Climbing roses

You never had to tell me to stop and smell the roses. I did and always will.

My pop had two rose bushes in his garden; they smelled so wonderful. I would bury my nose in a bloom and take a big, deep breath — after checking for bees. You only have to make that mistake once.

So began my love of roses. I have planted at least one rose bush at every home I have lived in. I always planted bush roses, mostly because that is all I had ever really seen. That is, until I went to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, and saw their climbing roses.

One of the more spectacular displays is the Rose Arbor. In June, when covered in pink roses, it is used for outdoor concerts.

Unlike the bush rose, climbing roses require support for their long canes. They are trained on fences, arbors and trellises. They cover archways and are trained to climb walls. Choose a variety that is right for your space.

Ramblers are hardy plants that can produce canes as long as 20 feet in one season, making them a perfect choice for growing along a fence. They flower once during the season on the previous year’s growth.

Large-flowered climbers are used on trellises or other types of support and grow best when trained to grow horizontally. They produce larger blooms, which are good for cutting. They require heavy annual pruning, although they grow at a much slower rate than ramblers.

Ever-blooming climbers produce an abundance of blooms in early summer and a few stragglers in fall. Climbing hybrid teas, as well as climbing polyanthas and floribundas, were developed from their bush variety usually making their foliage and flowers identical.

Recommended climbing roses

• Don Juan, as its name implies, is a romantic red rose. They grow 12–14 feet in height and 3–4 feet in width. They bloom early until late summer and have a strong fragrance.

• America blooms are coral pink to salmon in color and provide a spicy, clove-like fragrance. They grow 10–12 feet in height and 6–8 feet in width. They bloom from early summer through early fall.

• New Dawn, with its subtle pink blooms and light sweet fragrance, are what fairy tales are made of. They grow 18–20 feet in height and 7–10 feet in width. New Dawn is a long bloomer that starts in early summer and lasts through mid-fall.

• Handel is a bicolor thriller with blooms of snow white edged in cotton candy pink. They grow 8–10 feet in height and 6 feet in width and have a very fragrant bloom with hints of clove. Handel makes a good cutting rose that repeat blooms from early summer until fall.

• Golden Gate is an eye-catcher, putting out golden yellow blooms that fade to a creamy yellow as they mature. They bloom from early summer to mid-fall producing 3–4 inch blooms that have a fruity, citrus fragrance. They grow a little shorter than many climbing roses, reaching 8 feet in height and 3–4 feet in width.

Climbing roses, when placed at the entrance to a garden, give the vibe to slow the pace and take the time to stop and smell the roses. Next week – rose planting and care. Until then, happy gardening.

— Irland, a member of the Limestone County Master Gardeners, can be reached at kippirland@hotmail.com. For more information on the Limestone County Master Gardeners, visit http://mg.aces.edu/limestone.