EVELN

IMHO this rose is a goddess. She is the cultivar responsible for switching my rose obsession from Hybrid Teas to English Roses. One of the things that is so spectacular about her blossoms is the clearity of the apricot/pink color. Although the color will bleach out in hot summer sun the colors are completely unmuddled by any kind of lilac or mauve tonality. When at their best the large blooms literally shine from across the garden. Speaking of size the flowers are very large in comparison to the shrub. This makes her stand out and in this respect she really does remind me of some of the highly developed Tea-Noisettes.

The perfect flower form doesn't hurt either. Form is somewhat variable but is ALWAYS beautiful. It can be either deeply cupped or quartered around a button eye. All too often it is a combination of both, starting out globuar then slowly opening into the quartered formation.

As for the fragrance it is simply out of this world! Not so much for its strength (although it is fairly strong) but instead for the quality and complexity of the parfume. This rose has numerious scents in her fragrance mix, some of which I'm at a loss to identify. I shall try: at the top there is a prominant fruity top note that smells exactly like ripe peaches. After that there is a very fresh Tea rose note followed by a subtle spicy finish that I believe is a light mix of myrrh and something else that eludes me (kinda reminds me of the Chanel no. 5 that my mother once wore).

Growth habit is nice too. When grown in the correct spot she is very vigorous throwing out long canes that gracefully arch. Shrubs of EVELYN grown as specimen plants where they are allowed to reach their full size are simply breathtaking (I once remember a cover of a garden magazine where this rose took center stage beside a colonial potting shed).

Of course this rose isn't without her issues. Simply put she can be bit of a fuss Diva. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Diva roses are just like their human counterparts. Sure they are demanding but when coddled and pampered they will put on a performance that outshines every other rose in the garden. In Evelyn's case her large sumptous flowers appear all over a graceful bush from spring till frost while spritzing doting admirers with her dreamy fragrance.

B-U-T she can be terribly fussy about placement, pruning, soil and spraying. She needs some protection from western sun (or else her pastel hued flowers will bleach out to white) yet isn't known for her shade tolerance. This rose wants, no demands, the sweetest spot in your garden; i.e eastern exposure without any competing shrubs or trees. She also frowns on hard pruning. Cut this rose back too severly and she'll pout by not growing. In fact, vigor is downright temperamental; either gangbusters or not at all. She also wants black loamy soil that is rich yet drains perfectly (I did say she was a fuss Diva didn't I?).

My sister grew this rose (grafted on Dr. Huey) to perfection for years in zone 7b coastal Virginia. Sis would lightly prune to shape several times during the growing season. She never hard pruned, only used organic fertilizers (high nitrogen causes The Jolly Giant Syndrome) and sprayed once every two weeks with a fungicide. The result was a dense shapely bush with big flowers all over the surface.

Sadly last your I shovel pruned Evelyn from my mom's formal rose garden. My mother's age and my sister's mental illness made it impossible for them to properly care for Evelyn. The poor thing was mostly dead anyway. Breaks my heart to write about it.

My EVELYN is own root from Chamblees and is starting her second year. She has been slow to build up stature but I don't care. I love this rose for several reasons, not all of them practical.

One of the happiest moments in my life was when I was a young man of about 25. I had just picked the first bloom off of the new EVELYN rose in my mother's garden. I held up the perfectly shaped (quartered) bloom to the early morning light and marveled at how the sun's rays suffused all through the flower illuminated it from within.

Then I smelled the rose:

I fell completely, totally, passionately, forever-and-ever in love with EVELYN.


Image of Evelyn by Cactus joe at Hortiplex

(now humming an old Beach Boy's tune here...Help me Rhonda, help me get her out of my heart...)

-Nan

Jerome

Thank You, Jimmy

You are the Master. A beautiful narrative for a beautiful rose. Thank the Lord that Chamblees is closed for the season.

Resistance is futile.

Harry

Ok, so thats two for next year so far, Evelyn and Charles Darwin. Besides, I have enough workhorses now to stand a diva or two.

Jack

Florence

Jimmy

Predfern, you might call Heirloom and see if they have Evelyn. It is not on their website, but they carry a lot of Austins they don't list there. It would be small, but it would be own root (and virus free). I have purchased several Austins from them.

My first Distant Drums bloom this year was very full and lovely. The fragrance eludes me. It smells a little like Coca Cola to me, or some Victorian perfume. Since you are so good with the fragrance determinations, Patrick, can you pin it down?

DA is still shipping.

As for you cold zoners it might be a little too late to try EVELYN own root. Then again I don't garden in your zone so definately ask some advice from those already growing this rose in zones 4/5.

BTW, if you want an apricot English Rose that is whole lot easier to grow then I suggest TAMORA. Except for her cold hardiness issues (hardy only to zone 6a without some form of protection) she reblooms more often and is more location and neglect tolerant. While the flowers are not as glorious as those on Evelyn they are still very beautiful and should satisfy any English Rose junkie. BTW, Tamora's fragrance is the sweetest among the myrrh scented group (the fruity secondary scent is very strong and easily takes the edge off of the myrrh).

Image of TAMORA by Down and Dirty at The very best Austins thread

Just look at those big buxom blooms. Doesn't she make you want to smother your face in the silky folds?

Image by YoungQuinn at the Antique Roses Gallery

Randy

He-he-he-he-he...

Image of SHARFIA ASMA by Christian at Hortiplex

From Sardinia (Italy), one more 'Evelyn'...

...and "don't forget" 'Radio Times' ;o)

Here's where you get into "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION."
I can see from the posts here that Evelyn is a wonderful rose for those of you who have some winter.

Out here in the coastal zone of Southern California, with no winter chill, Evelyn produced quite a different picture. She grew canes anywhere from 12 to 15 feet long. The far end of the cane grew quiet thin, floppy -- attenuated. Blooms (when there were blooms) flopped around at the thin end of those canes.
We tried cutting it back hard.
Nothing daunted, Evelyn hunkered down, and spent the next couple-three months growing back out to her preferred 12 to 15 feet. Out at the far end -- A Bloom.

The blooms WERE beautiful -- but far too few.

FWIW, Graham Thomas grew in a similar fashion here.
The Pilgrim was the worst. It's canes draped to the ground, where they turned into thin vines, well-armed with prickles. The third time one of them wrapped itself around DH's ankles, it was doomed.

I am convinced that none of the "Big" Austins are really well-suited to this overly-mild climate. They were bred to exist where there is a winter to restrain them. If I move to a place where there is a winter, I'll give 'em another try.

Jeri Jennings
Coastal Ventura County, Southern California

Of course we haven't even begun to discuss soil differences.

However you slice it - yes Evelyn probably does grow better outside of Southern California. I find that gratifying.

Patrick

*** Oh, there are TONS of roses that don't perform well in the milder parts of Southern California. If we stick to roses that are well-adapted for this climate, we can do really well. If we push into things better suited to other climates, we set ourselves up for failure.
But, heck, that's true of most climates.

One of the most important services a list like this can serve is to show which sorts of roses do well in which conditions. That's why I mention the limitations of a rose like Evelyn, or The Pilgrim. Not because I don't think they're fine roses, but because there are some areas where they aren't a good choice -- and that's part of the whole picture.

Jeri

Jeri

I swear, Hoove could plant a dead stick and make it look good. He grows the prettiest roses I have ever seen.

Deb

But nothing matches her scent - she is a unsurpassed!!!

Ruth

The fragrance of Evelyn is so fruity/peachy sometimes it's almost not 'rose' anymore. But I'll not complain!

If you cut Evelyn for the house, make sure the buds are small and tight, as she drops petals quickly otherwise.

You're making me long for Los Angeles, not that it's much different up here in terms of "ten miles" making a world of difference. The bay ends about fifteen miles from here and driving away from it one can watch the car thermometer change by a degree for each mile, more or less.

Patrick,

What an excellent thread! Loved the description of Ireland and England's weather conditions!

I may add Evelyn to my collection--again, having left it behind.

MichaelAT

Kate

I'm running out of room to plant, and I've been touched by Austin-madness this year anyway. (Eight new Ashdown roses are on their way as I type, and nowhere to put them cept the pot ghetto.) So, stop it with the Evelyn pictures.

I thought Abe and Crown Princess Margareta could make me swoon, but this is getting really bad! I shouldn't even open your posts, but your descriptions are just too tempting...

pbbththth!

Oh btw, if you ever do write a book--I'd definitely buy it!

Stop,

He-he-he-he-he...

So . . . I bought it :)

I'm going to bury the bud union deep, to winter protect a little and to encourage her to go ownroot. Can anyone (who grows this rose up in the northern/colder zones) give me an idea of how big she's likely to get up here?

Image of Evelyn by Char-Rose previously posted at the Antique Rose Gallery

Judith

Part of my order this year was one rose from Heirloom. It only had one bud (which recently opened). Having seen it, I (through my, given, limited knowledge) would have to say that Tuscany Superb is the most beautiful rose.