I'd think it worth a try, but I do wonder about the result. PN is usually pretty stiffly upright, and blooms only at the tip/top of each cane. So you may find it a challenge to have bloom anywhere except along the top arc of your espalier. But with some careful pruning of a many-stemmed plant, so that some canes are much shorter than others, you may make it work.

Someone tried to espalier me once, but I didn't like it.

Yes, it's been done. I had clients in The Palisades who did it with pretty good effect. EXCEPT, in a beach type climate, that rose is even more addicted to rust, black spot and mildew than it is in hotter, more inland climates. The only thing which kept foliage on it was spraying it every two weeks with Ultra Fine oil (one tbs per gallon) and Miracle Gro foliar feed combined with the oil. Between the diseases and saw fly larvae, Neyron was a leper.

One summer afternoon, the couple came into the nursery with a gorgeous bouquet of Paul Neyron. She was crying due to her joy at actually HAVING the flowers to cut. She'd grown the plant for several years rather unsuccessfully, until I suggested she espalier it to provide better air circulation and ability to access the plant with the spray. She didn't keep it much longer than that after realizing there were so many other gorgeous, fragrant roses she could grow so much more easily. Sometimes, you have to let people discover that lesson for themselves. Kim

Thanks guys!

begallica - I like your sense of humour =)

Malcolm - thanks for that tidbit. I guess even with espaliering Paul won't give me that many more blooms huh?

Kim - we certainly do have to learn our own lessons sometimes. Fortunately, with gardening we can sometimes be happily surprised as I was with my Cl Angel Face that I was told would not flower and be vigorous here and she is a wonderful thorny monster that just keeps on growing. Only one year in the garden and the canes are easily 15 ft if unwrapped from the obelisk. She also flowers freely - maybe not many flowers at once but I expect that to get better with age.

Not to say I won't listen to all of your wonderful advice. I'm just trying to find a way to incorporate Mr. Neyron due to his wonderful size blooms and thornless habit. I tried hunting down an Annie Laurie McDowell or a Mrs. John Laing which are also reportedly thornless.

Annie seems to be only at Angel Gardens and I found John Laing at Rogue. Since I have an order in at Greenmantle already, I'm going to call them and see if they have him/her.

Angel Gardens has an Annie Laurie McDowell, but has, to date, been unable to propagate her according to Pam. I haven't heard from Heirloom how the large box of cuttings I supplied them with last fall have performed, but, hopefully, Heirloom should have her available this year. Heaven knows I sent them sufficient material! Burlington's only issue supplying her has been demand outstripping the plant's abililty to regenerate material for cuttings. That's to be remedied this spring as I am set to provide her with a large box of material around March when conditions are appropriate for her to begin propagating. So, Annie Laurie McDowell SHOULD become much more readily available this year. Burling has stated she can root them quite easily. It's been HAVING material to root that's limited her ability to supply them. I told her I wished she'd alerted me to that issue before we appeared on a propagation panel at the Ventura County Rose Society a few weeks ago. I would have happily kept her supplied, as I am now ready to do. I shall also be sending budwood of her (and quite a few others) to Malcolm Manners for inclusion in the university garden. Keep your fingers crossed! Kim

The Paul Neyron flowers are pretty similar to 'Yves Piaget', which while not without prickles doesn't have many.