What do you think of the design? Too big? Too close the roof line? Do you think the sizes of the beams are right? Hubby thinks he might be able to do it himself, but neither of us has any carpentry experience. Plus, I don't want to wait forever. We're getting quotes for putting in a picket fence right now, so the plan is to get a quote for whatever design I come up with at the same time.

The fun part will be picking the roses! I already have Annie Laurie McDowell, which is sort of a double version of Renee (light pink). I'm thinking about maybe a red rose as well. Do you think red will be too American flag looking with the color of the house?

- Hershi

I think it looks great. I don't know Annie Laurie McDowell. Red roses are beautiful. I think you might want to post this on the Antique Rose forum as well and get some input from them. You will get some great suggestions.

Robert

Okay, sorry, little rabbit trail. Personally, I think any dark climber would get lost against your garage unless your trellises are the white you represent in your design. (Very cool design, too, I might add. What program did you use to create this? I am a very visual person and would LOVE to be able to semi-preview my choices before commiting...)

How many of those plants are already there, and which are "proposed plants? Which direction does that wall face? That will make a big difference, in your climate, as to which roses will do well there.

It doesn't look too close to the roofline, to me. Because there are the three wide sections it is pretty balanced. But in your climate, again, even short climbers might get out-of-control big in no time flat. Don't choose something like Cl. Cecile Brunner or New Dawn. Something with a conservative bent will serve you best! Other SoCal folks can advise you better on that.

Good luck, have fun!

Pale pinks would look good. And don't forget the clematis!

I built my own towers (with a little help from Alan) -- it is not that difficult. Use wood screws, not nails, of course.

Hope this helps.

Kate

Good comment about the red looking lost against the dark blue. What if you put the brightest yellow climber you can find in the middle and then another pink shade on the other side? Then, if you have enough room, you could put some different bright reds, deep orange-reds or other darker ones in front so that the color will pop against the lighter background.

If I had to chose, I would forgo scent for a) continuous repeat and b) disease resistance unless you're religious about spraying. Don't know about you, but in my coastal area mildew reigns supreme, with severe rust coming seasonally for those affected.

As to roses, I don't think red's necessarily going to be lost, but if I wanted red there,
in Southern California, I think I might use Fourth of July.

For more golden colors, you might look at some of the yellow-y Tea Noisettes. Check out:
Reve d'Or,
William Allen Richardson,
Crepuscule.

If you want white, the climber 'Sombreuil' is a stalwart in CA.
If you want a more restrained pink, "Grandmother's Hat" can make a disease-free,
continuous-blooming 8-ft climber, espaliered on a trellis.

Jeri

Jeri, I got Annie Laurie McDowell three years ago from Ashdown. The poor thing has been stuck in a 5 gallon pot ever since. I've had to cut off countless climbing canes since it's currently stuck in my pot getto. It will be so happy to get into the ground! Thanks also for your rose suggestions. I'm not a yellow person, but I've added Grandmother's Hat and Sombreuil to the list of potential buys.

Greenhaven, all the plants are already existing. The wall is west facing, so no trouble with sun.

HoovB, I'm definitely putting in clemetis! And I love your garden structures! I don't know if we're that talented though. If the quote is forbiddingly high, however, I'll be emailing you with questions! :)

Kate, thanks for the tip about the spacing with the wall.

Lagomorphmom, I'm completely on board with your criteria. I've have 2 little kids so easier is better!

Any other white/pink/red/purple suggestions for low maintenance short climbers would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Jeri

hoovb Do you have pictures of your towers you could post?

I hope it will come back on the market sometime.

You basically make two "A" shapes out of 2x2 cedar or redwood. Depending on height, you may need more than a single crossbar. It depends how tall your tower is. I put 3. No need to measure, they just need to be evenly spaced.

Now you have your two "A" shapes, and you connect those two "A"s with two additional sets of crossbars to form the tower. (The tower ends up with 4 sides.)

You can then add 1 or more pickets or fence slats, I think they are 1x2s, going vertically, running up the middles of the "A"s, to add visual interest and additional strength.

The horizontal crossbars need to be cut at an angle at each end (because the long sides of the "A" taper towards the top, it forms an angle), so a miter saw or miter box to get the angle cuts is extremely helpful.

Put everything together with wood or deck screws, not nails, to make it last longer. You get a fence-post topper to put on the top to make it look fancier.

Materials:
4 2x2's for the "A"s.
additional 2x2s for the crossbars
wood or deck screws
fence post topper for top
Tools:
saw, preferably miter (angle)
drill for drilling/screwing the wood screws
safety goggles
Optional
Husband to say "Here, give me that, I'll do it." while you go into the house and have a glass of lemonade.

Even easier is to make teepees from rebar. Sink the rebar 18"-24" into the ground and use a hose clamp to connect them all at the top. You can also put a fence-post topper on the top as well for extra pizazz.

ROFL!! That's cute, hoovb, and lucky oyu to have a hubby who likes to do that handy stuff. The teepees look great!

This is the original poster, HershiGrl. I've just changed my User Name to AzureRose. Anyway, I did go ahead and have the trellises built. We also decided to put in a picket fence. So, here are pictures:
Now

Before

Now again

In another few years, hopefully I can add pictures with climbing roses covering them!

- Azure

p.s. In case you're wondering what happened to the tree in the "before" picture, I had to take two pictures to get the whole front of the house. My "photo merge" program merged the tree into our front gate!