I had to dig my new plant up for the move so it's in a large pot right now and growing quite upright, not sure if that would be the norm in a planted condition so we'll see next growing season.

Summer Song is beautiful. Carefree Celebration (a Radler Rose) is a similar color. It doesn't have the "Austin" floral form, but is hardy and prolific.

Thanks, Sue. We're compare form! When will you be settling in? I can only imagine your pots!

Andi: I have Carefree Celebration and agree completely that it's hardy and prolific, but the color (for me) is pretty pinkish, much more coral (I'm not very good with color names), whereas I see Summer Song as a slightly pinked orange/russet. I'm so anxious to see what it looks like in person (or plant!).

Next year, I promise, I am going to take pictures and learn to post them. I said that this year, too, but I'm saying it was just a practice warm-up kind of promise!

You're right, Lisa. Carefree Celebration is not the same color as Summer Song at all. It's more varied, and Summer Song is a nice solid russet-orange. I've also found, in my garden at least, that Carefree Celebration doesn't bloom as much or as often as Summer Song. You'll be very pleased with it, I know.

Looking forward to those pictures.

Chamblees doesn't have summer song listed, yet. They seem to eventually get the Austin's own root. I love peach/coral/salmon roses. I'll have to wait for summer song own root (not to mention more garden space)

Andi: In case you find some garden space -- you might like the Easy Elegance All the Rage. I found a plant up in Michigan on vacation this summer and hauled it home. It has done wonderfully well and is a great example of the colors you like.

Andi - I know that Mardi Gras may be a bit too bright & gaudy, but it's a wonderfully gorgeous rose that does quite well in our cold environments here. And if you love the peach/coral/salmon, please do try Octoberfest.. more coral than orange than Mardi Gras and I haven't had a problem with it at all.

Mardi Gras always catches my eye, but it may be too bright with my pinks. However, Grenada (or Granada, I always get it wrong) looked good. It has a bright edge. I have Charlotte and Golden Celebration as yellows. There are so many nice roses, I envy people with large gardens. I suppose I could have a large garden also if I lived in a different part of the country, but I am here and making the best of it - small garden, rocks and all.

If I add any more roses (ok, who am I kidding) it will probably be in the pastel range. Honey Sweet, a Buck hybrid tea, was the best performer of my hybrid teas/floribundas/grandfloras. Of the Austins, Wildeve did the best in spite of the drastic pruning I gave her in the spring.

Next year's goal is still adding compatible companion plants and fighting blackspot. I also want to master rose propagation.

Except Honey Sweet isn't a HT, it's a shrub rose.

My bad, I thought it was listed as a hybrid tea. I looks like a hybrid tea - beautiful, large single bloom and long stem. It was really fabulous this year. Last year, I was so happy that my roses survived. This year, I was happy that some looked really good.

I guess I will have to call it a "hybrid tea like shrub" as opposed to my "ground cover shrubs" and the "shrub like" shrubs.

It does get confusing, not really sure why it was classified as a shrub because all the images do look like a single HT form. Oh well.

Sue, how does the color of summer song compare with pat austin?

I looked up Honey Sweet - one parent is a shrub, one a hybrid tea- Serendipity x Vienna Charm (a pretty Kordes rose)

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose...)

That's so interesting, Andi. You made me curious about the lineage so I looked it up too and now I know why I like Honeysweet so much: There are four wonderful Pedro Dot roses in the first five generations going back in its lineage: Condesa de Sastago, Luis Brinas, Duquesa de Penaranda, and Federico Casas.

Ahh, that explains that fabulous mix of coloring!

Pat Austin is more orange/peach while Summer Song is a deep coral. I can spot them by color right away, each one is so distinct there is no mistaking it. I love both but Pat Austin shatters pretty quickly while SS really lasts quite well on the bush and in the vase plus it's a fuller bloom.
This is how deep and rich of a coral Summer Song is for me: http://www.helpmefind.com/rose...
compared to Pat Austin http://www.helpmefind.com/rose...

I need to join hmf so that I can look up the lineage. I use the site so much that it isn't fair not to join. Clicking the comments brings me back to the home page again, maybe because I am not a member.

Calif-Sue - OK, you just convinced me to wait for SS and not get PA. I was intrigued by Pat Austin this past summer when I saw it at a nursery, but I wanted to hold off until I was 100% that was the Austin I wanted as I wanted something a little more orangy. And there's nothing more frustrating than to have a gorgeous rose shatter for absolutely no reason.. Julia Child, Scentimental, and Perfume Tiger are some of the worst shatterers in my book.. plus Sunny Delight.

Huh.. is it something in the yellow family?

I looked both up on hmf, but was curious about the opinion of someone who grew both. Summer Song sounds like a major improvement. I have Crown Princess Margaretta (possibly mispelled) against a trellis. This is its first season, I need to grow it longer to comment. The blooms are pretty, but smaller and more pale than expected. My favorite Austin so far is Wildeve. It is not a fair comparison, however, because Wildeve is my oldest rose and sentimental favorite as "the first that survived the winter".

Skiekitty, you may like Cris Marlowe. It is an unusual mix of bright pink and coral. It seems shorter than some Austins (a positive point in my garden). I would guess its final height will be between a floribunda and a hybrid tea. In its first year it is shorter than Honey Sweet the same age. Both are shorter than Wildeve.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose...

It is different from Summer Song, but interesting.

Christopher Marlowe is one of the short Austins. It's a gorgeous rose.