Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
tandaina

Climber Suggestion

tandaina
9 years ago

I'm in Kirkland, WA (just outside Seattle). I don't spray, but I also don't find blackspot, pm, etc bothersome so long as they don't kill the rose.

OK. New house, new garden. Still in the planning phases as I haven't ripped the sod out yet, and there is an ancient half dead pear to be removed from the new bed area. This is all preplanning for my spring order.

We've got a deck out in front of the house fronted by an heavy duty cedar arbor that is about 7.5' tall and 12.5' long. At a right angle next to it is the fence into the side/back yard, over the gate is a matching arbor that is 4.5' across (width of the gate basically).

Blank slate, nothing on either arbor. Because they are so close together I'm thinking of unifying them a bit, they look rather odd as is. I'm thinking of a single big climber planted between them (their ends are right next to one another and at about a 90 degree angle)?

At least a clematis on the other end of the 12' arbor, maybe some other climbing vine on the other side of the small arbor as well? It is an odd arrangement but it gives lots of possibilities. We can also do two separate roses that compliment one another.

So that's the setup. I've never grown climbers as I used to live in frigid old Michigan where all my roses (except Rugosas) died to the ground yearly.

I adore New Dawn, but no idea how well it would do here. Really like old fashioned varieties. We could do a once bloomer if we add some other stuff for color later in the season I'm curious what you all would suggest?

Reblooming would be a bonus, fragrance would be wonderful, healthy and vigorous probably most important. Because it is right next to the deck something that isn't going to be a thorny octopus on the attack also quite important. ;)

Comments (14)

  • ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
    9 years ago

    New Dawn is quite thorny. The thornless climber that comes to mind is of course Zepherine Drouhin which, outside of its main flush, is a somewhat sporadic and intermittent bloomer. The fragrance, however, is wonderful. I won't say more about choices since my climate is so different from yours.

    Ingrid

  • boncrow66
    9 years ago

    I am in zone 8 in se Texas and am also new to climbers this year. I have 2 zephrine drouhin, Peggy Martin a pink Don Juan and 3 climbing pinkies. I can't comment on my 2 zephies except that they are growing and look healthy and my Peggy Martin was given to me as a cutting and is still a baby but she is growing and already needs to be tied to the trellis. My pink Don Juan is a vigourous grower and had bloomed all summer and smells wonderful. But what I am really impressed with are my cl pinkies, they started off in a 1 gallon pot and are now over 6 ft tall. They put out multiple long lax canes that are easy to train and tie to the arbor. I have had to put tomato cages around them to hold up all the canes that aren't long enough to tie yet. They have pretty clusters of pink blooms and once established are supposed to stay in constant bloom. This is a super easy and fun climber to grow, I have enjoyed watching it grow and while it's a challenge to keep up with tying it up every weekend, I know it's going to be worth the effort when I have a arbor covered in pink next spring.

  • alameda/zone 8/East Texas
    9 years ago

    My favorite climber is Crepuscule. It takes awhile to get going but I have never seen a more beautiful sight when it is in full bloom with those gorgeous peach blooms! Once established, it is an excellent bloomer, not many thorns. It is a must have rose for me, and I have more than one.
    Judith

  • Kippy
    9 years ago

    Search some of Lynette's posts. She is in your zone and has an incredible collection

  • tandaina
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks all, I'll see if I can figure out how to find Lynette's posts!

  • melissa_thefarm
    9 years ago

    I too think that Lynette would have good information.
    My question is whether the Noisettes will grow happily in the PNW with its scarse summer heat; if they do, 'Crepuscule' is a great suggestion. So many of the fragrant reblooming climbers are in fact heat lovers. I would suggest a look at the Barbier and van Fleet Wichuriana climbers, which are generally characterized by large flowers, lax growth, and good foliage. They are mostly once-blooming, perhaps with a few flowers in fall, have the Wichuriana "green apple" fragrance (which to be sincere I don't much care for), and are beautiful plants with beautiful flowers. Examples are 'Alberic Barbier', 'Leontine Gervais', 'Francois Juranville', 'Edmont Proust'. (These are all Barbier varieties, but Van Fleet in the U.S. also bred Wichuriana ramblers, though I don't know them from my own experience. 'New Dawn' is a member of the clan, though stiffer and thornier than most.)
    Another possibility is 'Mme. Alfred Carriere', a somewhat atypical Noisette climber that I grew years ago in Olympia. This is beautiful, fragrant, and reblooming; in many places (such as in my garden here) it gets considerable summer mildew, though it continues to grow stoutly. I don't know if it would get big enough in your area to cover the space you need it to.
    Melissa

  • tandaina
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestions Melissa. If one rose doesn't do the job I can always plant another at the other end of the arbor, or toss a clematis up there for some more interest.

  • boncrow66
    9 years ago

    I do love a good olfactory orgasm, hehehe. I don't need a climber right now but I am going to save this thread for future reference just for your list Molineaux.

  • tandaina
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yay! Thank you for the list Molineaux! :) I've grown Reine des Violettes before, I'm assuming this is a climbing sport? Even in Texas my Reine never wanted to be a climber, always very short and mannerly.

  • Malcolm1
    9 years ago

    I planted the LaMarque and Cramosi Superior CL. two years ago.The Lamarque blooms profusely all summer but the Cramosi blooms wont open but you can still smell them.A rich perfume type fragrance.

  • Malcolm1
    9 years ago

    I planted the LaMarque and Cramosi Superior CL. two years ago.The Lamarque blooms profusely all summer but the Cramosi blooms wont open but you can still smell them.A rich perfume type fragrance.

  • ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
    9 years ago

    From Randy's excellent list I would exclude the beautiful Cl. La France since my bush form is very thorny. I can highly recommend Cl. Lady Hillingdon and Reve d'Or, neither overly thorny and very beautiful. Mme. Isaac Pereire I understand can be a real disease magnet and isn't usually as constant a bloomer as one would wish. Lamarque is quite beautiful. The Mme. Alfred Carriere I've seen was as big as a house, but may be different in your location.

    Ingrid

  • Molineux
    9 years ago

    Climbing La France is a LOT less thorny than New Dawn, which IMHO is the great white shark amongst climbing roses. Reine des Violettes will climb if you get her majesty grafted on Dr. Huey. The one I got from David Austin climbs in zone 6b. As for Mme. Isaac Pereire, yes the black spot can be bad but once you've smelled a single blossom you are a gonner - complete rose addiction. Besides, black spot is a lot less of a problem in the Pacific Northwest than here in the Mid-Atlantic.