So, you are basically going to have a pillar rose? There are many roses suitable for this type of training....but Madame Alfred is not one. It is stiff, angular and somewhat badly behaved - a rose for a wilder part of the garden which has the space for this beautiful monster to thrash around without removing the odd eye. You are looking for a climber or shrub which has a good amount of flexible growth (and I would not hesitate in recommending some of the Barbier ramblers which have japanese wichurana rose in their lineage) - Alberic Barbier, Leontine Gervaise spring to mind. Avoid any of the multiflora ramblers (too much basal growth to contain in a pillar) and also, a number of climbing roses such as Altissimo, while lovely, are nowhere near as pliable as required to do the pillar thing of basically wrapping roses round and round the central pole, so that the canes actually grow fairly horizontally. I believe Paul Zimmerman has several videos involving training, pruning and various suggestions you might like to investigate.

Thanks campanula. I didn't know it took a special kind of rose plant in order to do this. You just saved me much aggravation.
I prefer almost thornless type plants since that is what my Zefies are. I have a Joesph Coat rose that scares me just to be within 10 feet of it. lol On the HelpMeFind page they say that "The original descriptions of 'Albéric Barbier' are for a semi-double, medium size bloom on almost prickless canes. This does not fit with the plant with large, full blooms on prickly canes sold today." Would you agree with that statement..... that it's NOT thornless?

My Alberic Barbier had a few small thorns nothing too awful. It was fun to train. I had it in a pot and had to choose between planting it and Albertine which is much thornier. I liked the color of Albertine with my climber Peach Silk but Alberic Barbier is a beautiful rose in bloom. It would look fantastic on a post.

MAC would be good if you wanted something to go up onto the roof of your home or all along the eaves. It's just too big for a post and would like a gazebo better. I have seen a MAC kept smaller at Nixon Library. They must be constantly pruning it so it can be done but theirs looks like a huge shrub that someone sat on and squashed down. The canes twist back and forth like compressed springs. Mine jumped up to the highest point of my roof in one year. Jasmina has been a pretty climber with flexible canes. I put it in my crepe myrtle tree and it gently spills out and the flower clusters hang down. Another one that might do well is Felecia because it has fewer thorns and has showy flowers.

At the top of the post you might like to put 2 sets of short 2x4s one going North/South and the other East/West to give the rose something to anchor on at the top and not slip down in the wind and also so it can build a mass if you want it to be a fountain of flowers rather than a flowering pole.

I'm visualizing what your thinking of in your original post: Canes go straight up the post then waterfall to the ground?

One thing to keep in mind is that climbers don't bloom off of vertical or almost vertical canes. So canes that go straight up or straight down won't get many blooms. The reason to wrap the canes around the post is to get the canes to be more horizontal so that laterals (which will bloom) will bud off the main canes.

Here is Paul Zimmerman on how to prune a climbing rose that does a great job explaining how a climber grows and how to prune to get lots of blooms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf7F5qhChFM

Here he get's more specific as to training a rose to a pillar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5rLjzkg7Zg

The videos that PZ does are fantastic and have really make the difference for me in being able to even grow roses.

I don't know how the person who first made the claim that MAC was "thornless, or nearly so", ever came up with that idea. She has VERY sharp, hooked prickles which rip flesh. She is also NOT flexible (at least in this climate) but very vigorous, large and stiff. Even when the canes were thinner and well over fifteen feet, they would make a very wide arch if left unsupported, but never a "drape". Eventually, if left unsupported or unpruned, they would kink themselves and die back to the kink. Lovely, fragrant flowers, but a plant which demands real estate and support. I finally shovel pruned her and am enjoying Lamarque instead. Kim

If Zepherine does well for you, you might take a look at one of its sports, either Martha or Kathleen Harrop. Or climbing Pinkie. Or Renae or its seedling, Annie Louise MacDowel. Any of these roses will be gracious on a post and have either none or very few prickles. I am not familiar with Climbing Pinkie but believe it is not a repeating rose.

Absolutely fabulous dogwood, by the way.....and cute little doglet.

Kittymoonbeam,
Thanks. Mac is deletedâ¦.. lol I chose that one because it got big as I want something that will not only go up to the top but drape back down. I did plan on adding arms to the post so the canes would be supported. I can either drill a hole and use heavy re-bar or like you say a couple of 2x4s. I have a crepe myrtle that is about 15 feet high â¦.. hmmmm Jasmina ya sayâ¦. lol Thanks.

subk3,
You got it, now all I have to do is come up with the perfect bush. Scratch perfect, I know betterâ¦..
I'll check out the videos, thanks.

roseseek,
Others agree with you. thornlessâ¦. NOT. That is the kind of advice I was looking forâ¦. honest. I'd hate to go to all the trouble of trying to train something that wasn't going to work.

campanula,
Thanks, I was wondering about climbing Pinkie. Come to think about it I think I got Madame Alfred Carriere confused with Annie Louise MacDowel. Your other selections also sound good. Thanks.

BTW, the picture is a year or two old so the dogwood (that was support to be Pink) is about twice that size. The dog is a 12 year old female Lhasa Apso that we keep her hair clipped. (they don't shed), She is either in our laps or waiting to be picked up. Not spoiled one little bitâ¦. and if you believe that, I have this bridge you may be interested in purchasing.