On Mon, 09 Jun 2003 16:49:55 GMT, "Susan Solomon"
wrote:



prettiest I'd seen. I looked and sighed, and finally selected 8 of the
prettiest for my rose garden. Four climbers to go on the corners of a
gazebo
(St. Swithin, Bro. Cadfael, Kathryn Morley, Constance Spry), the rest
(Mary
Rose, Evelyn, Glamys Castle, Heritage) for the rose bed.

Susan, I'm curious, how do these Austins compare to other bare root
roses that you have had for four months from the day you put them in
the ground?

The bare-roots I received from D.A. were amazingly vigorous; they all
sprouted within a month of being in the ground (but then, we had a lovely
sunny warm spell in Feb. when I planted them.) When I opened the box, I was
amazed at the size of the plants, their moisture content and their long,
healthy roots. Best I've ever seen in a bare root. [...]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.

Okay, now I understand. Part of the problem is the Austins you chose,
e.g. the part about blah colors. Look at these:

http://www.justourpictures.com/roses/tradescant.html

http://village.infoweb.ne.jp/~yukino/er-pat.htm

http://www.rosegathering.com/darby.html

I couldn't find a decent picture of Happy Child, but it is a vibrant,
lovely yellow.

I agree that many of the Austins do look the same, and are in that
icky-to-me white-pinky-beige range.



Environment: I live in Santa Barbara, CA (Sunset zone 24, I think). Mild
winters, pleasant summers. Not much summer sun or real heat. Mildew is an
issue, I've found out! Rust, too. Cool, foggy mornings are the norm. I
garden in heavy clay, well-amended with sand and compost.

I see. I am in Raleigh, NC, where we get a tremendous amount of sun
and heat, along with lots of moisture. Perhaps the heat here helps my
Austins--but maintaining a regulare preventive anti-fungal spray
program keeps mine clean. I don't think there is a rose alive that
wouldn't spot or mildew if I didn't.