackspot, it grew and
grew and grew, long canes with very few leaves. Never a climber, just a big
ugly bush. The blooms nodded and didn't last as a cut flower. It is gone but
I did give it four years.
Heritage seems to have less blackspot, but became pretty much a climber. The
blooms are pretty and with some shade they are a lovely shell pink with a
lemony scent. The quanity of blooms is okay but they don't last a full day.
Forget cutting them, ever. This year (#4) it has decided canker is the disease
of choice. I've cut and cut, but am still loosing whole canes. I need the
space for another large rose, I expect it will be gone soon.
I think this post might fit under Shiva's "Roses I Love To Hate And The People
Who Love Them," as both of the Austin's I've tried fit the title perfectly.