There are no rules, and all references disagree, as is usual for any question regarding roses. Since you are in a warm zone, my actual experience in my garden may be of assistance - I have Madame Alfred Carriere (tea noisette) planted about 2 feet from the trunk of a large old plum tree. MAC has grown up the tree and also expanded horizontally - it is about 15 feet wide at the top, which is about 20 feet off the ground. Has been growing there happily for over 20 years. No care whatever. Blooms 10-12 months of the year.

I planted 2 Fortune's Double Yellow roses about 12 inches away from the 4 ft wide trunk of a huge scarlet oak tree 3 years ago. To my astonishment, they have both grown 3-4 feet up the trunk so far, and bloom every Spring. Waiting to see...

Here is a picture of Dawson's Apple Blossom, which as you can see is growing up our crabapple tree. It has been there for we estimate over 70 years. Its base is about 3 feet from the trunk (the crabapple trunk is hard to see in this pic - the enormous trunk you can see through the rose is actually the aforementioned oak tree. Also other roses are growing just as close to that tree.

So, the answer is that I would try it - I would try some sort of climbing rose. I think they have DNA which allows for having less light at the beginning of their growing, because they are programmed to climb up to where there is more light.

My experience echoes Jackie's. The kind of tree makes a difference: some have a lot of roots at the surface; others go down deep. When we planted 'Treasure Trove' at the base of a mature black locust, a foot or two away, it promptly climbed 30' up into the tree. Then the tree blew down, of course, but that's another story. I believe some gardeners plant their tree-climbing roses in an open-bottomed cylinder to protect the young rose from invasion by the tree roots.
Melissa

I have a bed that I planted teas and Austins around a Maple Tree. The tree was small at the time of planting. So the roses and trees grew up together. There doesn't seem to be an issue with the roots. Crepescule was one rose in that bed and it is doing very well and has naturally grown up the tree. The tree does cast some shade in the summer, which limits the rebloom on some of the roses. But because it leafs out late, the first flush is great. Here is a pic:

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I was surprised a few months ago when, in the course of removing some non-performers and replacing them, I ran across a two-inch-thick root from an Olive tree which was about twenty feet away. Fortunately, at that size, they (the Olive roots) are still succulent and easy to cut, which I promptly did. Within a week, I noticed that my 'Leonie Lamesch', yet another ten feet further, suddenly was joyfully putting out new leaves and buds, and is still evincing happiness. At this point, with the "non-performers" long since out, I'd rather not think about the fact that it was probably the Olive root which had made them unsatisfactory, and that the replacement roses have their work cut out for them. Immediately adjoining the non-performers is a 'Portland from Glendora' (possibly, even probably, 'Joasine Hanet'), which is flourishing. Close by is a 'Souvenir de Mme. Leonie Viennot', in an even worse position with not only the Olive to contend with, but with a Locust tree only ten feet away), which grows all over the place. So the conclusion from all of this data is . . . it's a hit-and-miss proposition, this of planting roses near trees.

This post was edited by odinthor on Fri, Dec 27, 13 at 16:29

Jacqueline3 and Buford your roses, growing into trees are beautiful! They definitely serve as evidence that roses can fair well near trees. Odinthor I believe kind of summed it up as a hit and miss. I will re-measure and give it a try.

This post was edited by desertgarden561 on Sat, Dec 28, 13 at 15:09

" I believe some gardeners plant their tree-climbing roses in an open-bottomed cylinder to protect the young rose from invasion by the tree roots. "

I'd really like to know more about what kind/size/etc. cylinder you'd use. I've got a couple holes underneath some trees dug and heavily ammended waiting for a roses next spring and this might be a good idea for me.

I have heard of using a cardboard box full of soil buried so that it is completely covered. It should rot away over time, depending on the moisture and other soil conditions. I would avoid using tape on the box unless it was a paper tape.

I used a cardboard box when I planted Mme Alfred Carriere between two black plum trees that are only 4 feet apart.
The first year, it only grew a little and did not flower at all.
The second year, it more than doubled in size and had a good spring flush, but no further flowers.
This year, the third, it has grown to the top of the trees and bloomed all summer.
Goodness knows what it will do next year!
Daisy