Englishmen and their houses - one of the most fascinating of relationships - the Little Englander and his castle - of a Sunday afternoon, he likes nothing better (well, only a few things like live football, Eastenders, Sunday roast, discussing politics with Mrs D, etc) than touring his grounds and admiring the flowers he has stocked the garden with. It's odd really that you can get so much satisfaction out of growing things, but it's the truth - SHOCK HORROR dave27 ARRIVES IN MIDDLE AGE - only a matter of weeks now before he starts wearing zip up slippers, cardigans and a flat cap and driving very badly in the middle of the road (Mrs D - You already do that, you old fool. dave27 - Yes, but only to annoy you)
Get on with you, you whippersnappers, I don't care...
Anyway, as far as English gardens go there is one flower which springs up virtually everywhere and that's the rose, beloved of gardeners the world over...
The dave27 clan moved into a new abode a wee (Casa Bevron) in Lancashire four years ago now and I was keen on having my garden draped liberally with climbers, all over the fence down the side. I wanted climbers that would bear lots of lovely flowers with beautiful smells (God,
I sound more and more like Old Titchers...) and so there was really only one choice for me - the CLIMBING ROSE, that most delightful of creations...
The dave27 guide to climbing roses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Climbing roses come in two main varieties, the rambler and the climber.
The ramblers have been common in Britain for a couple of hundred years and sport 'long pliable stems bearing huge trusses of small flowers. Growth is very vigorous and they can be a mass of colour in summer, but there is only one flush of flowers' (Dr D G Hessayon - 'The Rose Expert'). They are not as popular as they used to be, mainly because they only bear flowers on new wood and so need to be regularly pruned back in order to make sure you keep getting lots of flowers.
The climbers have started to dominate, mainly because their flowers come on the mature growth and so you don't need to be too fussed about keeping them pruned back. Their growth is much stiffer and more difficult to manipulate, and they bear larger flowers in smaller trusses.
You don't really need to worry too much about this distinction (and me and Mrs D never have) because with either sort you can prune them back if you need to and I normally give them a decent hacking back in the spring. There is a word of warning, though. If you cut them back TOO FAR you can damage them. Mrs D's granma (Nanny Nutwood) came up to visit us last year with Auntie Mary and they gave my beautiful climbers a bit of a No. 2 and this year a few of them have clearly suffered from the experience, because they have showed no sign of life at all and I've given up all home - oh well, at least most of them have survived the experience (Note to self - make sure you hide the secateurs well this year)
My garden has got about seven or eight big ramblers in it and I've generally got a clematis planted next to each of them to try and keep interest all year. Clematis bloom early in spring and the rose come on a bit later, so one follows on from the other.
Okay, I'll just clue you in on some of my faves...
Albertine - a rambler, and one of the greatest. It has pale pink blooms erupting from coppery buds and smells really wonderful. It generally grows about 15 foot tall if left to its own devices and is quite vigorous. I've got this on a trellis screen with honeysuckle, a clematis and a wisteria and the idea behind this is for the screen to block off the wind which comes whistling down the side of our house and plays havoc with some of the taller roses we've got. The Albertine was one of the plants that got the chop last year, but it has come storming back with a vengeance and actually seems to have benefitted from the torture. The flowers stand out marvellously among their accompaniment. I got this cheap a couple of years ago from a garden centre (about £2 because it was at the end of the season and had outgrown its pot). It took a long while to get going after its ill treatment, but is now a REAL treasure.
Danse du Feu - a large flowered climber which has no real scent and only grows to about eight foot. You can normally get this quite cheaply in a lot of those special bulk offers (you know where you get five climbers for about six or seven quid) and that's how I came across it. I wouldn't have bought it out of choice but it is pretty vigorous and keeps flowering for quite a long time.
Etoile de Hollande - a repeat flowering climber which carries large hybrid tea flowers smelling gorgeous. The flowers are something special and are dark, velvety red. It's supposed to grow to about 12 foot and I've got it mixed in with Clematis montana and the mile a minute vine on a huge round pergola at the foot of the garden. It's got a bit swamped by the vine, but still stands out like a beautiful angel. It's extremely vigorous and is looking really wonderful this year. I made a special point of getting this one and forked out about £7 three years ago, but have been delighted by the results.
Golden Showers - the most popular of yellow climbers and another of those that comes with the bulk bargain bin. You can get it very cheaply in virtually any garden centre and it is a real beauty. The flowers are wonderful and smell delightful. It is extremely vigorous and goes on and on and on flowering all year long. It only grows about 7 foot tall.
Iceberg - a climbing floribunda which is another from the bargain bin and is only slightly fragrant, but more than makes up for its lack of scent with its vigour and glossy leaves. The flowers are wonderful and this rose will easily reach 10 foot very quickly. I have to keep this very well pruned to stop it from taking over my whole garden and it sits very well with a clematis.
Rosa Filipes Kiftsgate - a rambler and a real giant. It is reputed to grow to about 25 foot and is excellent for covering all sorts of unsightly things (such as Mrs D). The flowers are absolutely beautiful and smell wonderful. They are creamy white and once you've had one of these you'll be an immediate convert. The plant also has bright red hips at the end of the season which prolongs the interest.
Schoolgirl - a climber with orange flowers which are double and repeat flowering and smell lovely. It also comes in the bargain basement deal and is a classic with its glossy foliage. It gets up to about 10 foot and looks marvellous when in full bloom, totally distinctive.
Zephirine Drouhin - a climber bourbon rose which is also known as the thornless rose. It grows just as well as a bush and the fragrance from it is really heady. The blooms are a deep pink and the whole plant is truly magnificent. It gets up to about 10 foot and its bushy growth make it an excellent choice.
There are hundreds of other climbing roses, but hopefully this short selection will have given you a good idea of what can be had. The sight of a glorious climber or rambler clothing an old brick wall is a wonder to behold and makes me come over all Wordsworthian...
My heart leaps up when I behold a glorious living wall of colour and scent And gets me 10p when I sell my soul to Ciao
great op...one question, any of these good for a container?
EmmaJ 18.06.2001 18:47
Advice needed: I had some climbing roses when I bought my house. I think they're quite old fashioned ones - one flowers OK and the other only had 1 flower on last year. Where can I find out exactly what they are and how to look after them? My Dad cut them back alot when I moved in.
Jun 16th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
