About Ramblers and Climbers
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-by Old Rose Nursery proprietor Carol Quin, from the February, 1996 edition of Coastal Grower |
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One of the most often heard comments at gatherings of rose lovers, and even from people who profess no love for roses, is "I remember the pink roses on my grandmother's porch..." Indeed we all carry with us fond memories of roses from our past: my own favourite being, as a young child, gathering hundreds of rose petals to make rose petal "cakes" for grandmother, and making rose "crowns" with lengths of rambling roses for her head as she sat on the porch swing on hot afternoons. Certainly showers and drifts of petals and the musky perfume from the abundant blooms of cascading rambling roses are pleasant memories many of us are now attempting to recreate in our own gardens. Climbing and rambling roses are easy to grow and can fit into almost any garden, no matter how small, as they can be trained to grow up, over or along the walls, fences, trees or buildings in or bordering on your garden. Because of their vertical nature, all but the most robust ramblers can be used in even the smallest garden. They can be planted rather closely (3 to 4 feet apart) and their canes and flowers encouraged to intertwine with other ramblers - clematis, honeysuckle or other vines - to provide a blend and sequence of changing colour and texture. They add life and colour to any garden and require much less water, fertilizer and maintenance than do most lawns. As a bonus, most ramblers and climbers offer fall and winter colour with clusters of small or large yellow, orange or red edible hips. Rambling roses Most often remembered are the older ramblers and climbers which were developed between 1800 and 1921, such as 'Albertine', 'American Pillar', 'Dorothy Perkins' and 'Dr. Van Fleet'. Some of these roses share a close history with the wild or "species", roses found around the world, and thus have pliant canes which can spread freely in all directions; they can hook their way into and climb through nearby hedges and trees or scramble over old sheds and stumps. 'Kiftsgate' can hide a junk pile with little encouragement. Indeed, once planted, it is hard to keep it away from it! While some are better mannered than others, 'Félicité et Perpétué' can reach up to10 meters or more. It generally produces flowers on the previous season's canes, so hard pruning is neither required nor desired, except to keep them within bounds or to shape them or train them over trellises, pergolas and walls, or onto fences or pillars. While most of the older ramblers bloom only at midsummer, as do the popular 'Rambling Rector' and 'Paul's Himalayan Musk', they do so with such an abundance of energy and magnificent show of flowers and fragrance that they must be forgiven if, like their wild rose parents, they show few or no blooms in the late summer. (No one would ever expect a rhododendron to bloom steadily until September ... ) What ramblers lose in length of blooming period, they make up in quantity of flowers, most producing large clusters or sprays of blossoms, covering the ground with drifts of petals at the end of their profuse and fragrant display. As a bonus some ramblers, such as 'Albéric Barbier' and 'Adélaide d'orléans', are almost evergreen, providing foliage for screening and colour year-round. Many ramblers (and some climbers), such as R. wichuraiana and Mine Gregoire Staechelin, being covered in winter with clusters of bright orange or red hips, provide food for the wild birds and additional colour for year-round interest. Climbing roses The term "climbing rose", refers to a variety of roses that generally grow to more than two meters in height and have stiffer, more vertical canes (with the exception of the miniature climbers, such as 'Pompon de Paris', with its narrower stems and smaller leaves and flowers). Many of the climbers were hybridized from shrub roses crossed with a ramblers or were discovered as accidental sports of hybrid teas or other shorter roses. More recently developed than the older ramblers, climbers often have larger blooms or a longer or repeating blooming period, and can be very fragrant or have no scent at all. They require training as well if they are to cover a desired space or be shaped to pillars or trellises, but usually do not require heavy pruning except for the removal of dead wood to encourage healthy new growth. Tall climbers that tend to grow straight up will provide more blooms if their canes are trained more horizontally or "fanned" out on a wall or trellis. This will bring the flowers down to eye (and nose) level as well. Height and vertical features are a very important and too often overlooked element in garden planning. In our Hornby Island old rose garden more than a hundred rambling and climbing roses pour over our cedar fences and garden gates, the "tea house" and various trees and trellises, or weave through and "hold up" our extensive six foot deer fencing. Their collective floral display in June and July is breath-taking, always surprising us that these prickly-legged nearly naked bushes in January can produce such masses of stem, leaves and flowers in a few short months! Adding to the natural beauty of the ramblers and the older climbers is their relative resistance to mildew and blackspot if given good air circulation and occasional manure or compost. (Although for the class we call "rampant ramblers" such as Wedding Day and R. Mulliganii, it is best to hold back on the fertilizer.) Most rambling roses will grow almost anywhere, although it is best to provide a large hole at planting time, mixing the removed soil with equal amounts of peat moss and compost or old manure. Watering deeply the first summer, if possible, will encourage strong roots and new growth to gain height on the fence or trellis the first year. The rule of thumb for required sunshine is a minimum of six hours a day. Some do well even on north walls or in the shade of the trees they may be climbing into, but, in our experience, none bloom well in total shade. All are hardy in southwestern B.C. Our most favourite "tried and true" ramblers and climbers for a cottage garden, for fences, trellises, walls, pergolas and pillars, or for screening are described below. All of them do well in our garden and none are notably disease prone. (Only 'Dorothy Perkins' is susceptible to powdery mildew in late summer when planted on a wall or under an overhang or subjected to drought conditions, but she is included here because of her history as an old garden favourite - probably gracing many a grandmother's porch.) If blackspot is a problem in your area, these roses, even if touched with it, can usually 'weather it out' without need for spraying. While garden fungicides will work to arrest an outbreak of blackspot or mildew, we find most people nowadays would rather use environmentally friendly products. We have heard that three teaspoons of baking soda in a gallon of water with a small amount of dish soap will work as a preventative before fungi start to appear. The warm days and dewey nights of late summer provide the ideal habitat for the fungus spores which are always in the neighbourhood. Good fall cleanup of all affected leaves and stems is a definite deterrent to re-infestation the following year. Some favourite ramblers Paul's Himalayan Musk Some favourite climbers Albertine Ferdinand Pichard References |
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