Climbing Roses

Yes, I've been spending a lot of time this week looking and dreaming through my seed and flower catalogs. I am good at imagining how I would want everything to look if I could buy everything I wanted and if the south wind didn't come sweeping down the plain at our home.

Roses are so beautiful and I grew up with a mother who loved roses and who had a beautiful rose garden. She didn't have a climber but her roses were big and beautiful and they smelled wonderful. I love her roses but I have a special love for climbers. I just love how the climb and cascade of things. They are great at filling in voids, they add so much color, they soften the corner of a porch, or add so much charm to a picket fence, they blanket an arbor, fragrance a doorway, and look beautiful climbing up a big old tree. Few ornamentals can change the look and mood of a garden like a climbing rose.

Old climbers are the best in my opinion. Old climbers include antique, heirlooms, and found roses. I think these are a lot better than hybrids. Old roses just need a sunny location, well drained soil and good air circulation. They are relatively disease and bug free.

These roses are some of my favorites. I'm sure as you research you will find some you like as well or better. Small climbers:(6 to 10 feet) "Maggie" is a found rose, very fragrant and I think it's red. "Graham Thomas" old rose yellow flowers would look good against a red brick wall. Medium climbers: (10 to 18 feet) "Climbing Pinkie" this is rarely not in flower. "Mutabilis" flower opens yellow and turn to orange, pink and then crimson. "Zephirine Drouhin" Heady fragrance with pink flowers. Large climbers: (18 to 20 feet or more) "Lady Banks" my favorite. Beautiful yellow clumped roses, gets very huge. "Peggy Martin" pink roses from spring to fall. New Dawn is a hybrid but I do love it too. Light pink and fragrant. "Alberic Barbier" pale yellow to white and flowers smell like fresh apples.

I love my climber it's an old one and very dark red. It was the ONLY flower around our home when we moved in. I have taken good are of it and it is beautiful against our yellow house. So dream a bit, if you will about where in your garden you might place one of these beauties, add some fragrance or a dose of romance. All of the great gardens of the world have roses they seem to add elegance wherever they are used.