I can't add anything here 'cuz I don't do many Austins, but I will say that, for me, Austins stay pretty stunted. Even my climbers don't climb much. My oldest climber is Charles de Mills (thorniest rose on the planet next to George Burns) and he gets maybe 6' max. Probably because I have to prune all my roses almost to the ground every spring. This spring I'm not looking forward to pruning. I did some inspection this past Saturday and I've got some MAJOR winter kill this year. Even the roses that traditionally stay green almost 100% to the top of their canes are purple & black this year. I hope I didn't lose too many with that cold snap we had...
Cindi - One of these days I'm gonna ship my Sonya to you. It stinks to high hell to me... peppery smelling. And the scent sticks to my hands many times after I wash them. I thought it was the scent of a earwig I was smelling, but no, it's the rose itself. I've smelled other Sonyas and they smell good. But mine.. yuck. Only reason why I haven't ripped it up is because she's one of my best bloomers.
