hi Nutcutlet - Charles de Milles - where to start?/ I have it at the back of the border and it has always been a straggly shooted rose, but as you say, lovely heavy blooms. Mine grows several shoots rom the base annually....and spreads by long underground stems in all directions. It is almost a weed here as I have to watch in the spring and sever ansd yank out all the new plants coming up around the original. My thoughts are to leave it be - let it tumble and spread within reason - see it as a cottage garden rose. It is unkillable.
I've noticed that some of my heavier bloomed roses were a bit weak stemed in the first season, Alan Titchmarsh in particular. This year however the stems are much stronger
Aside from discussing the problems we may have with our roses does everyone agree that this year has been one of the best for quality and quantity of blooms. I am not sure of the reason, but this has been the best year ever for me....
I did ask Stewart Pocock why this might be and he said that roses had had a very long dormant season in which to rest and build up their reserves. Unlikely then that next year will be as good?
I don't think Charles will ever have thick stems - its a thickety kind of rose. I'll be interested to hear how it performs if you try the pegging idea though. It's a very old variety.
Aha Nut, you (or rather your OH ) could undercut Xa Tollemache - the thing is there are no images online - you have to go and have a look - she's not daft, she knows some lucky gardeners have tame welders
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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hi Nutcutlet - Charles de Milles - where to start?/ I have it at the back of the border and it has always been a straggly shooted rose, but as you say, lovely heavy blooms. Mine grows several shoots rom the base annually....and spreads by long underground stems in all directions. It is almost a weed here as I have to watch in the spring and sever ansd yank out all the new plants coming up around the original. My thoughts are to leave it be - let it tumble and spread within reason - see it as a cottage garden rose. It is unkillable.
I like the pegging idea Obelixx, thank you.
Glad to know it's unkillable gg, my record with roses isn't good.
I'm not looking for neat. Cottage garden, wilderness, natural, are all descriptions of my patch. But next year It would be nice to see the flowers.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Hopefully pegging would encourage the formation of flowering side shoots too, as when we train our climbing roses horizontally - sounds good.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I've noticed that some of my heavier bloomed roses were a bit weak stemed in the first season, Alan Titchmarsh in particular. This year however the stems are much stronger
That's interesting izzy, perhaps Charles will beef up in time.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Aside from discussing the problems we may have with our roses does everyone agree that this year has been one of the best for quality and quantity of blooms. I am not sure of the reason, but this has been the best year ever for me....
I did ask Stewart Pocock why this might be and he said that roses had had a very long dormant season in which to rest and build up their reserves. Unlikely then that next year will be as good?
I don't think Charles will ever have thick stems - its a thickety kind of rose. I'll be interested to hear how it performs if you try the pegging idea though. It's a very old variety.
It will either be the pegging gg which I like a lot, or OH will have to get out the welder and build one of his creations for it to grow over
In the sticks near Peterborough
Aha Nut, you (or rather your OH
) could undercut Xa Tollemache - the thing is there are no images online - you have to go and have a look - she's not daft, she knows some lucky gardeners have tame welders 
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
A useful skill that
In the sticks near Peterborough