To plant climbing rose on ivy-covered tree - eliminate ivy first?

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I am thinking of getting a nice white climbing rose to go up a tree - the rose may decide to climb down an adjoining tree and become an arch at some point. Main tree is not large, size of an apple tree, 30ft tall but I may lop it to 10 feet or so. It is covered with attractive ivy that would not go badly alongside a white climbing rose. Or would it? Would the ivy compete with the new rose and smother it? Should I eradicate all trace of the ivy first?

BTW how long would it take for a climbing rose to do anything like this? I bought a nice David Austin Lady of Shallott rose a few months ago, not long, and it's okay but I can't say it has grown much. Are we talking 6 years or so?

Yes, kill the ivy, nothing can compete with it.

I can't answer the ivy query but I can tell you about the David Austin rose I bought in Apr 2020, called 'Claire Austin ' . I pruned it last year and at the moment it is very lush with greenery, the white roses have mostly finished now but it has gown a lot since pruning. It's probably about 6ft x 6ft, it's against a fence. So it's quite fast growing but I don't know it's size range.

Ivy will kill the rose and then the tree if you don’t kill it first.

I have a David Austin rose that said it would climb to 3 metres. Within 3 years it has branches that are over 12 metres long. In my experience roses grow really quickly and you should have good coverage within 2 or 3 years.

Ivy won’t kill the tree unless it’s small enough to be physically smothered. If a large tree is already struggling, it may not be able to outgrow the ivy.

I would be worried about the ivy harming both the tree and the rose, TBH. It does depend on what the tree is, of course. I don't think you can compare a climbing rose to a smallish shrub rose like Lady of Shalott. A vigorous climber/rambler (which is what you're talking about for this sort of scenario) is going to grow much faster and more than a shrub, especially a shrub that's well-suited to being in a pot.

Ivy will contribute to the tree being stressed which if there are other factors (heat, drought) could result in its demise. Get rid.

We have a David Austin rose called Wedding Day (was a wedding present) that has now covered one entire back garden side wall - about 10m - over about 15 years. They can be very vigorous, especially when well watered.

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious - but the vigour of a rose has nothing to do with whether it's David Austin or not. Wedding Day is a rambler, so it will romp away. So too would (eg) Rambling Rector or Kiftsgate, neither of which is David Austin. It's just what ramblers do.

You need to select the right rose for the situation. They do grow differently in different conditions, it's true - but the best starting point is choosing one that at least wants to do what you want it to do.

@SarahAndQuack good point, I was assuming the rose would be a climber/ rambler. Yes, important to get the right type.

Thanks everyone! It's not a big tree, not sure what it is. The ivy looks nice on it. I was thinking of getting one of the David Austin climbers. That said, I bought a white rose (not DA) for the front garden. It's okay but when the petals shed it looks like someone's dropped white tissue or loo roll that needs binning.

Here is the tree in question, but I am looking to lop it so you. might see it on another question!: