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Successor to Rosa Munstead Wood?

Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
in Plants
I have Munstead Wood and absolutely love the flower colour and scent but it’s not a terribly healthy rose in my garden. I’m probably looking for the impossible, an alternative that is as near identical as possible

The David Austin site suggests Thomas a Beckett, which in my experience is a much weaker red than MW 🙁

Any recommendations? Am happy for a different scent but must be scented and would want the same rich, deep, dark red

Also any tips on growing MW. Mine gets a reasonable amount of sun but I wonder if it likes its own space? I grow all my roses cheek by jowl with perennials so they have to enjoy company and competition.

Thank you
 If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
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  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    I have Darcy Bussell a nice red but not the most healthy I am afraid. I don’t think red flowers are very fashionable at the moment. I went to DA roses recently, they carry a rose, the shepherdess. Gorgeous pale apricot but it’s never been available to buy before, only online, this time they had a whole stand of them. I think those sort of colours are more trendy. 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I too have a Munstead Wood which has always needed cossetting, both in a pot and then in the ground.   It is now in full sun, planted with loads of manure mixed into the soil and gets a good dollop of much every autumn and a generous dollop of pelleted chicken manure in spring.   It's doing better this summer which is almost 20C cooler than last year's heatwaves and drought.

    I have a Falstaff which I like and I had a Tess of the D'Urbevilles in my last garden but they're not the same sumptuous deep red.  Maybe try and see what Peter Beales and Harkness have to offer.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • SalixGoldSalixGold Posts: 450

    Gräfin Diana aka Dark Desire  is a Kordes rose - healthy with a strong scent. Maybe worth trying.

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Funnily enough that's just what I plan to do @Marlorena.   Fingers crossed.

    Do you know anything about Alfred Colomb?  
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Jess91Jess91 Posts: 159
    @Butterfly66 if you don't want it I'll gladly take it off your hands! 🤣
    Desperately wish I could get hold of one. I'd be happy with a cutting but I don't know anyone who has one ☹️

    The Prince might be okay? It was available on Trevor White but is now only from Nov23 as a bare root. It's much bigger though, I believe.
    Slowly building a wildlife garden, in a new build in East Yorkshire.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    Thanks all for your responses. Will look at the suggestions. 

    That’s interesting @Marlorena, I’ll try some cuttings as well and see how they do

    @Obelixx. I shall give them a good pampering with home compost this Autumn and see if they improve. I have cleared some space around them so they have more air.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    @Marlorena - do you know why a home rooted cutting might prove healthier than one purchased from DA? Or is that just a solution because you can no longer buy one?

    I did think it was just me with Munstead Wood. After 4 years it was proving to be a rather spindly, prickly, unhealthy specimen - but not this year. I don't think I've done anything different. It had a bit of rose food in March but the real difference has been how much rain we had in July.

    Everything in the garden has absolutely thrived in the cooler, wetter conditions - including MW.

    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • tigerburnietigerburnie Posts: 131
    Our Munstead seems to thrive on neglect, sits in a lawn of sandy coastal loam, no manure added, get a mulch of home made compost every spring and a bit of a tidy up prune and flowers well.
  • WAMSWAMS Posts: 1,960
    @Jess91 if I root a cutting, you can have it. Success with Tess but not MW yet.

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