Careful what you wish for, it's a turd to be sure. Gangly and lax in the UK, weak and spindly in the US. It doesn't like heat.

Thank you for the information! I understand the risk, just really love it and want to give it a try.

The only place I know that had it was Palatine but every time I tried to order it, it was sold out. After hearing all the bad reviews I gave up. I still think the blooms are gorgeous but I don't need another lousy rose to take care of.

I have to add my (english) voice - a complete duffer....with the nastiest ugliest unmannerly growth (2 gnarly canes with a couple of twigs......a disgrace. I can see why you might like the colour though....I have hung on to mine against my better judgement (and cos I'm cheap).

Anyway, here's one of mine.

I've still got mine lol. I think it is just so I can swear at it every now and again.

I got mine from Hortico several yrs ago. I think it's a great rose. Does really well in my garden. It does tend to grow very tall and even tries to become a climber. The blooms can be smallish, but they repeat fairly well. I get summer temps in the 100s and it stands up to it with no problem. I have it located in a huge ceramic pot next to an arbor in my back yard where it gets more filtered sun than full sun most of the day. I dunno why it's not more widely available. I guess it just isn't a good rose anywhere else.

{{gwi:229739}}

I have three of them, but I would not recommend them for my climate. They have beautiful, fragrant flowers in the spring, but after that, forget it, especially if we have had a late freeze. The plants are long-caned and spindly. Any repeat bloom at all is scarce. If you want any of the oranges, I would suggest Lady Emma Hamilton and Lady of Shalott. They are far better.

I actually have lady emma and LOS... summer song is simply one i really want now. 3? I'm jealous. They are like gold in america.. hortico I think is my only hope and it's not even in the catalog.. so that might be shot.

I willing to take the risks.. As pathetic as it sounds.. to get a few plants of summer song!

At first I was obsessed over this rose. Only had it for two years. I found orange coloured roses with modern shiny leaves very hard to blend in well with my other pastel pink roses. SS is very thorny and it's not usually 'burnt' orange in colour. A lot of the time it looks coral colour.

Mine's spindly, graceless, sulky, stingy with bloom, first in the garden to blackspot, hates being pruned....have I said enough ? I keep hoping that as it matures it will improve, but after 5 years, I am resigned that it is a dud. Perhaps after the run of -20F temps this winter, it will be put out of its misery and will finally meet Madame Shovel.

BTW,none of my blooms have ever looked as glorious as Beth's. Apparently this is an Austin meant for Cali's climate.

I know this doesn't do well in many gardens. I did a lot of research bur for whatever reason I'm still being stubborn! Palatine says they no longer carry austin roses.. Pickering doesn't carry it.. it's no longer in hortico catalog..

I know this could be for a reason. But I spray regularly for bs, won't prune hard.. etc..

just trying to get a way to obtain it to take my chances, I guess.

Some years ago I got mine from Palatine. I gave it the best spot - not too much hot sun, not too little, babied it, etc. Long spindly growth, only a couple of flowers and it just faded away despite my best efforts. Not one to give up and a glutton for punishment, I ordered another. Same story. I even called David Austin roses and asked about it, what would it take to make it grow. They told me it wasn't sold in the US because it didn't grow here - basically saying it was a dud here. Yes, the color was gorgeous. But even it it was sold here, I wouldn't have another. It was an exercise in futility. I think you would be disappointed if you got one. There is a reason why this roses isn't sold here. What good is a beautiful colored rose if it is not a good plant and barely blooms? And as for Hortico, even if they sold it, you might not get the exact rose. Out of my order last year, 8 were not the correct rose - they even sent me 2 horrid rootstocks! Now, I have to reorder 8 more "free" roses and I have to pay shipping on them. Keep your eye open for the rose - IF it will ever be sold in the US again......but don't let that one rose, with its dubious ability to thrive, detract from the hundreds of other lovelies. I have Black Tea from Vintage that is a similar color and simply beautiful!
Judith

Thanks for the information! I'm going hortico gets their act together because I ordered a few roses from them (pretty jessica.. A shopshire lad.. etc) and I'm hoping not to get mislabeled roses or rootstocks!

Just a question though, I always wondered - what's the big difference between England's weather and our weather? I understand that the rose grows better there, but I want to know how the US is so different that not even one state in the US is comparable?

Thanks!

No, it doesn't grow better here - it doesn't grow well anywhere. It is, in other words, a complete dog.

You may well find it vanishing from the Austin catalogue along with all those other ones such as The Nun, The Prioress etc. It is rarely seen in garden centres in the UK.
There are better roses with similar colouration and shape....it doesn't even keep the russet tones of photos but veers into a violent coral salmon colour.
Gah, I have ignored mine but might just get the spade out since I have underplanted it with a rather nice clematis which deserves a far better support system than hoary SS.

How is the US so different from England? For one thing, latitude. Much of the US is south of the latitude of the British Isles. That changes the angle and intensity of the sun and its effects on color development and retention. The differences in color of the same variety on the same rootstock between two places such as here in KC and Milwaukee, WI, for instance, a place farther north, are quite noticeable. The color difference between Milwaukee and Seattle, close to the same latitude but different climates, is not that much. England is also not so big that the ocean air effects are completely lost on the interior of the country. That is not true here. A humid continental climate such as most of the US has wider temperature variations than a coastal marine climate. As for any states in the US that have a climate similar to England, northern Oregon and Washington west of the Cascades are quite British-like. Roses that do well in England do well there. Some of them may do okay in the Midwest, but not many of them.

If I could suggest one alternative, I would have a look at Palatine's catalog and look at the Kordes variety Summer Sun. That one might be okay. I am not growing it, but it would be on my list to try if I have the space and my Summer Songs kick the bucket. Just my suggestion, for what it is worth.

The question you asked is so simplistic that it is difficult to answer. I don't live in the US obviously, but you can't even compare one state to another so the whole of the US compared to UK is impossible. Generally though, we are a lot further north, David Austin is in Shropshire, which is on a similar line to North Germany, virtually Denmark, and Saskatchewan in Canada. It's rare on here for there be such a consensus on one rose so I would take that on board. One thing I don't get though, why introduce the sport of it 'Carolyn Knight' are they hoping to prey on peoples credulous simplicity?