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arbutusomnedo

What (Rose or Otherwise) Would You Put Up a 7.5' Obelisk?

Hey there everybody!

My mom got a new metal obelisk this past weekend. She wants to add some height to the front yard after a tree had to be removed. The spot gets some afternoon shade, but it is mostly sunny. The obelisk is not extremely wide, but most pillar type roses that can be kept around 8' tall would be good fits for it.

There's not enough shade to comfortably plant a clematis there, but she likes the idea of a very remontant rose in either a soft white/pink/cream or dark red/purple. I can't really think of anything in the darker spectrum that wouldn't get too big for this application, whereas there are many lighter Noisettes, Hybrid Musks, and others I could see working. Nur Mahal might work, but it's not quite the color she's looking for. I know that prolific bloom is more important to her than the beauty of each individual bloom or the scent.

I wasn't planning on using it for this application, but could Grandmother's Hat serve this purpose? I feel like Felicia and Clytemnestra would get too large in the long run for an obelisk, but they have yet to be planted in their intended spots. Jeri Jennings is in a 2 gallon pot growing in its intended future location, but it too could be repurposed for this. I suspect it might like being grown as an arching shrub more than an upright, trained specimen.

I've seen wonderful pictures of Lavender Lassie being grown in the style I'm asking about, but it's a bit too pink. I forgot who posted the pictures, but I've seen someone with a lovely Prosperity grown as a tight pillar rose. Could something like Mlle. Blanche Lafitte work in the manner of these?

The obelisk isn't so big that I would put any number of more aggressive vines on it, but if you have any non-rose ideas, I'm all ears. Rust and mildew are problems here though, so that eliminates some rose choices from the start.

Thanks for your help as always! Hope you're all doing well.

Jay

Comments (15)

  • malcolm_manners
    9 years ago

    Jay how about 'Don Juan' for a dark red?

  • boncrow66
    9 years ago

    Since I love SDLM so much I am going to suggest cl SDLM.

  • labrea_gw
    9 years ago

    Rosarium Uetersen makes a nice presentation and is pliable enough to wrap an obelisk.
    Google it click images there are quite a few a very deep pink or light red

    Here is a link that might be useful: Helpmefind

  • rosefolly
    9 years ago

    Not Grandmother's Hat. An excellent rose but not, I think, pliable enough to wrap around an obelisk. It wants to be a tall vase. You could probably train it to a fence if you wanted but not this tight narrow form. I believe it is happiest when freestanding.

    The roses I can think of are either not remontant, too large, or the wrong color. For example, I think Lady Hillingdon might do, and it repeats, but it is yellow. Renae might do, but it is pink, and it gets big. Violette would be lovely, and it blooms for 6+ weeks, but then it is done until the next year. The climbing tea noisettes mostly repeat well and have trainable canes, but many of them would grow too big for the support.

    I am myself currently training the Austin rose 'The Generous Gardener' around an obelisk. While not a constant bloomer, it does repeat. It is pale pink, almost white. My obelisk is about 6 1/2 feet tall and so far it seems to be the right size for this fairly young plant.

    Elsewhere I have Sydonie trained on a similar obelisk. It could easily fill one that it 8 feet tall. However, while it does repeat, none of the later flushes are very heavy. It too is a light pink.

    I am also attempting to grow Barbara's Pasture Rose that way. I used to grow it in partial shade and it stretched pretty tall trying to reach the sun. Now I have it in the sun and am experimenting to see if I can get some height with it. I doubt that it would fill an 8 foot structure, though. And it is pink, though a deeper pink.

    Clematis and jasmine are the only two non-rose climbers I grow. Both are lovely, but neither blooms all season long.

    I would be interested in hearing what you decide to do.

    Rosefolly

  • jerijen
    9 years ago

    I agree with Rosefolly. Grandmother's Hat is a wonderful rose, but I have actually seen it used on a tuteur, and I don't like what I see.

    I'll tell you one rose we have used this way, quite successfully: 'Excellenz von Schubert.' (See Below).

    For me, it had good disease-resistance. It is VERY fragrant. Not terribly thorny, and the canes are lax enough to train.

    For my area, it had ONE flaw: It is a multiflora hybrid, and LOATHES alkaline conditions. Its leaves can actually turn a greenish-ivory. I overcame this very successful using soil sulfur, and it was terrific here for many years.

    We got rid of it because slogging all the way down the hill to tie up new canes got more and more difficult as we got older, otherwise, I'd likely still have it.

  • ArbutusOmnedo 10/24
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I should add that the right once-blooming or stingier rose with just unbelievable blooms would probably be enough to dissuade her from her hope of quantity over quality. Never say never.

    Malcolm- She currently has one growing against a wall in her back yard! She likes Don Juan so far, though I think she may want to go for something different in this spot.

    boncrow66- It'd be great to grow SDlM here, but Bourbons and SDlM in particular are mildewy, balled messes here from what I understand unfortunately.

    labrea- I know I've seen the name repeatedly before, but I'll have to check out Rosarium Uetersen as I'm not acquainted with it.

    rosefolly- I'm currently growing Sydonie up a simple tripod I set up. I love it, but it's one my mom doesn't like a whole lot for whatever reason. A rose the color of Sydonie would work well though. The shrub version of Lady Hillingdon -which is to me a creamy apricot that borders on yellow- is on the opposite side of the front yard, but yellow isn't a heavily utilized color in her yard. I'm not sure if it's a matter of preference or it just worked out that way by chance.

    Jeri- I actually recently planted Excellenz von Schubert elsewhere, but it could make a move if no better options come up. Do you think Setzer Noisette is too much rose for this application? The picture you most recently posted of it made it seem fairly manageable.

    Jay

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    9 years ago

    How far inland is it going to be? I have all my Clematis in all-day sun in Sunset 23, where they do fine and dandy. The ones with shade are the ones quite unhappy.

  • jerijen
    9 years ago

    No, I DON'T think Setzer would be too much for it. (Mind, you have to deadhead all of these cluster-flowering Noisettes.) you would certainly have a tower of fragrance.

    I think it would be wonderful.

  • muscovyduckling
    9 years ago

    First thing I thought of was Reine des Violettes. Don't know how it does in your area, though - I read a lot of people have problems with it in alkaline soils. Perhaps the hybrid musks Pax or Cornelia might work. Or one of the smaller Noisettes, like Alister Stella Grey or Celine Forestier (maybe too yellow though?).

    I think a few Austin's might fit the bill, don't know how you feel about Austin's though...

  • AquaEyes 7a NJ
    9 years ago

    It's not an OGR, but what about 'Night Owl'?

    :-)

    ~Christopher

  • patricianat
    9 years ago

    I have 2 clematis plants on my brick mailbox, full sun, zone 7-8 south, all day heat (and the only problem I have is dog urine). Rare to have rain anymore, but dogs like to mark their territory and my dog marks right back. Even though it's a urinal, it's gorgeous in spring and early summer and mid fall.

    Now if I could just figure out a way to keep the dogs off it. Do you think the government could arrest these dogs since the mailbox is federal property?

  • jerijen
    9 years ago

    ROTFL!

    Plant Catci around it???? Very SPINY cacti?

  • Kippy
    9 years ago

    I have Reine des Violettes on mine.

    Considering the canes she is throwing, Lady of Megginch would work too, but I noticed she was not listed in the USA catalog after just being released....guessing some one saw those canes. You would have to grab and tie as fast as they grow since they are over 1" of rows of thorns.

  • ArbutusOmnedo 10/24
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'm glad that Setzer Noisette might work, Jeri.

    hoovb- It's about a mile and a quarter inland from the beach.

    Besides a jackmanii in relatively sunny conditions that does well, all recent attempts at Clematis in full sun just haven't gone well there. Henryi (One of the few cultivar names I can recall) was on the verge of death till I finally moved it to a shady spot. Perhaps our care has been less perfect and the sample size is fairly small, but I'm somewhat hesitant to plant a Clematis in a spot in the front yard if it's going to perform as other Clems have in similar conditions.

    She actually already grows a few of the recent suggestions elsewhere (Reine des Violettes, Cornelia, and Night Owl). As for Pax, we're both big fans of the Hybrid Musks. Penelope, Prosperity, and possibly Pax would all offer lovely light tones, but of those three I have only seen Prosperity grown in a way that might work. Penelope strikes me as more of a shrubby rose and Pax as perhaps too much rose.

    Though more apricot, Nymphenburg is intriguing. It doesn't seem to be a widely grown rose so I don't expect much feedback on it. I have mostly seen it as a shrub, but it's grown as a pillar rose at the Huntington so perhaps it could be applied to an obelisk. It is quite pretty. I've previously thought about getting it for myself, but seeing it at the Huntington made me reconsider. Perhaps this is a good opportunity for vicarious gardening.

    Jay

  • muscovyduckling
    9 years ago

    Hahah, "vicarious gardening"! One of the main attractions of forums like this, but why not branch out to include family members too? Hehe. Love it.