Here's a complete list of roses I have grown in Sydney, together with my ratings on:
| Fragrance | 9 - fruity and strong |
| Flower form | 8 - old fashioned |
| Disease Resistance | 8 - some rare black spot |
| Plant vigour | 9 - very strong and tall, needs space |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - starts early in September |
| Comments | A classic David Austin rose, vigorous and easy to grow. Long lasting as a cut flower, with a strong fragrance. |
| Fragrance | 7 - moderate, musty, fruity |
| Flower form | 5 - a loose, large flower, lasts best when cut |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - occasional mildew |
| Plant vigour | 7 - low growing but not weak |
| Repeat flowering | 6 - a slow but reliable bloomer |
| Comments | A popular but dated red Hybid Tea. There are better reds available now, but it may be worth growing if you like its particular fragrance. |
| Fragrance | 4 - sweet but not as strong as some catalogues suggest |
| Flower form | 8 - wonderful when cut, but tends to 'blow' rather quickly on the bush |
| Disease Resistance | 8 - good for a red, but watch for mildew |
| Plant vigour | 7 - a healthy grower |
| Repeat flowering | 6 - a bit shy compared to some newer varieties |
| Comments | A 1960s hybrid tea, bred in the US but no longer available there. Seems to perform best in Australian conditions, where the warmth brings out dark red colour with a velvety texture to the thick petals. Picking the blooms will preserve a semi-open form, which is far more attractive than the messier full bloom. |
| Fragrance | 10 - in my opinion, the best fragrance of any rose. A distinct citrus edge to a classic scent. |
| Flower form | 9 - tall buds, lovely until fully blown |
| Disease Resistance | 6 - mildew prone |
| Plant vigour | 7 - can grow tall but is not particularly strong |
| Repeat flowering | 6 - not very generous |
| Comments | The colour is lilac rather than blue. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but the fragrance alone makes it worth growing. Widely available - one of the most popular hybrid tea roses in Australia. |
| Fragrance | 2 - fresh but barely perceptible |
| Flower form | 6 - nice in bud, but blows quickly |
| Disease Resistance | 9 |
| Plant vigour | 8 - tall, narrow |
| Repeat flowering | 6 |
| Comments | Multi-headed white Hybrid Tea. Not a good cut flower as the blooms are short lived. |
| Fragrance | 8 - a nice old rose scent |
| Flower form | 8 - creates interest by changing colours as it opens. A good cut flower |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - mildew prone in spring and autumn |
| Plant vigour | 9 - bushy and tall with strong stems and large red-green foliage |
| Repeat flowering | 10 - once started, it's nearly always in bloom |
| Comments | A recent Kordes release from Germany. The lovely bloom will help you forget that it is named after Rupert Murdoch's mother! The outer petals are melon pink, while the inner ones eventually turn the flower yellow overall as the bloom opens fully. |
| Fragrance | 10 - a strong, spicy fresh scent |
| Flower form | 9 - very large, full blooms with a colour blend that generates ongoing interest as the bud opens |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - can suffer from mildew in autumn |
| Plant vigour | 6 - gets quite bushy after a slow start, but never grows very tall. |
| Repeat flowering | 7 - generous if fed well |
| Comments | One of Australia's favourite roses, and a quintessential 70s rose too. Needs some pampering to do its best, but the look and smell of the blooms make it all worthwhile. The proportion of red increases with the age of the bloom and the amount of sun it gets. Picking the blooms 'freezes' the colour balance. |
| Fragrance | 8 - strong and pleasing |
| Flower form | 7 - tulip-like in the bud, opening to a loose bloom. |
| Disease Resistance | 8 - laughs off occasional mildew quite easily |
| Plant vigour | 9 - a very tall grower, even if neglected |
| Repeat flowering | 10 - a very regular and heavy repeat bloomer. Flowers in large clusters. |
| Comments | Probably Australia's favourite old tea rose, French-bred in 1857. The bush is as tough as nails, making its delicate blooms an interesting contrast. Made famous by President Roosevelt, who wore the blooms in his coat button-hole. |
| Fragrance | 9 - rosy and very noticeable |
| Flower form | 8 - can look loose in full bloom, but otherwise really beautiful and old fashioned |
| Disease Resistance | 6 - prone to mildew |
| Plant vigour | 4 - a bit delicate, for keen growers only |
| Repeat flowering | 5 |
| Comments | Perhaps the most fragrant of all the Austin roses, so much so that it's used in Crabtree & Evelyn's perfume range. Large, perfectly formed pink-apricot blooms. Rewards the grower willing to feed and spray it well. |
| Fragrance | 9 - very strong, sharp and fresh |
| Flower form | 8 - well formed in bud and full bloom |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - highly resistant to all diseases |
| Plant vigour | 10 - strong almost to a fault |
| Repeat flowering | 4 - two main flushes per year only |
| Comments | One of the last and definitely the healthiest in the Hybrid Perpetual class of rose. Bred in France, 1921. Needs a lot of space, at least a 2 metre radius. The striped blooms appear pink at a distance, revealing their charm when viewed closely. |
| Fragrance | 8 - strong old rose scent |
| Flower form | 7 - stuffed full of deep pink petals |
| Disease Resistance | 8 |
| Plant vigour | 7 - a tough bush and it shows - thorny too! |
| Repeat flowering | 4 - some growers report better results from bushes established in their bed more than 2 years |
| Comments | An older Austin rose for those who like darker pink. Found in tests to have the strongest scent of all Austin roses prior to Evelyn's introduction, although to my nose even Abraham Darby was stronger. |
| Fragrance | 5 - sweet but not strong |
| Flower form | 5 - messy when open fully |
| Disease Resistance | 8 |
| Plant vigour | 8 - tall narrow bush |
| Repeat flowering | 7 |
| Comments | Popular in the 90s, and a rich yellow to the flower, but not attractive in full bloom. |
| Fragrance | 9 - strong tea scent |
| Flower form | 6 - beautiful, but shatters quickly after opening |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - some black spot |
| Plant vigour | 10 - healthy, tall bush |
| Repeat flowering | 5 - flushes of bloom are large but they occur only a few times per year |
| Comments | A rich gold Austin that looks superb if given space in the garden. Flowers are short lived and no good in the vase. |
| Fragrance | 9 - strong spicy scent |
| Flower form | 9 - superb classic hybrid tea blooms, occasionally flowering in clusters |
| Disease Resistance | 6 - prone to mildew |
| Plant vigour | 8 - a tall grower once it gets going |
| Repeat flowering | 6 - repeats adequately for me, but it is reportedly not generous in cooler climates |
| Comments | This rose has earned its place in history. Released in 1963, some of its offspring (eg Double Delight) are better known than the original. Those who have the patience to pamper it will be rewarded with blooms that smell as good as they look. |
| Fragrance | 7 - a sweet scent |
| Flower form | 8 - lasts well on the bush, but not really a rose for picking because it usually flowers in clusters |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - free of mildew and very resistant to black spot |
| Plant vigour | 7 - a neat, short, well rounded bush that won't grow out of proportion easily |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - a regular succession of blooms stretching into early winter |
| Comments | Experts can't decide if this is a hybrid tea, a polyantha or the world's first floribunda. David Austin even claims it as an 'English Rose' because it represents all he wanted in his breeding program. Either way it has stood the test of time since its release in 1909. It's a favourite among experts but fine for beginners to grow too. |
| Fragrance | 6 - a fresh apple scent |
| Flower form | 9 - old fashioned when open and also beautiful in the bud stage |
| Disease Resistance | 10 - outstanding! |
| Plant vigour | 9 - very strong and tall |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - starts early in October with heavy flushes of bloom |
| Comments | The French breeder Meilland has beat David Austin at his own game. By crossing a floribunda, a hybrid perpetual and a modern shrub rose, this 'Romantica' variety is an outstanding strong performer. It is sold locally under the name 'La Rose'. |
| Fragrance | 8 - lemon and honey, a sharp refreshing scent |
| Flower form | 6 - a beautiful cupped shape, but shatters quickly in full bloom |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - occasional black spot trouble is possible but mildew resistance is excellent |
| Plant vigour | 10 - tall, very strong growth |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - once started, it usually has buds coming on until winter |
| Comments | Very similar to Graham Thomas in drawbacks save for repeat flowering - this rose loves to flower as much as its grandparent, Iceberg. A lovely clear pink and a unique scent. Give it room! |
| Fragrance | 6 - delicate but lovely |
| Flower form | 9 - a famous exhibition rose breed |
| Disease Resistance | 8 - some rare mildew |
| Plant vigour | 9 - tall, narrow growth |
| Repeat flowering | 7 |
| Comments | No longer widely available, this was an award winning white rose in the 80s. The large white flowers look beuatiful from bud to open bloom. Long cutting stems make this an excellent picking rose. |
| Fragrance | 4 - fresh but faint |
| Flower form | 5 - a typical floribunda, slightly messy once opened |
| Disease Resistance | 5 - Susceptible to mildew and black spot, especially in autumn |
| Plant vigour | 8 - a nice bushy plant, quite tall and strong |
| Repeat flowering | 4 - it seems to provide a slow stream of blooms rather than 'flood then drought'. |
| Comments | The colour is everything on this one. It caused a stir in the 80s when an amateur New Zealand breeder released it. The bloom starts a terracotta orange. With age the outer petals add shades of crimson, leading to an almost brown, russet colour. The photo represents the lattter stage. |
| Fragrance | 6 - sweet but weaker than some reds |
| Flower form | 9 - perfect classic Hybrid Tea |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - much better than most reds |
| Plant vigour | 7 - low growing but strong |
| Repeat flowering | 7 |
| Comments | One of the better reds - it holds its colour well both on the bush and in the vase. Would be perfect with a stronger fragrance, but well worth growing if scent isn't the first priority. |
| Fragrance | 8 - sweet, rich |
| Flower form | 8 - good in the vase and on the bush |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - prone to mildew in autumn |
| Plant vigour | 9 - excellent with good feeding |
| Repeat flowering | 10 - very regular from September to June |
| Comments | If each decade had a rose, this would be the 80s' best. A prolific bloomer, originally bred in Germany for the cut flower industry. Occasionally it will bear multiple blooms to a stem, like a floribunda. Rewards generous feeding. |
| Fragrance | 2 - barely noticeable |
| Flower form | 8 - beautiful fat buds open to very large blooms, nice for cutting |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - the best of any white rose I've grown |
| Plant vigour | 8 - good strong stems make a well shaped bush |
| Repeat flowering | 7 - a good steady stream of blooms lasting until June |
| Comments | One of the best white roses, this newer hybrid tea sadly lacks fragrance (don't believe catalogue assertions to the contrary). Choose it if fragrance isn't important. |
| Fragrance | 8 - very sweet, a bit musty |
| Flower form | 7 - very big flowers - superb in bud, a bit messy when fully blown |
| Disease Resistance | 6 - black spot and mildew |
| Plant vigour | 8 - a very tall, strong bush |
| Repeat flowering | 9 - a very generous bloomer |
| Comments | Dark red Hybrid Tea, rewards feeding with huge blooms that last reasonably well when cut. Its lack of disease resistance is partly compensated for by the overall strength of the bush. |
| Fragrance | 8 - powerful, rosy |
| Flower form | 9 - huge flowers that nevertheless hold their delicate shape well to form a cupped bloom. |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - some mildew susceptibility, occasional black spot |
| Plant vigour | 8 - a healthy plant that looks (and is) quite strong |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - shoots up strong flowering stems very regularly |
| Comments | A rare but captivating French-bred red rose, said to have the biggest hybrid tea flowers of any variety (up to 20 cm across). The flowers 'crimson' a little with age. |
| Fragrance | 4 - pleasant but faint |
| Flower form | 9 - tight Hybrid Tea classic shape holds well |
| Disease Resistance | 8 - can get mildew sometimes, but usually shakes it off quickly |
| Plant vigour | 9 - very tall bush, strong stems |
| Repeat flowering | 6 |
| Comments | Released in the 90s, an American variety ideal for locations where it has to climb to reach the sunlight. Great as a cut flower because the bud form and red colour both hold well. |
| Fragrance | 8 - a lovely fresh scent |
| Flower form | 7 - old fashioned blooms that start cupped, then open loose |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - it does get mildew but isn't much troubled by it |
| Plant vigour | 9 - a tall climber, but give it a couple of years to really get going |
| Repeat flowering | 5 - flowers best in spring, with sporadic later flowers until mid autumn |
| Comments | I selected this as my only climbing rose. It's from the small Noisette family of roses, bred in France in1879. Its vigour and its ability to cover walls, fences and sheds are legendary. Likes heavy feeding, dislikes pruning. |
| Fragrance | 7 - a nice old fashioned rose scent |
| Flower form | 9 - forms a precise rosette that lasts the life of the bloom |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - the foliage is light green, pleated and very healthy |
| Plant vigour | 8 - throws up very long, strong canes |
| Repeat flowering | 7 - regular cycles of bloom |
| Comments | A good choice for a garden position that can't afford the sprawling width of Abraham Darby, but needs the same height (2 metres or so). The fragrance is less strong than some Austins but the bloom is more formal and long lasting. |
| Fragrance | 8 - strong tea scent, award winning |
| Flower form | 8 - delicate flowers hold well on the bush |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - mildew prone |
| Plant vigour | 5 - low growing, not very strong, thin stems |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - a continuous bloomer |
| Comments | A newer David Austin yellow variety and a better choice than Graham Thomas for small gardens and beds. The thin, lax stems of the plant eventually build up to a well rounded shrub. |
| Fragrance | 6 - a typical tea scent |
| Flower form | 7 - stuffed with coppery pink petals |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - very resistant in Sydney's climate |
| Plant vigour | 10 - give it room, this shrub can reach 2 x 2 metres easily |
| Repeat flowering | 10 - a continuous bloomer, and capable of year-round flowering |
| Comments | A Tea rose from 1891, and one of the best in this class. Its large shrub qualities are good for hedging or screening. Not a good picking rose as the flowering stems are thin and held close to the main stems - a common feature of old Teas. |
| Fragrance | 5 - it's there, but nothing special |
| Flower form | 7 - lovely in the early stages but unwieldy and loose in full bloom. This and the cluster flowering habit makes it unsuitable for picking. |
| Disease Resistance | 8 - large, attractive dark leaves with some very rare black spot |
| Plant vigour | 10 - the gold standard for tall, strong growth. The overall health of the bush makes it attractive to look at |
| Repeat flowering | 9 - very regular flushes |
| Comments | When released in 1954, experts in the US couldn't agree whether this was a hybrid tea or floribunda. The confusion inspired them to invent the 'grandiflora' class. Alas, the confusion still exists, but experts agree that Queen Elizabeth is one of the most vigorous, easy to grow roses you can buy. |
| Fragrance | 10 - an old rose scent that is stronger than any other rose (to my nose). |
| Flower form | 8 - lovely shallow old fashioned rosette that keeps when when cut. |
| Disease Resistance | 4 - prone to both mildew and black spot |
| Plant vigour | 8 - throws up very long canes and would be happy as a climber. |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - early starter, generous |
| Comments | The disease susceptibility is the only drawback for this otherwise excellent Austin rose. It's well worth the spraying effort to get such a perfect fragrance. |
| Fragrance | 3 - perceptible only if you bury your nose in it |
| Flower form | 8 - excellent full flower, well formed for a floribunda. Similar to a pompon when fully blown. |
| Disease Resistance | 6 - deflects mildew well, but black spot can attack in autumn |
| Plant vigour | 7 - forms a neat rounded bush - a low grower well suited to pots |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - starts early in September and flushes follow regularly in Sydney's climate |
| Comments | An awful name for quite a handsome rose - the New Zealand breeder, McGredy named it after a mate's nickname. Don't shun it for its name though - this is a truly 'easy care' rose that will suit beginners and landscape gardeners alike. |
| Fragrance | 7 - weaker than some Austins, but still nice |
| Flower form | 8 - large, well formed and luxurious |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - seems to laugh off everything |
| Plant vigour | 10 - this bush sends up long canes that want to visit the neighbours! |
| Repeat flowering | 3 - do not expect substantial blooms until the bush is established more than a year |
| Comments | I've had little luck getting this one to flower at all, but others report this bush as a success. |
| Fragrance | 7 - a definite 'tea' fragrance, very fresh |
| Flower form | 7 - big, heavy blooms that hang down on their stems like bells. Summer heat darkens the salmon tones to pink. |
| Disease Resistance | 6 - can get both mildew and black spot at times. |
| Plant vigour | 7 - healthy but slow growth up to 2 metres |
| Repeat flowering | 7 - repeats in big flushes from October to July. |
| Comments | A tea rose bred in France, 1846. Not widely available in Australia but well worth hunting for. The 'hanging' blooms look their best when the bush is allowed to grow tall. |
| Fragrance | 8 - unique, a mix of rose, cinnamon and banana |
| Flower form | 8 - luxurious blooms, spoiled by wet weather |
| Disease Resistance | 6 - mildew can take hold sometimes |
| Plant vigour | 7 - a medium bush that seems single-minded about flowering rather than growing. Makes a rounded shrub. Ideal for a pot. |
| Repeat flowering | 9 - one of the most regular bloomers I've seen. |
| Comments | Arguably the most famous of all old roses, and the only Bourbon rose I've been tempted to grow. It tries very hard to please, and mine has thrived even in partial shade. |
| Fragrance | 8 - a lovely classic fragrance |
| Flower form | 10 - superb Austin formation |
| Disease Resistance | 6 - mildew prone |
| Plant vigour | 5 - thorny stems, sparse foliage |
| Repeat flowering | 6 - OK if pampered, stingy otherwise |
| Comments | Scorned even by its creator, this early Austin rose is still available from some growers. Will reward good Sydney gardeners with a few superb blooms of the darkest red. For the true believers only! |
| Fragrance | 8 - a rich old fashioned rose scent |
| Flower form | 7 - heavy, very large, crowded old fashioned blooms with muddled inner petals |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - well above most other Austin roses |
| Plant vigour | 8 - bushy, sprawling growth with plentiful foliage. Requires more than average width in a garden bed. |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - a steady stream of cluster blooms rather than distinct heavy flushes |
| Comments | In 1993 David Austin successfully used an 1899 Hybrid Rugosa rose to breed superior disease resistance into this light pink rose. A good choice for beginners and experts alike. The blooms are best for garden display rather than cutting. |
| Fragrance | 3 - barely noticeable |
| Flower form | 7 - tall buds, lovely until fully blown |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - mildew prone |
| Plant vigour | 8 - a tall grower |
| Repeat flowering | 7 - not overly generous but repeats well |
| Comments | Large blooming Hybrid Tea which works well as a cut rose in bud. For growers who value flower form over fragrance. |
| Fragrance | 5 - a sweet fragrance but not strong |
| Flower form | 7 - lovely buds open to a muddled, large full bloom |
| Disease Resistance | 8 - mildew prone in late autumn, but very resistant to black spot |
| Plant vigour | 8 - a tall grower with thick branches that hold the blooms upright |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - gives a steady stream of bloom clusters extending from late spring to mid winter |
| Comments | An early tea rose from 1835, much sought after in its time and still rare today. Bred in France and named after the Luxembourg gardens in Paris. Its fragrance and bloom size are not typical for tea roses. |
| Fragrance | 7 - fruity |
| Flower form | 8 - large, very full blooms open slowly over a long time, looking old fashioned when fully open |
| Disease Resistance | 9 - very resilient even under bad conditions |
| Plant vigour | 8 - the growth is strong but not fast |
| Repeat flowering | 7 - average repeating, can flower in winter |
| Comments | The German breeder Kordes introduces varieties known for long vase life and good bush health. Valencia shares these virtues, making it one of the best apricot-coloured roses. |
| Fragrance | 7 - sugary sweet |
| Flower form | 9 - huge blooms, and the colour complements the bloom shape |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - Nicknamed 'Mr Clean' in trial gardens, but watch for mildew in spring and black spot in autumn |
| Plant vigour | 9 - strong, tall thorny stems |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - an early starter each season |
| Comments | A unique melon, salmon and coral blend. It makes a wonderful conversation piece as a cut flower and it lasts well in the vase. No longer widely available, but it's worth looking for. |
| Fragrance | 8 - sweet, strong perfume |
| Flower form | 7 - large and well shaped for a cluster-flowering rose. Occasional single blooms are ideal for picking. |
| Disease Resistance | 7 - some mildew in spring and autumn |
| Plant vigour | 7 - does have some dieback but the plant is a fairly strong grower. |
| Repeat flowering | 8 - starts in late August and hardly stops for breath after that! |
| Comments | Better than the popular Iceberg, this rose looks wonderful from bud to its fully double open bloom. |
