Climbing Roses so many choices

[Excel]

So many choices!
From a shortlist of around 60 varieties I think I've narrowed it down to 8. They will be growing up a square wooden arbour measuring 4m in length 2.5m in height and 2m in width.

Compassion
Ena Harkness
Penny Lane
Madame Alfred Carriere
The Generous Gardener
New Dawn
Zéphirine Drouhin
Claire Austin

Before placing orders i'd love to hear your thoughts or any variety that should be added / looked at? No preference on colour but scent is a must.

Thanks

[veggiechicken]

There's a thread about Roses at https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ses_93785.html
Some of the varieties you list are in there and some you don't!!

[Scarlet]

I think Thelma grows Zephirin...or is that youVC??


I'm after the Claire Austin. It is s beauty, a friend has two. I'm going to order one from the DA website. I usually order in the Autumn for a bare root delivery.
But I have two of the Gertrude J's - they smell gorgeous anc would be my first choice .

[veggiechicken]

I grow Zephirin - smell beautiful but looking a bit scruffy at the moment.

I like it because its thornless.

[Small pumpkin]

I was about to say seven sisters.
Turns out that’s a rambling rose not a climber. What’s the difference?
Anyway it’s here if you want a look
https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/seven-sisters-rose

[Thelma Sanders]

Mme Alfred Carriere is vigorous - it truly is a monster, it would probably cover half your arbour in a couple of years. I had to take it off the house wall as it got to tall for me to prune each year. It tend to make a lot of whippy growth that needs summer pruning, so you can see the later flowers, and I couldn't reach to do it.
New Dawn is a good, flowering repeatedly in flushes, but it doesn't have a strong perfume to my nose. I will add that some people can smell fragrances that others cannot. In this garden I have Awakening, a fully double sport of New Dawn - but it isn't as vigorous, only making 8ft tall x 5ft wide after about 5 years.
Zepherine I don't grow any more as it gets every disease going, as others have said.It is lovely but it behaved the same in each of the 3 gardens I planted it in
I don't particularly like any of the DA climbing rose as they have a very stiff manner of growth, more like a very tall bushes, than graceful climbers, IYKWIM It depends what effect you are after.
Mme Gregoire Staechelin I have on the house wall, and although it is only once flowering, it has a lot of them and they are huge plus the most amazing perfume I think there's a photo here somewhere - I'll see if I can find it...
My winter project is an arch and so far I've decided on a Blush Noisette for that.

[Excel]

Thanks everyone,
Again lots to learn and excited to experience the wonder of growing for the 1st time. My Grandpa had a massive garden with a long rose arbour which I have very found memories of. If i can recreate a small portion of this for my family I'll be a happy man

[Tripmeup]

I grow Zephirin - smell beautiful but looking a bit scruffy at the moment.

I like it because its thornless.

I grow it too up and over an arch...(thanks BM)
Beautiful smell but prone to black spot I find...

[Tripmeup]

I have a small area between a post and rail fence and my garage which has a tall beech hedge growing the far side of it and some blackberry plants I am trying to establish on my side of it. I am clipping the blackberry shoots to the fence as they spread.
Wouldn't mind a nice fragrant smelling rose in there that I could clip to the fence or the beech hedge as it grows and spreads....Gertrude Jekyll is what I have in mind..any thoughts ?

[Thelma Sanders]

The flowers look and smell beautiful, but IMO it has very stiff branches, which don't bend easily for training up/around anything - so I prune it to keep it as a bush about 4-5ft high rather than as a climber. It depends how you intend to grow it, I suppose - perhaps you need something that strong to put up with the hedge growth

[Scarlet]

I love my GJ - it's probably my favourite. I've even pinned the shrub rose down over a low wall to encourage side shots. I think roses should be tied in as soon as they grow and their thick stems are perfect for me. If a tie breaks they remain in place.

[Babru]

I love Gertrude Jekyll too, I had it in my last garden and have just planted it as a short climber in my new one. I love the wonderful perfume and long flowering season. The flowers are nice and upright, not drooping like lots of Austens (I hate the droopiness - not having any like that!) I have it in a south facing hot sunny spot which it seems fine with. Little or no blackspot, no mildew. It is quite stiff in growth, so I don't think it would be any good for training.

I planted a Compassion on an obelisk last autumn, seems healthy, has wonderfully perfumed flowers, and lots of them so far this summer.

I had Zepherine Drouhin on a fence in the last garden. Beautiful rose with a lovely scent, thornless which I liked, but very high maintenance. If you don't spray regularly it gets awful blackspot and is practically leafless by the end of the summer. I won't be growing it again.

I'm looking for a rose to grow up a pillar myself. We've left in some six foot fence posts after taking some fence panels down, and I'll be reusing these as pillars for roses and other short climbers. I'm looking at Kordes roses in particular. As a firm they abandoned the use of chemicals in the 1970s, and had to regrow new stock from the roses that survived. All their introductions since then are therefore very healthy and shouldn't need spraying. Harkness also gave up using fungicides in their plant trials in 1994, so their introductions since then should be pretty healthy. I am looking through the Peter Beales catalogue right now....

I love roses

[Thelma Sanders]

Kordes' Cinderella is pretty in my friend's garden, if you like girly pink

[Babru]

Kordes' Cinderella is pretty in my friend's garden, if you like girly pink

Cinderella does look very pretty indeed! Not currently for sale in the UK as far as I can see though. Beales have some other Kordes climbers, and because I just signed up to their emails they have sent me a 20% off code.

[Thelma Sanders]

https://www.trevorwhiteroses.co.uk/s...es/cinderella/