How to Select the Perfect
Climbing Rose for Your Garden

Few sights are as spectacular as a climbing rose in full bloom covering the side of a house like a grand work of art, or merrily rambling along a picket fence in a cloud of color and fragrance. Since climbing roses can take several years to reach maturity, and since they are often key elements in the overall scheme of the garden, it's important to start out with the best rose to succeed in your garden, before you invest all the time and space. Of course, it should be so beautiful it makes your heart sing every time you look at it!

SIZE

Do you want a monster vine that will climb 30 feet, up onto the roof? Or do you need a delicate, well-mannered rose to cover a six-foot arbor over the garden gate? Many people make the mistake of choosing a rose they happen to like even though it wants to grow 25 feet or more, thinking they can keep it cut back to fit a five-foot trellis. This simply will not work. The constant pruning needed to keep it under control will butcher the plant, prevent it from blooming, and exhaust the gardener. If you're looking for an eight-foot climber but you love 'Climbing Cecile Brunner' (which has been known to rip the front porches off houses with it's large mass), you'd be better substituting a smaller but similar rose, like 'Blush Noisette'. Beware of books and catalogs that give sizes for different climates, such as England or New England. With our long growing season and mild winters, the same roses often grow much larger here.

SHADE TOLERANCE

Most roses need full sun and heat to bloom and stay healthy. Though there are exceptions, the white, light pink, and light yellow roses can tolerate more shade, while the reds, oranges, and stronger colors need more sun. Most of the Hybrid Musk roses (which can be trained as small 6'-10' climbers), including 'Buff Beauty', 'Lavender Lassie', 'Kathleen', and 'Cornelia', will tolerate up to a half day of shade. If the spot is too dark, a rose may not be your best choice.

DISEASE RESISTANCE

It's important to choose disease resistant varieties if you're planning to grow the rose along a wall (which greatly reduces air circulation), or if you're planning to grow it in partial shade. Roses on a chain link fence or on top of a pergola in full sun will have fewer fungal problems than roses on a north wall.

REBLOOM

Many climbing roses, particularly the old Ramblers, bloom only once in the spring, while others, will continue to bloom spring through fall. If this rose is going to be the star attraction in a small garden, you probably want to choose one that will perform for more than a month or two. But if you have room, many of the once-bloomers are so beautiful they're worth growing for their annual spring show. For the most part, the exceptionally large (over 20') climbers like 'Belle of Portugal', 'Kiftsgate', 'Lady Banks', and 'Félicité et Perpétue' put more of their energy into vertical growth and less into flowers, so they are once-blooming. There are a few exceptions which are large but repeat-flowering, such as the gorgeous, healthy, white 'Sombreuil', which can climb 25' or more. Many climbing roses will repeat with much greater frequency if given adequate water, fertilizer, and sunlight.