one of my favorite. this is a rose I would recomend to everyone. I am a nose-roser, fragrance is one of my top standard for roses. JC is one of the best fragrance supplier. its fragrance is always strong, with lemon+stawberry+cream(in colder times). so the flower smells like stawberry cream cake. delicious~ the flower is bi-colored, the upper side of the petal is pink, with yellow in the center of the bloom, making the flowers look like glowing. and the arrangement of the petals is divine~! so harmonious JC does not grow fast, but strangely , it's still very remonant, with above-average bloom quantity. in my experience, JC likes loose soil with better drainage(comparing to other austins) JC grows slower, so a bit more nutrients would help.
Jeffbee, could you tell us something about the climate in your part of China? The Austin roses in particular are somewhat notorious for being rather fussy about climate in the USA. 'Graham Thomas' for example is magnificent most of CA and a wimpy disease magnet in the North East.
sorry for the late reply, I live in China, so you know I seldom receive messages from abroad in time...... I live in Shanghai at that moment, with very humid weather, lots of rain from march to may, and also very hot in summer. but JC is definitely very resistant to most diseases, almost no disease at all. you can trust this one:)
i agree. it seems most austin likes good water supply, they don't do well in drought conditions. and I also agree on the hot condition thing. because Shanghai have very hot summer..... we use every method from using shade nets for covering, to use bricks to raise up the pots from the burning concrete floor, to help the roses survive the notorious shanghai summer..... i think it's relevant with the breeder, austins are from England, where the climate is humid and cool. the austins perform best in this kind of condition.
Maybe, You better try the roses that thrive in Australia. As for instance Tea roses. Or the roses that originate in their ancestry from Chinese roses. Best Regards an Good Luck!
As for Black-spot it does well in my garden. Even last year with temps up to 40°C and dry weather with lots of sun. But our climate isn't comparable to the Texan. In rain or humid conditions no Black-spot to my knowledge, I rated it for disease-resistance on HMF as excellent! You might take a look at the photo's on HMF of foliage or of the whole plant for this rose.
Roses Unlimited in Laurens, SC offers this rose and owner Pat Henry reports that it in a good repeat bloomer. The nursery is located in the SC highlands.
