Favourite roses for walls or fences

[didireallysaythat]

What's your favourite climbing/rambling rose for a wall or fence ?

I've inherited a big blousy red thing but I can't get the cutting to do more than a single stem so it's a little pathetic looking

I've a Madame Alfred Carriere from.a cutting from my late grandma's garden which I love for sentimental value but the flowers are done in a week.

In my last house I had a Bobbie James which put on metres every year, short flowers, little fragrance and amazing thorns.

I'd like something with (almost) the vigour of Bobbie, the abundance of flowers of Alfred but the fragrance of the anonymous red.

Suggestions ??

On our wall we have A Shropshire Lad and Mortimer Sackler. Both almost thornless, very scented and repeat flowers well. Have a look at David Austin Roses website, some gorgeous roses there.

I've just planted David Austin's Lady of Shallot, it's a gorgeous pinky bronze colour, reappear flowering, with a beautiful scent.
As pp said, look at the David Austin web site, you'll be spoilt for choice.
I'm creating a rose walk at the edge of the lawn and about to pop Darcy Bussell in to keep the Lady company!

JT05 your garden sounds lovely! Love the idea of a Rose walk.

David Austin's James Hallway, perfect pink roses, repeat flowering, scented, disease resistant. And a white one with the same criterion called ( I think) Claire Austin. Really really happiness producing plants!

I have a Claire Austin, planted in May. It's only little, but has had loads of flowers. I would recommend it. I've planted City of York near it and it's also flowered well. It was supposed to be yellow, but it's very pale. Both smell beautiful.

That website😍

We have a new, empty garden with metres and metres of bare trellis...

Show garden centres that stock DA roses, often sell them at reduced prices at the end of the season. They don't want to overwinter them and get new stock the following year.

Only downside with David Austin is making that choice! One isn't enough! Molineux is lovely, as is Boscobel. They also do 15% or 20% off at early and end of season so worth keeping an eye out.

I've spent hours on the website - so.much choice but I don't get a sense of the smell from the photos. I'd rather ask real people such as your good selves ! I did plan to go to the big nursery nearby and smell everything but of course I forgot so on Saturday they only had a dozen different roses, no climbers, only a couple with flowers and little fragrance.

Thank you for your suggestions - I'm going to look them up now. Do David Austin have an end of year sale ? There's not much left locally.....

I haven't seen them do a sale, but they do a discount code. There are codes to be found online. They online descriptions are very accurate on fragrance so choose a colours and styles you like to narrow it down. Gertrude Jekyll has been voted the nations favourite roses twice, and is on my wish list! You can't go wrong with David Austin.

Another vote for James Galway here. I went to the David Austin show garden a couple of weeks ago, specifically to find a climbing rose and that one really stood out. Lots of beautiful flowers, nice scent and good, healthy foliage.

It's so difficult to get a good sense of what a rose looks like from a website. On the David Austin website, James Galway looked like yet another pink rose to me, but it was so much better in real life. Other roses that looked amazing online, were much more average in real life. So yes, if you can go and see the roses before you buy, it's definitely worth it.

I'm off to our local nursery today. I've already rung and they have quite a good selection apparently. This might get expensive.

I have a "compassion" which is divine. Repeat flowering, pink, vigorous.
Incredible scent.

The pink jars with my red brick wall though. I'm thinking of putting an arbour or arch in and draping it over that.

What colour are you looking for, and would you want a rambler or climber?

Showy DA send out a brochure which is just lovely.

A brochure you say?

Some years back I ordered a David Austin rose from them.
I am in Ireland and the flipping Post Office workers went on strike.
My poor rose sat, dying, in some Irish sorting office.
It was delivered eventually,but in a very sad, sorry state.
I rang David Austin, explained what happened.
No problem they said. We will refund you.
And they did.
I planted the rose in the hope it might, by some miracle, grow and bloom.
If it did I would inform DA and pay for it.
It didn't, but I just want to thank David Austin for their very fair customer service.

I think I'd prefer red, white or yellow, and a climber would be nice, although further away from the house I could probably get a rambler in (just can't tell DH as he still has nightmares about the 4 metre stems shooting straight up that Bobbie James gave us)...

I don't think I understand the fragrance descriptions to be honest. In the garden centre at the weekend there was one quite nice, gentle smelling rose which I liked (it just looked rather poorly) and then one, in your face, like walking through duty free at Heathrow, smelling rose which I wasn't so keen on. Of course I didn't write down their names...

Roses smell strongest on still, warm summer evenings. Some DA roses are sometimes described as having a light scent. White or pale roses will stand out as the evening gets darker, so would suit a further away position.

Not to undermine David Austin, (they are fab) but there is also Peter Beales. Some of the varieties are only available from them.

I requested a brochure after long, careful perusal of the website. It was delightful, and the consequent roses I ordered from them were beautiful plants, strong and healthy.

Just in case you would like another avenue to explore, because you can never have too many...

I have a Mme Alfred Carrière and it will repeat flower! It's taken a few years to get established but now definitely still going and had my first flowers very early this year. It does better if I remember to keep it well watered in spring