I've already got a young Lady Banks that needs to be moved from its current spot that can go in under one tree, but I've got at least 2 (maybe 3!) great spots I could find roses for. American Pillar is on my maybe list, one advantage is Lady Banks blooms very early in the season and American Pillar later in the Spring.

I've got this row of trees that goes along my driveway with several individual trees that I think might be perfect. Several years ago we had to thin out some trees that had been planted too close together and it has left bare areas in the pines that those trees were growing into. I think the gaps are crying out for roses!

Here's a picture of one of the trees with a bucket showing placement:

I hope you have good luck achieving this romantic look. (It's too soon to tell but so far my Albertines are looking good planted at the base of their cedar trees. Based on Luxrosa's response below, Albertine might be one to consider.)

Evergreen trees usually shade roses too much for them to bloom well, and their large root system would cause root competition for space and nutrients with a rosebush.

The only type of rose I would try growing on an evergreen tree is a tough rose species or species hybrid.

Since 'Albertine' is a species hybrid, and I have had personal experience with it being very tough and very forgiving, that is the first rose I'd suggest.
I had an Albertine in a large pot and when I was moving the movers stacked several more (empty) pots on top of it, from the other side it just looked like a big stack of pots because the canes were on the other side. The Albertine ( in the bottom of a stack of pots) was taken to my new place where it was shoved in back of a shed and its canes were in dark deep shade, and it remained, hidden for more than 3 months during our hot summer months of drought in California during which time it was never watered at all. When I did discover it , it had new leaf buds on the canes and the plant bloomed normally during its' next flush. That is treatment which would kill any Hybrid Tea.
I'd
- do a ph test before amending the soil, and a week afterwards too.
-plant Albertine' 8 feet or more, away from the trunk.
-on the south facing exposure, if possible to allow for more sunshine.
-amend the soil very well with well rotted plant compost and manure, -add some bone meal and alfalfa, and remember to water very well because the tree roots will take much of the water.

Good luck and if you try this please let us know if it is sucessful.
I have seen a Grandmothers Hat climbing up a pine tree, where it bloomed sparsely but beautifully. Because Albertine is such a large plant, it can reach more sun, and if the roots and plant are happy, it should bloom more than G.Hat did.
Luxrosa

For more cold hardy climbers, I would recommend Cl Iceberg (hardy to cold zone 4), and Sombreuil (aka Colonial White). Sombreuil is said to be a winchurana hybrid, and I suspect is much more cold hardy than HMF's zone 6. Both will grow in partial shade.

In my CA zone 9, my Sombreuil has grown up over 35 feet, so even in your zone 7 it should grow tall enough to be a tree climber. You can see tons of pics of Cl Iceberg - just google it.

Jackie

mad_gallica, They aren't white pines, we're way too far south for those. I've had a landscape architect tell me they were loblollies--although we're at the very northern range for them so maybe that's why that don't seem so aggressive--I've been here 5 years and they've grown but not so excessively. I do have to clean out multiflora grown from seeds the birds bring in under them every few years. Because they finish shedding their needles right before this photo there is actually grass under them that you can't see--at least in the gaps there is. But it does sound like I need to focus on very vigorous roses.

Jackie, the Lady Banks I want to move is currently thriving in a sport a lot less protected than this! It was a gift that I would have never bought myself so if it doesn't work no big loss there! The gaps in the trees make for a SSW exposure.

I've already dug and amended (big) holes with a copious amount of horse manure compost with the plan to let it sit over winter for spring planting. I was actually surprised with how little root resistance we had while digging. Of course now that it is amended it might be a different story in a year!

Roger Phillips in his London garden had Mlle Cecille Brunner going up a tree - I've seen photos and it was truly spectacular - the tree did fall down, probably after 25 years after the rose was planted. He also has quite a few tea-noisettes such as Alister Stella Gray.

You obviously have more choices in zone 7, and you want to pick roses that are drought tolerant as much as anything since pines are more stingy with water. Still, as long as the roots are planted at a safe distance from the tree and the tops hardy in your zone, you could certainly train it up a well-established tree.

Cynthia

I would be leary about putting it under a pinetree...mad gallica's comments concur with my observations...i.e. not much grows under a mature pine tree but with some compensating effort, you may be successful.

I don't have pines, so I can't comment on the soils that you have to deal with under them, but I would keep away from any rose on Dr. Huey. Multiflora rootstock seems to like your pines, so I'd go with them.

I have American Pillars, Pauls Himalayan Musk, Vielchenblau, Tausendschoen, and Fortuniana going up my trees (mostly walnut trees which don't seem to bother these with the Juglans problem.

One thing to watch for is wind direction; the wind is going to control how the rose grows. Wind will push the canes and if you take advantage of that, life's a lot easier.