Roses for standard garden arch recommendations and advice please

[Pottingon]

Trying to choose a rose for a standard arch(200-230).

Was thinking of another Generous Gardener which I love but wondering if it might be too big.

Any recommendations?

Do you need 2(1 for each side)?

Was looking at Strawberry Hill but wondering if it looks a bit too much in colour.

Also like the look of James Galway but wondering if it’s too upright .

New Dawn is tough, flexible and a repeat flowerer. I was initially skeptical of the colour but love it now. It is the rose we have on a walkthrough arch.

I love David Austin roses and have several. The ramblers just take off and would smother an arch. The others have been trickier, though we have acid soil and are outside the UK with hotter summers and colder winters.

I have Strawberry Hill and it is absolutely wonderful. Always the first to bloom and great repeat bloom in August that continues for ages. Fast grower.

I researched this recently and decided that a rambling rose is better than a climber due to speed of growth, flexibility and number of blooms. I’ve gone with Alexandre Girault (unsure of spelling) as it is one of few Rambling Roses which actually blooms twice per year!

One either side. Or a rose one side and honeysuckle on the other, depending on how the arch is situated.

Make the arch as secure as possible. Drive extra metal stakes into the ground and attach the arch to these. The small ones most arches come with will just pull out with any movement and the whole thing can blow over.

I have New Dawn and she’s been a pain to take off like no other DA rose I’ve had. Think she’s supposed to grow quite big too. Maybe too big for a standard arch. Also read this in MIL’s RHS mag re rose review

R. 'New Dawn'
"Another iconic rose, but unfortunately now too prone to disease, including blackspot, rust and downy mildew, such that it will defoliate."

I love it though so will be nurturing it to success but think I’ll look for something else for the arch.

Ok that’s a great tip. Was looking at honey suckle too. So if I did honey suckle one side do you think I could get away with just one rose on the other side?

Yes I was wondering that. Think some of the climbers are more bendy than others though but I love the look of a froth over an arch. Only thing is that with ramblers they flower less, can be thugs and the one I love is Albrighton Rambler which I already have over the shed. Lady of the lake is a possibility but maybe too peachy.

Have you got it over an arch?

How wide is the arch? We have one on an arch that is about 30cm wide.

120cm width

120 will take a lot. We have ramblers and they really take off after a few years. I think there is a filter on the David Austin website to look for roses that suit arches. If you get a rambler definitely only one. If it is a climber you may be able to mix a rose and honeysuckle or clematis on each side.

I’ve got one called golden showers that is lovely, I have put two different roses each side but can’t remember the other one’s name.

This one is gorgeous

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/49944/rosa-apple-blossom-(ra)/details

I am about 4 years in with an Alexandre Girault, and much as I love the flowers (twice a year), it is a genuine beast. It is massive and utterly unstoppable. That's great for me as I want it to cover a big space, it covers my whole back wall (5m) about half of the two adjoining walls (14 m) making a lovely U shape but I would counsel against it for just an arch tbh. It will take over.

I’ve got Gertrude Jekyll one side and Generous Gardener the other. GG has taken off and covered everything I wanted it too. GJ I’ve cut right back down this year as it wasn’t growing as I wanted it to do. I’m starting again. Just remember to tie in all growth as horizontal as you can get it to encourage side shoots to
grow and flower.

As a side note, I’ve tried honeysuckle too but it really didn’t like bright, all day sun, as it’s really a woodland plant. It always suffered from mould, dropped its leaves at the first opportunity and didn’t really want to flower. I dug it up and replaced with a couple of clematis that did much better.

Yes I find Gertrude awkward . Mine is growing through an obelisk. Thorny too! I’m amazed at its resilience. Mine was the only rose to get black spot, it lost all its leaves however I pruned hard, fed and mulched and you’d never know now.

Generous Gardener I love, love love but it’s quite large. Toying with Strawberry Hill but wondering if it’s a little bright for us.

Isn’t it!❤️

How much sun? If it is full that will make it paler. Or balance it with honeysuckle/clematis.

Loads of sun! Thats a good tip.