I am NOT in a dry climate at all but my RdV is huge! It's at least 10 feet tall and probably 6 feet wide and that's tied up, as best I can, to a trellis. I have no idea how much it might spread if it weren't tied. She is just gorgeous though when she blooms and you can smell her from across the yard!

Our climate is hot and humid, my RDV is just over 5' tall and about 3' wide, rather upright in growth. Got this adult plant from Eurodesert when they were closing, and really love the blooms. I do prune it down quite a bit in February, one of the few ogrs that I do prune. This has so far kept the size in bounds. It's on the east side of the house, gets afternoon shade.

Mine is on a tutor and about 4-5 feet tall and only going on 3 years old

Thank you for your replies. I think that given my conditions I can probably keep it at the height ogrose has hers, which would be perfect.

Ingrid

Reine des Violettes hardly grew for me at all, and I gave it about 4 years to show its stuff. Chlorotic all the time. I don't know if it was the alkaline soil or the salts in our water. YMMV, and I do hope it does. At its best it is a glorious rose. I really wanted it to do well.

Rosefolly

Thanks for sharing your experience, rosefolly. All I can do is hope that it will be happier here. At any rate, I've wanted to try it for years and at least I'll know with certainty that I wasn't meant to have it. Right now it's three bare, smooth canes, not a sign of anything positive yet, but I'm hopeful. I'll give an update here in the spring.

Ingrid