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help me choose a rose. white blooms, climbing, partial shade
snowdrop100
Posts: 41
in Plants
hi,
am I asking the impossible? probably but i'll ask anyway 
:
I have a north facing garden so the spot i'm looking at is really partial shade (against a fence)
ideally i'd like large repeating white blooms and if possible also to keep foliage in the winter (this is the bit I think verging on impossible)
please help me find a rose that fits the bill...
oh and the less thorns the better but this isn't a sticking point
0
Posts
New Dawn is pale pink. Bobbie James and Mme Alfred Carrière are white and may suit you - http://www.britishroses.co.uk/acatalog/climbers_for_north_facing_walls.html
I think you may struggle to meet all the criteria that you are after, no rose that I know will keep it's foliage in winter, you may get a few leaves that stick around but they look rather untidy to be honest. I can't think of any white roses that would take shade (that I have grown) but Madame Legras de St Germain will take a bit of shade. It's white, but doesn't repeat flower, still a wonderful rose while it lasts. Oh and it's thornless (well almost).
Another great rose I grow on an east facing wall is Zephirine Drouhin, again thornless, it repeat flowers and the perfume is fantastic. People say it can have disease problems but I've never found this to be true.
I know you say your garden is north facing but is there any where you could put your roses in full sun....that way you would have a far greater choice (but still no evergreen roses)
Hi Snowdrop
ive just nipped outside and taken these photos for you. I have two roses, both white, both climbers, both fragrant both without thorns. Not sure if they technically keep their foliage in the winter, but both mine seem to have done so. The madam alfred has been in for two years and is the one almost halfway over the arch which is north facing, and the Claire Austin has been in for a year and is South facing. Both are looking very healthy. Hoping for a good display of blooms this year. Hope you find one you like.
Bobbie James doesn't really repeat and can grow to 30 feet. I grew one into an old apple tree. I've just planted a Claire Austin in a noth facing bed. I let you know how it goes on.
thanks for all the replies and especially the photos tootles. I've just been to the local garden centre which has a large selection of roses but still didn't find "the one".
I think if I had to lose part of my criteria then obviously the holding onto leaves during winter could go but my garden really is white and purple so any other colour would stick out like a sore thumb i'm afraid and don't have another sunnier position for a rose so hoping the spot I have in mind will work even though its partial shade.
iceberg is such a beautiful rose, if only it would work in partial shade!
my concern with The madam Alfred is how big it says it'll get and my space is only a 6/7ft fence.
....don't concern yourself too much with the partial shade business.... many roses will happily grow in such conditions...
...I think you are looking at roses that are too big for your purposes.... just what height and width requirements do you have exactly...?
my area is a 7 ft fence in terms of height and width I would say no more than 5/6ft
does that count as a small medium or large rose area?
I have Mme Alfred Carrière, beautiful, and repeat flowering, but it grows quite big. My New Dawn is pale pink in the sun.
There is a rose called Mme Plantier which can be grown as a small climber. 7ft is small for a climbing rose. It's perfumed, double, white, not very thorny but I think it only flowers once. http://www.davidaustinroses.com/english/showrose.asp?showr=557 or Beales Classic roses have it or read about it here http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51795/
snowdrop100,...
..for that size I would say you ought to be looking at larger growing shrub roses that can be used as short climbers, or the shorter climbers/ramblers... here are a few you might like to think about..
'Snow Goose' a white repeat flowering rambler.... supposedly slow to start but people seem to like it well enough when it gets going...
'Claire Austin'... one that's already been mentioned... this shrub can be used as a short climber...makes a good show from what I gather..
'climbing Sombreuil'.... a gorgeous old rose that repeats well... about 12 foot.
'Crème de la Creme'... a repeat flowering scented white climber to 10 foot or so..
..some of the hybrid musks would also suit your purposes, like 'Prosperity' 'Pax' or 'Moonlight'....
...another called 'Kew Gardens' is a single flowered white, which starts off lemon yellow but quickly fades to white.... 6 x 5 foot...continuous flowering and vigorous.... not far short of evergreen and totally thornless..
'Snowdon'... not one I've grown but it always sounds rather nice...although repeat flowering can be spasmodic apparently...
'climbing Iceberg'.... can be kept to the height you require although it does want to get a lot bigger... especially width wise...
...I know of one rose that fits your requirements exactly except for one thing..height.. if you can appreciate a rose that maybe grows no more than 5 foot with a 3 foot width, then 'Tranquillity' might be the one for you... I grow mine on a support - a cheap obelisk... and it has drawn up to 4 foot from a planting last June... I expect at least 5 foot by this summer but I shall prune it then.... it might be too small for you but it grows in shade, not seeing the sun until mid summer late in the afternoon...is evergreen to minus 6 C at least... I suspect it might defoliate at -10... the foliage is disease free, dark and slightly leathery, not many thorns.... flowers are full, white with a yellowish centre to start off and has a pleasing scent of fresh apples... it flowers all summer into Autumn... it would be worth having even if for some other position.... I think it's an extraordinary rose...
...see what you make of those.....happy choosing....
fantastic responses thanks all.
I think my final 3 might be Claire Austin, Tranquillity and Kew Gardens. They did have an offer on at the garden centre where they had 2 for £12.99 which seemed pretty good. maybe its worth me trying a couple and see which comes out trumps
I had pretty much walked by all the bush roses and only looked for white blooms where the label didn't specify needing a super sunny spot so I think I need to revisit with my new knowledge