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precious9491

Climbing rose for brick wall

precious9491
15 years ago

Hello Everyone!

I am fairly new to gardening... ok, well, I have very little knowledge of it. I have recently gotten this bug to fill my front lawn with fragrant flowers- particularly roses. I have a clean slate at the moment (baren yard). I have two brick walls on the either side of the entrance where I would like to have climbing roses. My first question is... will they climb a brick wall? Are there any do's and don't for it? Which would be best for my zone: Houston, TX 9a? I was looking into buying the New Dawn or Don Juan but am very unsure. Any help would be so appreciated!

Comments (8)

  • jaxondel
    15 years ago

    In a sense, 'climbing rose' is kind of a misnomer. Roses classified as climbers simply produce long, lax canes that require support and (usually) much concerted 'training'. Some plants (like ivy) have mechanisms for climbing and holding fast to vertical surfaces; others, like clematis and wisteria, accomplish their upward growth by twining around available supports. Roses depend on the gardener to accomplish the same goal.

    There are various ways to afix rose canes to a brick wall, but it requires much effort over time. I recently toured an historic home that had a walled garden. A portion of the wall was covered with a spectacular climbing Souvenir de la Malmaison, the canes of which were attached to the brick by small metal clips that had been driven randomly into the mortar. So, YES -- it can be done, but it's a labor intensive proposition.

  • greenhaven
    15 years ago

    Quote from catsrose: "Do tell them you love them and they are the most beautiful creatures you have ever seen. Roses are very vain." *Giggling out loud!*

    Precious, as a newbie myself I would encourage you to try a low-maintenance non-climber, first, to get the hang of caring for roses before you have the added challenge of dealing with a climber. I speak from experience! :o)

  • JaneGael
    15 years ago

    New Dawn is an excellent choice because nothing I know of can kill one. They are also a very pretty pink and smell nice, but have wicked thorns. Viking Queen is another stunning pink. Compassion is an amazing color like a sunrise (pink/yellow/orange) that I had to have. Climbing Peace is beautiful and fragrant as are the others I mentioned.

    I put a link at the bottom for Help Me Find, a site I couldn't live without. You can do searches for roses and find a lot of info on them including what other people think about their ease of care and performance. At the top of the search box there is a tab to Advanced Search where you can tell it to look for climbers. Then when you pick one at the top of the rose info are tabs showing more pictures and RATINGS which tell you what others think.

    Put them where they will get a lot of sun (6 hours is best) Make sure you put a lot of good quality compost in the big wide, deep (not just big enough for the plant) hole you dig (ask the plant specialist where you buy your roses) fertilize with a good product (you can get tips here) and water regularly and deeply. You should have glorious roses because they aren't that fussy if you simply give them what they need to live.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Help Me Find - Search for Roses

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    15 years ago

    There are these things called "brick clips" to use for brick walls. That way you won't damage your brick.

    As greenhaven suggested, you might want to try a few roses for practice before trying to grow one to attach to a brick wall. It's not the absolute easiest thing to do.

  • greenhaven
    15 years ago

    hoovb, where do I get brick clips? I tried Googling but didn;t get anyhting useful. Both my house and garage are sided with brick, and I would love to train some sweet peas, snail vines, morning glories, etc.

    Oh, and roses!!

  • judyfe_gr
    15 years ago

    Found this link on line for brick clips. Is this what you are talking about and has anyone used these? Judy

    http://www.leevalley.com/gifts/page.aspx?c=1&p=10437&cat=4,53200&ap=5

    These handy clips let you quickly attach anything to brick without in any way damaging either the bricks or the mortar bond.
    Great for tying up vines, holding a trellis in place, or hanging wreaths on a brick wall. Clips securely snap in place by hand and each can hold up to 25 lb  no tools are needed for installation.

    Offered in three sizes: the standard size fits on brick from 2-1/8" to 2-1/2" in height; the large size fits on brick from 2-1/2" to 2-3/4" in height; the new extra-large size is designed for bricks 3" to 3-1/8" high to suit most new houses built in Canada since 1970. Please measure your bricks before ordering.

    Note: mortar line must be recessed; clips won't work on flush or extruded mortar.

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    15 years ago

    Also while 'New Dawn' is an outstanding rose in colder zones, in zone 9 it's not the best choice. It does better with a winter chill.

    Try something like 'Renae', which is thornless or near thornless (good for a beginnner), not too large, and has quite good repeat and fragrance.

    If you google: brick clips, numerous sites appear...Ace Hardware, Amazon, for example.