I am in my forties(just), I like value for money, I will pay a little more for quality, but am quite...
I am in my forties(just), I like value for money, I will pay a little more for quality, but am quite thrifty. I hope my reviews help anyone looking to purchase any of the products or services I review.
Member since:01.01.2001
Reviews:65
Members who trust:56
Climbing roses are a really useful feature in any garden, they scramble up fences, over sheds, against trellis on walls, their value as a screen to hide or distract from a not so pleasant feature in your garden is priceless. And yet, for a few pounds you will have made a very wise investment, not only will you have purchased a thing of beauty, you will have added another dimension to the garden.
When we design our gardens, we tend to concentrate on the basics, get the borders planted and the lawn sorted, not to mention the patio. Oh and don’t forget the shed! Stand back and take a look, mmm…not bad – but something is missing, we need height! That other dimension which will help to enclose our garden, give us a feeling of privacy.
There are lots of climbing plants you can buy; in fact the variety is quite confusing. If you choose a climbing Rose, you can select from a bewildering array of colours, from pure white through to soft pink, yellows and apricots to vibrant reds! As an added bonus many are very fragrant too.
Climbers and Ramblers are often thought of as the same thing but in fact climbers are more like other garden roses as their flowers are larger than those on ramblers, and climbers very often have a repeat flowering after the main season has passed.
Roses are very versatile and you can buy climbers that will be fine on a North facing wall, be advised by your garden centre on this, as there are some which also require a warm wall to protect from frost. Also bear in mind the height you will want, the height given for each individual rose indicates the height you can expect it to achieve.
When you plant your rose, plant it firmly but do not over compact the soil, plant in soil which has been well dug and incorporate some farmyard manure or compost. Don’t plant where another rose has recently been growing, and ensure the rose does not have any competition from trees or other large plants.
If planting in the spring, keep well watered until the plant has become established, especially important if it is to be grown against a wall.
I have noticed lately the fashion for growing the more vigorous roses up into trees, I must say it looks really effective, but I think the keyword here is vigorous, you really will need a monster, in fact a rambler would be more appropriate. At my old house I had such a rose, named Bobbie James, it was very vigorous and reached 25ft along a fence, the flowers were creamy white and semi double and fragrant, borne on large heavy heads with multiple blooms on each head. When I think of that rose in the summer I still marvel at the thought of it, what a sight it was.
Lastly, pruning, I don’t think you need prune a climber for the first year or two; it depends really on how quickly it gets established. But when it is established, try and remove some old growth, and also any weak looking shoots. Ultimately, you will be able to control the height and spread to suit yourself, that is providing you haven’t got a monster like Bobbie James :-)
As a last word, those infuriating boxes below where I have had to select a hardiness factor - yes, very hardy but some will need a little frost protection in exposed areas.
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cheers for your handy advise! ive just planted some peach climbing david austins. they were already partly grown from wyvale last year, but last month i transfered them to the garden so im waiting now to see how they cope! they seem to spreading like hellfire over the trellis so that must be a good sign!! a great review! :) x
mmpr 11.06.2004 01:02
Yup, love climbers. My favourite of the roses is Zephryn Drouhin: fantasic colour (pink), fantastic scent (strongly perfumed), prolific and, best of all, THORNLESS! I also love (and have reviewed) clematis. Happy gardening. ~ Mark
jimbuck 31.03.2001 23:56
A very well written opinion and not a crampon in sight.
Mar 28th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
