Balls horribly in the rain, I'd go for something else. My climate is dry, but not dry enough for this one. It was heatbreaking watching so many buds form only to see them turn to mush.
I also wasnt a fan of itt's habit. Very thorny and sprawly, I would have liked a wirier climber. The foliage was very healthy.

The flowers are stunning though :(

Those blooms are stunning! Can you describe your climate in more detail, Adam?

Thanks
-jannike

Absolutely beautiful roses! Thanks for sharing your photo.

Can you tell me if the balling is also a problem with sprinkler systems? Or is it just rain? I am curious.
Thanks, adrianne

I grew this for a while before I had a RRD problem and loved it! Mine did not ball very often. The blooms look and smell just as wonderful as the bush, but it doesn't rebloom as frequently. However, it is very tall and vigorous, long stiff canes (10'-12'), which is better than the 18" runty bush version that I tried. I had no problems with winter kill of the climber which killed my SDLM bush version (twice I tried to grow and failed).

The rainy weather really did a job on my SDLM which balled - it was an ugly mess! So adam, I don't know where you live, but if you're in a humid, or foggy, or rainy area, beware!
And the thorns are real killers when you go to prune or arrange canes. Wear leather gloves and a bike helmet.

Good luck--

Carol

I keep reminding folks that SDLM has a nearly twin sister called Mystic Beauty--available only at Roses Unlimited. I mention it because many people claim it looks identical to SDLM but isn't bothered as much by balling in the humid/foggy/rainy weather. Balling has never been a particular problem for my Mystic Beauty--though I'm not in the wettest environment, so I can't say for sure how it would perform elsewhere. Possible option, however.

Kate

I have included some details on the climate below (courtesy of Wikipedia).

We have a cool (not really cold, just nippy) winter and a long, hot summer. I think the problem was because the roses never really go dormant, they begin to bloom while we are still getting our drenching spring (September) rains, hence the balling on this one. Such a pity, though my Madame Isaac Perieres love it here! That photo was taken in the lead-up to Christmas, so it had dried off completely by then. I use spray irrigation, but that never touched the flowers so it was purely to do with rain. I also second carol6ma_7ari, the thorns were atrocious!

Sharing a similar climate to Perth, Mandurah has a typical Mediterranean climate (Köppen classification Csa) with warm dry summers and cool wet winters. During summer (December to February), the average maximum temperature is 27 °C (80 °F) with an average minimum temperature of 19 °C (66 °F). At its extreme it can get very hot, often having a couple of days exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in the latter half of summer. In winter (June to August), the average maximum temperature is 18 °C (64 °F) with an average minimum temperature of 9 °C (48 °F). Mandurah's proximity to the ocean moderates diurnal temperatures somewhat, with temperatures a few kilometres inland often 4 or 5 degrees warmer during summer days (or cooler during winter nights). Frosts are very rare as a result, but do occur annually around suburbs such as Greenfields. The current weather station opened in 2001 and is situated right on the coastline, causing data recorded to appear warmer during winter nights and cooler in summer days compared to surrounding areas.
Mandurah also receives a moderate though highly seasonal rainfall of about 850mm a year, however recent trends have seen this once reliable rainfall drop significantly. In addition, most of the winter rains are usually accompanied by severe winds and storms capable of causing widespread damage, making Mandurah one of the windiest cities in Australia. These conditions are perfect for tornado formation, which Mandurah's climate is remarkable for producing one of the highest densities of tornadoes in the world.[6]
Summer storms are rare due to the Mediterranean climate in the city, but not unheard of. Mandurah was affected to a lesser degree than Perth in the 2010 Western Australian storms, but the 2011-12 summer was notable for Mandurah bearing the brunt of three severe thunderstorms. One such storm on 12 December 2011 gave Mandurah almost seven times its monthly average (69.4 mm compared to an average of 15.5 mm), which was eclipsed exactly one year later on 12 December 2012 (74.2 mm). Another storm on 20 January 2012 dumped 57 mm on the city causing power outages and flash flooding. One man and numerous buildings in the city were struck by lightning during the storm, which produced 2,300 strikes within 30 kilometres of the city, which was more than what neighbouring Perth receives in an entire year and comparable to the most severe electrical storms which places in the tropics like Darwin are known for.[7][8][9]

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/climate/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=9977

Thanks all for the input!!

Kate, I have seen photos your your Mystic Beauty and it is truly a beauty. I have that one on order for next year as they were out of stock for this year, and the SLDM climber was available. I am pretty sure it was roses unlimited, but I will check and see now that you mention it.
Thanks so much, Adrianne