My personal favourite is Francois Juranville.

Lynette, they are all gorgeous! How long does their flush of bloom last? Please ! I think this is important info, but so hard to find! bart

OMG, Lnyette. You just had to post a photo of that GORGEOUS creature! I'm trying to chose which third or half of my roses (still in pots) I need to re-home. And you post something impossible not to want! She's only in bloom a very short period of time, right?
Gracin

Campanula,

I once corresponded with a lovely young lady who lives in Germany, and loves ramblers. I don't think she is on the forum, but if you go to HMF and search for The Yeoman
(an Austin rose), you will find several photos she has posted, and you can click on her name and send her a message. She may be a good source.
Gracin

This is a side thought not about rambler/climbers

My best friend has a Mary Rose and a Madame Issac P. in the backyard under the edges of a big Mulberry tree. In the spring, when the tree is just leafing out, the roses get a nice flush and then just sit quietly the remainder of the year as big overgrown shrubs. He doesn't trim or clean them out at all. All they get for food is mulberry leaves. The spring roses look really good every year. I am thinking some of the more vigorous shrubs might do this in your woods and you have lots of space to try a few.

Adelaide does go on for a long time about two month, if the weather doesn't include rain. Kew is not effected by rain and goes for 2 months. Francois Juranville starts to slow down after two months. I grow many ramblers and Albertine has the shortest bloom period, barely three weeks. I am talking about mainly PNW conditions. Felicite Perpetue has a long period of bloom as well as Gentilliana. The best bang for your buck is Paul Transon or Madame Alice Garnier. Both tend to have a small repeat in the fall and have a few scattered blooms along the way.

Felicite does have a longer bloom than most but also grows like a weed up trees.

Just in case some of you didn't know...Albertine can be kept as a large 7 foot shrub but hard summer and fall pruning. I have done it and it works. Most ramblers will grow better if allowed to go sideways (both ways) instead of upwards. Some of mine went to 30 feet both ways.

I have a preference for the wichurianias because of the larger flowers and the fact that they are happiest growing sideways along a fence. Here is one I got from Ashdown called Jessica.

Gardenia can be kept under control because it is a slower than usual grower for a rambler.

Well blow me down, Lynette - I come back from the woods to see your postings....what a sight for weary eyes! Where to start - well, Venusta pendula looks like a dead ringer for Splendens, A rose I do have and will actually be attempting to move since it has only been in the ground for 3 years (although that has not deterred it from making gigantic liana-like canes, flinging itself around the tomato supports with abandon). Heartening to hear about the bloom cycle of Kew Rambler (this is one I really want) as so many of these ramblers are often over in an eye blink but 2 months sounds more than good enough. And, the icing on the cake - for the last 3 years, I have had a small Francoise Juranville which I took as a cutting from a clients garden....and have never really known what to do with it so it has remained, patiently and somewhat bonsai'd until your posting, in a gallon pot. This poor little rose will finally be put out of its misery and planted this autumn. I ought to have suspected it was likely to be a good rose since it has remained resolutely blemish free, if dwarfish, and has gallantly continued to thrive in conditions of dire neglect. Bart is quite right, it is almost impossible to get an estimate of blooming times - those of us who only really get one good flush really do want to know how long we can expect it to last yet information is so hard to find about this essential aspect of rose culture (Gentilleana has been on my radar for some time so again, thank you for the info).
Kitty, this is exactly how I imagine my roses are likely to respond. I have never really had any experience with poplars but am enjoying them immensely. The height and stature is very similar to majestic cathedral-like beechwoods....but, unlike beech, the canopy is light enough to support grass and many flowers as an under-storey. Poplars are very late into leaf also so I think roses will be happy enough to have one good flush and sit there vegetatively for the rest of the season, providing shelter for birds - a prospect I look forward to. Gracin, will check out the details - thank you.

Hello :)

2 great roses for me are:

Paul Transom (I love this rose) - and has formed an absolute wall/thicket along the edge of my gardens.

Paul's Himalayan Musk (love the smell of this rose, and the blooms are so lovely)

Juane Desprez grows well for me here - unsure how large it would get if it was left to do what it pleased.

I also have Armide which is very sizable- intertwined in with Paul Transom.

:)

Marleah

This post was edited by mmmgonzo on Sun, Aug 18, 13 at 23:50

I actually grew Rosa Soulieana here in Mississippi, decades back. That's about as relevant to gardening in England as it is to gardening on the Moon. However, I did like the plant immensely. Beautiful foliage, and what I remember as a quite prostrate growth habit. A most graceful plant. The blooms only appeared after a couple of years, but were lovely in a very subtle way. Then, we sold the office building where I'd planted it. Sigh... Story of my life... Planting, then moving...

That Soulieana was in my first rose order, ever - from Roses of Yesterday and Today. I didn't understand heat zones at that point, so Soulieana's survival was pure beginner's luck. Planted it in full sun, against a building, between banks of air conditioning compressors - in a hastily ammended mixture of construction sand, clay soil, and building debris. So, in your benign climate I'm imagining Soulieana should be even more graceful and healthy for you.

Never could find Kiftsgate in those years. And seeing how well it does in England, can't imagine it happy in our horrible heat. Probably best that I didn't discover Vintage Gardens (who did carry it) until they were going under. I would have ordered Rosa Gigantea from them, too.

Good luck with your gigantic climbers! In my opinion, unless something has the potential for becoming enormous, or is considered "invasive", it's value is rather iffy.

The great climbers always seem more graceful in England...

Here's a picture of R. primula when beginning to bloom this year. I was trying to take a shot looking up through the foliage to get the effect of the flowers popping out along the canes. It is such a graceful looking rose, with the stems covered in the softest yellow flowers gently swaying in the breeze. I'm trying layering primula right now because I wouldn't mind having more of this look dotted around the garden.

I have lots more photos of my big and wild looking roses but I ran out of space earlier in the year on Flickr and so nothing has been uploaded since. This has limited me to posting one picture at a time. I think Flickr just gave an automatic account size increase. If I can tear myself away from playing with the puppy, I may get my photos organized!

Melissa

Thank you for your info on the bloom periods, Lynette. I fear that perhaps in my hot, dry climate that ramblers blooms will never be as long as in a more mild climate; the beautiful Paul's Himalayan Musk seems to last only a week,( but maybe I'm exaggerating a little...)Bobby James, Treasure Trove, May Queen and Alexander Girault all last longer. I think part of the problem is that roses that bloom later in the season,as do most ramblers, often get fried by heat. I still intend to include them in my garden, however! But it is VERY helpful to know that, for example, Albertine blooms only briefly even in a mild climate. It is so hard to decide amongst so many beautiful ramblers that it's a help to have a reason to eliminate one from my wish list! regards, bart

can you grow ramblers in zone 5?

Campanula
Wow! What a post/follow-ups with photos! I can only dream from my postage stamp. However, I may try Albertine as Lynette suggests. (Love that rose.) I grow a couple of Lady Banks varieties and a Violette. All lovely. I've managed to keep them in check, but if I had room, I'd grow The Garland. What was good enough for Gerturude J.... Oh, and I'd grow a couple of the ones Lynette posted: Venusta Pendula and Gardenia. Gee, those are just jaw-droppingly fantabulous!
Carol

Now this was the thread I absolutely did not want to see first thing in the morning....Makes me not wanting to go to work... All of these are wonderful. Lynette I'm envious.

Bart, I do think that the length of the flush for those once bloomers depends on the climate. In a cool spring and summer climate it tends to get quite longer than in our med climate where blooming happens in the short period of bliss before the summer heat melts down everything and sends people in the shade for cover. Selecting ramblers which tend to bloom earlier and later than average helps in extending the blooming period in the garden.
Nik

PS I just realised this is an old thread. I was wondering how come this is the bare-root buying season for Camps in the UK... Now I know!

This post was edited by nikthegreek on Fri, Mar 28, 14 at 1:29

Lynette, where in Canada do you live? B.C.? Carol down in Oregon

I just want to add something about Gardenia. There is a huge Gardenia growing out on our coast. It's right above the ocean doing well in the cold and mist. My own would like to take over the world and will surely outlive me.

Just love this thread, very educational. I hope this thread keeps going forever.......

Here in the Pacific NW 1600 ft above Portland--so a "warmish" climate for those of you from the midwest (or any zone 2-6) and a "coolish" one for Californians, not entirely unlike England, only with drier, hotter summers, & 60 inches of rainfall. I have a few acres and grow Rosa filipes-- I got it form Forest Farm, and it is possible that it was not the "Kiftsgate" cultivar, although that seems to be the most propagated. It is now about 5 years old and big (partly over the top of my chicken coop) but not mammoth. I cloned it and planted it again about 4 years ago against a deer fence where it is now about 8 ft tall and as wide.

I also have Paul's Himalayan Musk (full sun) which has been slow to get big. I wonder about the spot. It was a farmer's field planted to grass before I took it over. There are two rugosa roses nearby (Rosarie d la Hay & Blanc Double de Coubert) and they are spindly and far from taking over. Could there be something in the soil? They are in full sun, clay soil, supplemental water but do have grass competition...?

I have Veilchenblau, which I cloned form the roadside a year ago, which is growing well but not gigantic. I have Albertine, also growing well, but not gigantic. I have a 4 year old Cantabrigensis which is getting quite large. All are full sun. I have a yellow Lady Banks on a sheltered southwest facing wall, which is large but not mammoth and blooming wonderfully.

Best of all (though not a rambler) I have a Gloire de Dijon (own root) growing in a sheltered "zone 9" spot in my otherwise zone 8 minus garden, blooming its head off and streching its limbs in all directions.

Nice to see this thread again. Right now I have a big gorgeous Rambling Rector in full bloom. It always comes in at the tail end of the spring flush to comfort me when I'm deadheading the earlier roses. I don't know how it would do in the shade since I grow it in mostly sun.

Campanula, if you are still out there, I would enjoy hearing which rambler or ramblers you eventually decided to grow.

Does Francois Juanville repeat? Some nurseries mentioned it as a once bloomer, but some UK nurseries listed as a repeater. It's going to take me a while to find out by growing one. Want to hear your inputs.

Some nurseries listed Paul's Himalayan Musk for zone 6, some listed for zone 5. I bought 2 of them, are they cane hardy in zone 6a? Anyone grow this monster rambler in colder zones?

Planted a Madame Alice Garnier yesterday, some listed for zone 6,7, some listed for zone 5b, I have a feeling it's not going to rambler for me here......any inputs would be great.

I think Francois is a once bloomer so far. Alice repeats some. Mine are young. They are blooming now and both great.

summersrhythm -- you can always get "repeat bloom" on a once-blooming rambler by planting a type-3 clematis at its base, which will use the rose as its trellis once the rose gains some size. In Spring, simply prune the clematis down to the first set of growing buds, and it will grow again from the base, blooming after the rose has finished.

:-)

~Christopher

Thanks guys. My point of view is if they're not winter hardy/cane hardy ramblers, I won't have any blooms, once bloomers bloom on old wood; If they're repeat ramblers, they can grow back from the winter dieback and bloom.......

summersrhythm.... you mentioned UK nurseries, so just to say that I've grown Francois Juranville twice and it never repeated here for me... whereas the rambler 'Alexandre Girault' did repeat, providing I didn't prune it after the main flush..

..I know you didn't mention that one, but just as a comparison..

...I've long wanted 'Mme. Alice Garnier'... tried to get it last year but sold out... too late for now, but I hope it does well for you..

Thanks for the info Marlorena. I will keep my eyes on Alexandre Girault. I got my Mme. Alice Garnier from Palatine, have to dig it up and move it to a diff spot which gets more sun.

Reading Charles Quest-Ritson's Climbing Roses book (jumping through the pages checking on the rambler names I remember), I found out Rene Andre, Gerbe Rose are repeat ramblers! Too good to be true? Am I dreaming? :-) He called Gerbe Rose-"This free flowering beauty.....", I think I have to get these two ramblers, I somehow trust his words.....a good looking guy too. :-)

marlorena, I hope you find one Mme. Alice Garnier next year! :-)

....one more repeat rambler: Tausendschön

I got 'Venusta Pendula' and 'Ayshire Splendens' from a friend, and they appear to be identical. Also, from the same friend, 'Ayrshire Queen' turned out to be the same rose. It's distinct, but is confused in commerce with AS, and my friend's rose was one of the confused ones. I have quite a few of these huge ramblers, and envy those of you who have mature trees and soil in the same place. Here we have soil but no trees--the fields--or trees but no soil--old slides and rocky slopes with trees grown over them. So we have lot of pergolas, which are a pain, and lots of rose mounds.

One different case is two plants of the double yellow Lady Bank growing up the trees in the wood. The trees are mostly flowering ash and aren't that large--they are mature trees, though--but growing together they provide enough support for the roses, which are doing fine in spite of having little soil to get their roots into. I've taken note of this and may try more ramblers down in the woods. I have a good many I've never dared propagate because I had no place to put them.

My ramblers:

'Adelaide d'Orleans'--relatively puny even after years, but it's coming along. On a pergola. this is one of a number of ramblers bred in the early 19th century from the European Synstilae species: R. arvensis and R. sempervirens. Later ramblers came mostly from crosses with Asian roses: R. multiflora, R. wichurana/luciae.

'Ayrshire Splendens'/'Venusta Pendula'/('Ayrshire Queen')--lots of plants, naturally. Pretty, vigorous, fragrant (myrrh scent), gets black spot in fall but I don't care.

'Bennett's Seedling'--a scroungy plant; so far this one hasn't done much.

'Bleu Magenta'--purple Multiflora growing as a shrub; okay.

'Blush Rambler'--Multiflora, grown as a shrub, stout upright canes, a nice plant. I have an impression that the Multifloras are more susceptible than average to cane damage; or perhaps the canes just age rapidly.

'Dawson'--early Multiflora rambler, freestanding; okay.

'Felicite-Perpetue'--another European rambler, ferocious vigorous lax growth, sprawling over a stump and down a slope.

'Goldfinch'--yellow (cream) Multiflora; just one plant down in a hedge; attractive.

'Janet B. Wood'--another Ayrshire, of recent introduction. Obviously my gardening friends adore ramblers one and all. I can't call to mind anything particular about this rose: it's just there.

'La Mortola'--already big, and planning on becoming a giant. It has a thirty-foot bay laurel it can take over. This is a form or hybrid (thought to be) of R. brunonii, an Asian species.

'Paul's Himalayan Musk'--my plants are relatively scrawny; not enough soil to get their roots into, or they just don't like my conditions. I would like to see this get huge.

'Princesse Louise', 'Princesse Marie'--two European ramblers, confused in my garden, not in commerce as far as I know, and I haven't yet sorted them out. I got cuttings for both and then couldn't straighten out the plantlets. Lax thorny growth.

'Rambling Rector'--origins? doing fine, one growing freestanding, which if I let myself think about it could keep me awake at night.

R. helenae--species rambler from China, handsomely vigorous, this one has a shed to grow over.

This list is longer than I anticipated; if there's any interest I can finish it. I haven't included the Lady Banks roses and their hybrid 'Purezza', the large-flowered ramblers, particularly the Wichuriana hybrids, Noisettes, Tea Noisettes, and other large-flowered, mostly repeating, warm climate roses. What remains, listed here, are roses with a rambling habit, with small blooms, not repeat flowering, and not tender.

Yes, Melissa, please finish it. I don't have the acreage you have but I can entertain a few more large roses. My main limitation is the work required to create a viable spot for them in between native vegetation and the amount of water I can provide.

I'd love it if you finished and gave your opinion on the rest. I'd also be interested in your pictures and your future book of your glorious adventure.

Please finish it! :-) I am going on a rambler hunt this coming weekend, will report back what I find later.

yes, please finish! I was sure enjoying reading it! :)

I'm with those above, would love to hear more :)

Please do Melissa, also write about their fragrance or lack of...

I'll finish then, with gratitude for the flattering interest. I'm not sure how informative what I have to say is; as you can see I'm still sorting out these roses myself, and some are so small I have nothing to say about them. At least I can say, these roses exist, and add a word about classes.

R. longicuspis--big (plant) single white species, late flowering, fragrant. Mine is clinging in inadequate soil and too much shade and root competition, though I still have hopes for it if can ever up to the top of the mature flowering ash it's trained into. I've seen great pictures of it.

'Rose-Marie Viaud'--a nifty Multiflora rambler, miniature very double rosettes, mauve turning smoky lilac. No scent, but the rose is like none other. I have two or three plants of this, am waiting for them to get going, often a slow business in my garden; I have one area planted with freestanding white ramblers, purple ramblers, then 'Ghislaine de Feligonde' (offspring of 'Goldfinch' and so a hybrid Multiflora that fits well) and this rose, and am hoping for happy effects in time.

'The Garland'--grown freestanding in poor ground; it hasn't grabbed my attention yet. Sometimes it takes a while.

'Treasure Trove'--R. filipes hybrid, monster rose, flowers relatively large, the color of peach ice cream. This was 30 feet up a black locust when it blew down in a storm, when we transferred it to a long pergola.

Also I forgot earlier,

'Brenda Colvin'--another enormous hybrid of R. filipes, with little blooms pale pink. This is scrambling up a dead locust and a former, now rather large, Christmas tree planted on the side of one of the propagating beds. I hope it continues to find enough room in the trees, because it's a big rose.

I have some mystery ramblers as well: a possible 'American Pillar' (planted next to 'Futtacker Schlingrose': what a garish combination); a creature whose plant style is that of an elephant-sized version of a Pemberton Hybrid Musk, seemingly quite susceptible to sunburn; a rather sweet pink Multiflora with fresh bright green leaves--I've wondered if it may not be 'Tausenschoen'--and a white 'Dorothy Perkins' type of Wichuriana. One or two others.

P.S. Also forgot 'Violette', another purple Multiflora.

"Elephant-sized version of a Pemberton Hybrid Musk"

Very evocative :-)

HMF states that Brenda Colvin and Treasure Trove are strongly fragrant. When in bloom, it must feel like being in rose heaven...

I visit rose heaven twice. The ramblers we're talking about here haven't started to bloom yet; they come with and after the once-flowering shrub old roses. But before them come the warm climate roses, and since we had a warm winter they started early. All the prosperous climbers are located right around the house. Since April we've been visually drenched in Noisettes, Chinas, and massive Teas. All are fragrant, but most of the wandering scent comes from a two story tall 'Jaune Desprez'.

The once-bloomers are just getting started, including the hardy ramblers. We've had several days of drizzle and rain, so I'm not well up on the latest developments. Though I was surprised as I passed through the garden to see 'Futtacker Schlingrose' blooming its head off; I didn't realize it flowers before the others.

I think I may have a fourth ayrshire rambler variety. I got it as Rosa arvensis capreolata and it looks much like the other ayrshires. Mislabeled, as the true Capreolata is single, my rose has double flowers.

On re-reading this long thread I notice that I wrote that I'd lost Secret Garden Musk Rambler in March 2013. Well, I didn't as it came back strongly. It hardly flowers at the back of the border, in almost complete darkness behind a sea buckthorn, a gallica Violacea, the unknown Centifolia à fleurs doubles violettes and Rhapsody in Blue. Because I thought it had died I planted Perennial Blue almost on top of it so I have to be grateful that it still lives and will keep it, flowers or not.

I got some ramblers this weekend! I am a rose seeker! :-)

Kiftsgate, Rene Andre, Toby Tristan, Veilchenblau, Baltimore Belle, Francois Juranville, Cornelia, Rosa Moschata and Thelma. :-)

Rosa moschata may not be winter hardy in your climate. I never tried it when I lived in zone 6a/5b, and believed that it was not. It is possible that I am mistaken.

However if it does survive, you will find a fragrant once bloomer with bloom period lasting pretty much all summer long, from sometime in June until the first frost without pausing.

I went a little rambler-happy when I ordered for the cemetery. There are quite a few big trees there, and I basically picked one for almost every tree. If Brian the caretaker doesn't want them all, I just may keep one or two for myself -- and save the rest for another cemetery I'm already eyeing. This is what I've got sitting in pots right now:

Brenda Colvin
Kew Rambler
Kiftsgate
Mlle Cecile Brunner, CL
Polyantha Grandiflora
Rambling Rector
Seagull
The Garland
Treasure Trove
Violette
Wedding Day

summersrhythm -- If you got the real 'R. moschata', I'd recommend planting it against a wall or side of a house, facing south. Mine was getting hit hard by Winter, and this Spring I dug it up and moved it to where it got more sun. Hopefully, this will allow it to ripen more before Winter sets in. For you, I doubt it'd make much of a climber. Even where it's warmer, it's more of a big sprawling shrubby thing -- look at pics of it on HelpMeFind.

Of course, there is the question of whether you got the real thing. Some places sell 'R. brunonii' under that name. Others sell something else entirely.

BTW, what is "Thema"? I can't find anything about that one. Was it a typo?

:-)

~Christopher

Thanks Rosefolly & Chris for mentioning about the cold hardy, I am growing 2 R. moschata in pots, one is 6' tall (tree like), it has many buds on it, another one has 2 42" tall canes with no rose buds. I will post a bloom photo when the R. moschata tree is in bloom, it should have blooms in a week or two. R. brunonii is a once bloomer, R. moschata tag says "repeat bloomer, very fragrant". I will find out this summer. The reason I bought 2 is for both sides of a patio door, I'd love to smell the fragrance everytime I open the door, so I really hope it repeats fast. I will store them in the garage with other potted rose trees during the winter.

I didn't know Chris went rambler crazy too! :-) Let's ramble!! Mine are mighty Canadian ramblers, let's have a race?? :-) "Thema" was a typo, just ran outside with a flush light to check on the name, it's Thelma, missed a "hook" in the middle, sorry about that. A lot of ramblers I picked have some repeats. :-) I did some homework by reading Charles Quest-Ritson's book, not page by page, more like jumping from one rambler to another looking for word -"repeat". :-) It's 51F here, not warm at all.

You can find "ramblers and climbers" that may work for you, but they aren't called "ramblers and climbers". And they're probably hardy to the tips for you. Some of the Albas like 'Maxima' or 'Semi-Plena' or 'Aennchen von Tharau' can be grown as climbers. I've seen pics of the Gallica 'Complicata' grown as a climber -- and I think the modern Gallica 'James Mason' can be trained as a climber. 'Mme Plantier' is usually grown as a climber. Some of the Hybrid Bourbons like 'Blairii No. 2' and 'Coupe d'Hebe', as well as Bourbon 'Zephirine Drouhin', can be grown as climbers. And if I can root my '"Nouveau Monde -- In Commerce As" for you, that would work as well.

:-)

~Christopher

So where (in the US) are you getting these roses? Once Pickering closed I was at a bit of a loss.

I placed orders with:

Long Ago Roses

Burlington Roses

Rose Petals Nursery

Angel Gardens

Roses Unlimited

Rogue Valley Roses

High Country Roses

Between those nurseries, quite a bit can be found.

:-)

~Christopher

Chris, you paid a lot of shipping for those ramblers! You're the biggest spender on this rose forum!! I hope the church paid for all that. :-) In order to speed up the process, I hunt ramblers in Canada for mighty grafted ones. They can climb on trees faster. :-) Still want to race you, I know you got your magic mix there, but I got big Canadian babies here. :-) Love Hortico and Palatine.

I am looking for a grafted Mme Plantier, or an aged own root one, if anyone wants to dig up theirs from a southern garden....... :-) It requires cold northern air to bloom.

I got mine Blairii no 2 from Palatine this year, have 4 ZDs already, 3 of them were from JP last year, one band is on its 3rd year, but it's still pretty small..... none of them had blooms so far.......will look into the ones you have mentioned. Thanks.