Date Planted: April 16, 1997 Unlike most of the English Roses, Abraham Darby has Modern Rose parents. The blooms are the classic cupped Old Rose shape, coppery apricot in color with the outer petals shading toward pink. They are very large - the fully open bloom pictured measured just over 5"! It has a bicolor effect to my eye. The fragrance is very strong and delicious - a hard aroma to describe. I've heard it said that it reminds people of Juicy Fruit gum, and I feel that it is a fair descriptor. This is a very vigorous plant; it is now approx. 10' tall by 12' wide grown as a climber against my front porch. It does get some blackspot, but not badly enough to disfigure or defoliate it. It blooms in flushes with a rest in between. The foliage is shiny, healthy and plentiful. This rose can be grown as a large shrub, but it would need lots of room. Considering how well this rose performs for me and how popular it is, I am astounded by the strength of some rosarians dislike for this rose. I've heard it described as 'unruly', 'hard to control', 'octopus-like' and blackspot-prone; therefore, I can only assume that Abraham Darby doesn't perform as well in some parts of the country. If you don't demand too much controlled tidiness in a rose, I recommend this one very highly!
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Abraham Darby (Auscot)
