Cressida

Cressida, Austin 1982

English rose 

Conrad Ferdinand Meyer X Chaucer 

Exquisite old fashioned apricot flowers, often in real Tea style. Petals are often very chiffonné (like crêpe paper) and it looks very romantic. Strong sweet fragrance. Both parents aren't short so Cressida can reach 3 meters or nine feet so she can be a short climber or pillar rose. Reblooming is outstanding and health could be better as she's susceptible to Blackspot. Zone 5b to 9b

Cressida got ditched rather soon by Austin and today she's almost extinct. A real shame 

Perdita

Perdita, Austin, 1982

English rose 

The Friar X Iceberg (Schneewittchen) 

Perdita has very full old fashioned blooms in cream and apricot. They often stand in clusters and have a very good strong fragrance for which she got rewarded. 120X100 cm or 4X3 feet, zone 5b to 9b

Almost thornless and quit reliable she makes a beautiful rounded shrub. 

Perdita has been canceled by Austin years ago and I don't think she's available in Europe anymore. Maybe in the USA and Australia. 

Radio Times

Radio Times, Austin 1994

English rose 

Radio Times appeared in 1994 but didn't last long in the DA catalog. By the turn of the century this rose almost disappeared completely in Europe. Austin said that Radio Times didn't meet the health standards of their company but many many gardeners told me that Radio Times was one of their best varieties with an extremely strong Damask fragrance, especially in cooler weather. Cooler? Yes that's strange as fragrance is normally stronger in warm weather.

It's been a while ago since I saw a Radio Times rose, more than 20 years I think.

She has exquisite pink to light pink, almost apricot, very full, cupped blooms with that old fashioned look. They exude a very strong Damask or Old rose fragrance. Growth is vigorous and arching and she can reach 120X100 cm or 4X3 feet. Ideal for pots or against a white wooden fence or as a short pillar rose. Zone 5b to 10b

Reblooming is excellent and health is moderate. Blackspot can occur but not more frequently than other DA Roses. 

It's sad Radio Times is gone. All my favorites from the past are gone and forgotten. 

If you can buy her? Do it! 

Mayor of Casterbridge

Mayor of Casterbridge, Austin 1996

English rose 

Charles Austin X Louise Odier 

A magnificent, rather tall and vigorous English rose, more suited as a climber instead of a shrub. 

This rose reminds us of her mother, the Bourbon Louise Odier. It's flowers are deep pink, turning into soft pink with aging. They are very full and old fashioned, sometimes quartered. They have a moderate Damask fragrance. Both Charles Austin and Louise Odier are very tall roses with lots of upright shoots and Mayor of Casterbridge inherited this strong growth. She can reach 2,5 meters and more easily (8 feet and more). Reblooming is good and health is satisfactory. Zone 5b to 9b.

This rose was released in 1996 but within five years she disappeared from the Austin catalog and now she can't be found anywhere. Austin acts as if she never existed.

Redouté

Redouté, Austin

English rose 

Sport of Mary rose 

Mary rose Was the David Austin flagship in the eighties and halfway the nineties and it still is one of the very best DA roses, she's reliable and indestructible. Mary rose is a deep pink rose but she got two sports with a different color. Winchester Cathedral is pure white and Redouté is flesh pink. So except color they are identical to their mother. 

Just like David Austin senior I loved Redouté the most as she has this exquisite, delicate light pink color fading into white with aging. She reminds us of the old roses like Duchesse de Montebello. Light pink very double cupped flowering turning almost flat with age. Growth is bushy and thorny. She gets 120X100 cm or 4X3 feet. Disease resistance is good. Zone 5b to 9b. She has several flushes throughout the season.

Today however she's almost impossible to find, she's even more rare than Sharifa Asma or Evelyn. I don't know any nursery in Western Europe that sells her. That's a real shame! You might expect that David Austin nurseries keeps selling ALL his creations but no, they cancel and cancel and cancel. David senior loved this rose so much and now she's almost eradicated from gardens and nurseries. 

If you have her? Treasure her. If you can buy her? Do it! 

Golden showers

Golden showers, Lammers 1950

Modern Climber 

I have an extremely love/hate relationship with this rose and that's why it lasted till now before I reviewed her. 

Golden Showers (No, not THAT kind of golden shower) must have many good features because it has been an immensely popular pillar or climbing rose for decades although she's on her way back now and rapidly. That's not that strange because between 1930 and 1980 the choices for good repeating modern Climbers were very small. New Dawn (bad repeating habit), Sympathie, Golden showers and Queen Elizabeth when unpruned and that's it! So the choice was limited. Only as of the 1980ties and further many modern Climbers emerged and often with New Dawn ancestry.

Few people knew the good old climbing HT roses and the Noisette Climbers and garden nurseries didn't supply such roses. 

So if you loved yellow, you had to choose Golden showers and many people did. 

Golden showers has loose double canary yellow petals which turn white rather quickly. They show their red stamen or filaments. In my opinion they turn formless quickly and you get these white flat saucers. But many people have no problem with that and that's perfectly OK. Her fragrance is licorice with tea and I rather like it. I can recognize her fragrance out of many. This rose has very healthy dark green glossy foliage which is extremely healthy. She can climb up to 450 cm or 14 feet. She makes an ideal pillar rose. Reblooming is very good and she's almost never without flowers. Zone 5b and higher.

My aunty has one against the backside of her white villa and it's there as long as I can remember. So this rose has many many good features for people who want a care free no nonsens rose without fuss. 

I'm glad I reviewed her. 

Dame de cœur

Dame de cœur (Queen of hearts), Louis Lens 1958

Hybrid Tea 

This is a typical HT of the mid 20th century: Rather slender, upright growth with a big bloom at the end. Dame de cœur has Peace and Crimson Glory in his pedigree and it was a huge successful rose. It's probably one of the most sold roses in the world and because the patent has expired long ago it can be purchased very cheap just like Peace or Queen Elizabeth.

Dame de cœur has big, cherry 🍒 red double blooms and a strong Damask fragrance which it inherited from Crimson glory Undoubtedly. 120X80 cm or 4X3 feet

Zone 4b to 9b so she's extremely frost resistant. Her reblooming skills are outstanding but her health can be tricky at times but that's only normal for HT's from this era. Mostly she'll be perfectly healthy.

Tests showed her blooms didn't burn, not even with temp above 85 degrees fahrenheit or 30+ Celsius.

A proven, good rose.