Julie,
If it were me I would muddle through this growing season with what you have. Plan this summer for what you need to anchor the new trellis and install it next spring after cutting back the rose. I can't imagine trying to work in a small space with 12 foot thorny canes!
It's hard to say what would work without pictures. Can you post some?

Hi Julie...
I purchased a metal spiral dog stake (the kind you screw in the ground)...and put it in front of my rose that is growing on a brick wall. I screwed in 3 strong screws to the overhang on the roof and attached strong wires in the screws and attached them to the dog stake. I then made indents in evenly spaced areas going up the wires ...and added more wires ..to make a fan shape. It is hardly noticeable on the wall...but very strong and I can tie the canes to it.
Hope this inexpensive method idea will work for you .

Hi--I work until it's dark, but I will try to post a picture Friday or Saturday when I'm off. I don't have good luck with posting pictures here but I need to figure it out--I think I just need to use a lower resolution. Somebody will need to post after me though, because it won't let me post two times in a row on the same thread:).

To post again in the same thread, change the subject line.

We have several LARGE climbers climbing up our wood shingle 3 story house. My DH (who is a construction contractor, thank heavens) has installed what he calls "surface mounted hitching rings" to the house, all the way up to the top. They are metal rings about 2 inches in diameter, which come attached to rectangular metal plates which are about 2 inches by 2 1/2 inches. The plates have 4 holes for screws at the corners. You attach the plates to the house with the screws, and then tie the roses to the rings.

We have found these to be great supports for our roses, which are very large and HEAVY. All of the other trellis etc, stuff we tried were not able to support the weight.

Jackie

Thanks for the suggestions everybody. I will look into them. Jackie, I wonder if those rings you mentioned would work for holding up the top of a strong iron trellis with its legs stuck in the ground? Then I wouldn't have to put so many holes in the siding or dig big holes for posts, etc. I'd like to get one that is wider at the top, like a spin or fan trellis maybe. I'm not sure if I can attach things to the eaves because of the way the wood rafter ends are covered with siding. I hate the vinyl siding but removing it would be a major project, we'd have to put new trim and sills on all the windows and I don't know what condition the wood siding is in.

My rose is not quite as big as I thought on second look. The old trellis is 7 feet tall and the canes probably about 8-10 feet, only one is really long and I need to trim that back anyway. It blooms on old wood, should I prune it now even though the hot weather is here, or wait?

I'm sorry I can't post pictures here, I thought my problem before was that they were over 61kb. But I shrunk a picture down to 60kb and I still can't post it here, I just get a System Error message from Gardenweb every time I try. Maybe it's not me and the photo gallery just doesn't work? I don't really want to make a photobucket account or anything. Thanks again,

Julie

Julie - re your vrs questions:

1) You could attach and hold up anything you want to the rings. As well as the roses, we also use them to attach very long 1/2 inch x 1 inch boards to them, and then attach the roses to those (we have a lot of area to deal with).

2) I would not cut off or prune the very long cane at all - just bend it gently so that you can tie it as horizontally as it will safely bend - that way it will make new shoots all along its length that will make new flowers.

3) It is my understanding that you cannot post pics directly to GW, but first have to put them on a third party site like photobucket. I even did it! It is free, but complicated.

Jackie