La France - climbing sport?

13 years ago

I have a La France that I bought and planted in a very large pot maybe 10 years ago. It generally has stayed maybe 4- 6 ft tall above the level of the dirt. Yesterday I was pruning it, and noticed to my astonishment that it had sent out a cane that had clambered up over several other roses, and was at least 10 feet long! So, my question is, is La France that vigorous in our warm climate (where many roses are 2 or 3 times taller than they are supposed to be), or could that be a climbing sport? I would not mind a climbing La France, but if that is what it is doing, I will have to move it so that it has something to climb on other than other rose bushes! Has anyone had experience with this rose in zone 9 or warmer?

Jackie

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Comments (10)

ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
13 years ago
Jackie, I don't have an answer to your question since I won't be getting my (own-root) La France until March. Would you mind my taking this opportunity, however, to ask how well La France blooms for you? Thank you.

Ingrid

(and now back to your question!)
jacqueline9CA
Original Author
13 years ago
Ingrid - when I was just pruning the La France I had to cut off a dozen long stemmed blooms, which are now in a vase in my kitchen.

It blooms most of the year. The Spring flush is OK, not great, but that might be because it is in a large pot. The blooms are mush smaller than the modern HTs, and even nod a bit. I like that, and the soft pale pink color.

Jackie
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When we moved into our house there was a climbing La France that had (accd to my father-in-law, who grew up in our house) been growing there for over 40 years. It was growing up a tree in a part of the garden that had sort of reverted to forest - lots of old and volunteer fig, & plum trees & pomegranite bushes . It grew mostly in partial shade except for the very top which was climbing to the canopy where there was sun. So, in my experience I would say it grows very well in partial shade! Jackie
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I have a background story about that rose. When we moved into what was then a 85 year old home in 1989, there was a Cl La France growing way up into the trees. It bloomed in partial shade frequently. My FIL (who had grown up in our house and was a gardener) insisted its name was "America La France", and told me the sturdy trellis (more like an open fence) that supported the bottom of it was put there because the rose had used to be supported by the old garage. They tore down that garage and built the "new garage" further back on the property in 1932. He said that the rose was already mature and climbing up the trees then, which is why they built it a support to replace the old garage. I think the name probably was a marketing device during or right after WWI. So, that would have made that rose about 70 something years old when we moved in. Unfortunately, we were complete garden ignoramoses at that time, and we killed it during the drought of the early 1990s. They had instituted strict 50 gallon per person per day water rationing that year, and we had the great idea of running all of the water from our bath/shower into a tank, and then into the garden. Stupid dummies just let it run all of the time, and most of it went on Cl la France, and it drowned. That was when I decided I really had to start paying attention to all of our old mystery roses. Luckily, it poured down rain 28 of the 28 days in Feb, which caused floods all over the county. The water district main offices were completely flooded, and they lifted the rationing, and we haven't had any since. So, what I can tell you about this rose is that it is hardy in our climate, gets very large, bloomed great up trees in partial shade, and did not like getting watered a lot 24/7. Jackie
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Well, to my eye, 'La France' has petals that curl in such a way as to give the impression of a star, whereas those on 'Radiance' give the impression of a cabbage. I think if you were to look at individual petals of each, you'd see that those of 'La France' more closely approach having "corners", while those of 'Radiance' have rounded edges. Those of 'La France' seem longer at the centers, and roll back on either side as if the petal was first folded in half length-wise, resulting in a point at the "crease". Meanwhile, petals on 'Radiance' seem to be more heart-shaped and shorter at the center, resulting in rolling back without creasing in the middle, looking like a head of cabbage. :-) ~Christopher
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ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
13 years ago
Thanks, Jackie, I'm pleased to hear that it blooms most of the year. I don't always expect a rose to have scads of blooms as long as it shows some color most of the time. Smaller, nodding, pale pink blooms sound like my cup of tea.

Ingrid
User
13 years ago
La France blooms a lot for me but has never gotten over about 5'5X3 without pruning. I watched an own root struggle for a couple of years just to reach 3 feet so I went with the grafted version like they have at the NY Botanical Gardens. I've noticed this with a number of the own root older HT's that they had a hard time establishing themselves. Good luck with it for all it's faults it's one of my favorite rosers for fragrance & sheer beauty.
I also had it's sport Duchess of Albany as an own root.
I donated it to Brooklyn Botanical Gardens last year.
I mean really whats not to love!

{{gwi:222721}}
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
13 years ago
Oh, what a gorgeous picture! Wonderful to know I have that to look forward to. I can imagine an own-root struggling in your cold winters, labrea. Hopefully it will like our warm climate better.

Ingrid
jacqueline9CA
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks. I looked it up on HMF, and it does appear that if it threw up a 10 ft cane, it probably is the climber. I cut it off, so I guess I will just watch it, and if it does it again I might have to move it to somewhere where it can climb without smushing other roses. Mine is own root - I have never had a problem with vigor in own roots, but I think that is because: 1) I am VERY patient with roses, and don't expect them to do much until they are at least 3 years old, and 2) our warm climate, which eventually encourages roses to grow like mad!

Jackie
User
13 years ago
The climbing sport is an excellent vigorous plant in my climate (although more subject to freeze damage than later HTs) and is very good with rebloom, unlike many HT sports. The bush form, on the other hand, struggles just to survive, even after being established 6 years; a total dud.
jacqueline9CA
Original Author
13 years ago
trospero - where/what zone is your climate?

Jackie
User
13 years ago
zone 8b
cemeteryrose
13 years ago
Jackie, the Sacramento cemetery recently planted a very small plant of a climbing La France collected from a foothill cemetery. We have two of the shrub forms, too. One has been in our garden 10-15 years and never amounted to much - another is about three years old, propagated from a very old plant and it promises to be more vigorous. Neither has every sent out a long cane. I'm certainly hopeful that our climber does as well as Paul describes.
Anita

La France - climbing sport?

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La France - climbing sport?

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