What’s your most beautiful climbing rose?

[narniabusiness]

I’ve reached the end of the line with Madame Alfred Carriere. She is just too big for the arbour I have and attempts to prune it to size result in rampant leafy growth and few flowers. I’m going to replace it.
Do you have any recommendations for a rose that grows to about 10 - 12 ft that does well for you? Yellow probably wouldn’t work, but any other colour would. If it repeat flowers that would be great.

I always thought it was the root stock that made the difference, rather than the rose type. I've got a Zephrine Drouhin around my front door that smells gorgeous, has no thorns and is very well behaved.

I've had the same problem with an AC rose, it gets too long and straggly before you get any blooms. I've has a better display from a Gertrude Jekyll from David Austin, I think with roses in particular it's worth paying a bit more for one from a good quality nursery.

I really like Claire Austin from David Austin. Lovely large white creamy flowers, robust so doesn't seem to get blackspot etc. .

My Madame A is on the front of our house in pretty poor soil. When I planted her about 20 odd years ago I couldn't dig very deep, I think her roots have spread sideways. Despite lack of pruning for a couple of years she's flowered pretty well.

Ferdinand Pichard. A beautiful rose which is almost like a raspberry ripple in colour, very distinctive. Although not technically a climber, I’ve trained mine up a 6ft fence and it looks awesome.

https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/products/ferdinand-pichard?srsltid=AfmBOorYLjehzR2ntyq3gP771305i-4C5XZHfbT61K-1KrqMwqX_mujf

The Pilgrim. Lovely gentle sherbet lemon yellow and it flowers over and over.

Thanks everyone. Some lovely suggestions. I’ve admired all those roses in photos so it’s great to know they grow well in real gardens too.
@Magicmushroomsauce I agree Ferdinand is lovely. Mine is being shaded out by the above mentioned AC - another reason why it needs to go.

David Austin Lady of Shallott is lovely, as is Albertine (non DA)

That’s true for fruit trees where a range of different rootstocks have been produced, of different vigour. But I don’t think there’s the same range of rootstocks used for roses. You certainly aren’t told the rootstock to enable you to make a choice.

Heven scent. Big beautifully two tone colour roses that repeat throughout summer. Beware its thorns are huge!

The Generous Gardener is my favourite. It does need regular deadheading and feeding because the blooms are large and plentiful. It does get rather messy in the height of the flowering season, as there is a constant cycle of blooms that fade and die, only to be replaced with copious new ones. Gorgeous heady scent. Ours is growing up our front elevation so we sit outside in the front with our cuppa and breathe in the beautiful aroma.

https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/products/the-generous-gardener-climbing-rose?srsltid=AfmBOoqV-ToS8OBPLbKkfZ9XzaF3DMkL3MDoJqEj5fLKKB4sTRxMO0qn

I’ve got the Generous Gardener growing as a large shrub. It was one of the first roses I planted (about 12 years ago) It is a beauty but doesn’t repeat very well for me. I will feed it more!
So many lovely suggestions here. Thank you everyone 😊

I've got a lovely rambling rector. Smells lovely. Bit of a vigorous Grower though. Small white blooms, but plenty of them.

I’ll add Gertrude Jekyll to the mix - the scent is beautiful!

I've got an iceberg which does brilliantly (and flowers at least twice over) but is unbelievably thorny. So if you have gauntlets, I would recommend.

I'll second Lady of Shallot - mine is hidden behind a large cotinus annoyingly, but it is beautiful. My own Alfred Carriere is similarly thuggish.

Gertrude Jeykell

Sorry! Gertrude Jekyll or Strawberry Hill.

I've got Gertrude Jekyll growing as a climber too; it (she?) hasn't got too big on the pergola.

Love this thread. Thank you! Lovely ideas.
I have a young Marry Delany climbing rose from David Austin. First season of significant blooms but flowers die quickly and falls apart. Maybe it's still young (planted from bare root) or too much rain, or something else? So can't quite recommend, but if you go by the description on their website and the promising photos you may be lucky and more successful.

Agreed. It was recommended to me here and I love it. It smells heavenly.

I was going to say the Generous Gardener too. Ours flowers all through summer, just one feed a year. The only thing I do is deadhead it and prune. It's in a really hot and sunny spot, don't know if that makes a difference maybe?

My other favourite is Papi Delbard which isn't mentioned often. Prolific double flowers, again all summer long and smells incredible. Gorgeous colour too.

Dublin Bay. It's prolific, climbs high, has beautiful clusters of glorious red blooms, and has been known to be still producing them at Christmas!

Unfortunately mine is prone to black spot, so it needs treating and protecting early. But it's worth it

We have Buff Beauty which I thought was a shrub but DA says can make a good climber and it has for us. Lots of flowers on large trusses all summer. Lovely scent too.

I planted Generous Gardener a year and a half ago and it’s been slow to get going but seems to be taking off now. The one downside I find in this rain is that the blooms droop as they get so heavy whereas Buff Beauty has remained perky.

I have always loved Albertine