Hello Folks,

I am thinking now about a rose order that will likely be placed in September. We'll be looking for a rambler or climber to circle and mount an obelisk that we are going to order soon. Actually, we'll be ordering two oblisks, each 7 feet tall and 2' across at the base.

We have already planted two Mortimer Sacklers in two different spots to climb these two obelisks. For one, there is also a Renae nearby that needs something to climb so that one will be a one-color situation with two roses climbing one obelisk. But I'm hoping with the second obelisk to show some contrast between the light pink/true pink of Mortimer Sackler and the second rose to be used with that same second obelisk. I'm hoping for contrasting color or form, or both, to be climbing alongside Mortimer Sackler.

The second rose will have enough room to spread out some, so it's not essential to use every one of its canes to climb the obelisk. Originally I'd thought that maybe a Reine des Violettes could be used that way--and it's a baby plant nearby right now--but after making those plans I saw Jeri Jennings indicate that Reine des Violettes was a relatively stiffer plant than would be well suited for winding around an obelisk.

The mauve colors in the Reine des Violettes blooms make the task of figuring out a good contrasting rose a little more complicated. The colors the new rose will be touching would be the purplish Reine des Violettes, the pink climbing Mortimer Sackler, and a pale yellow Amazone. And it won't be far from a bright yellow Rise 'N' Shine. Crepuscle, which we already have, would look good with everything there except for the, uh, pink Mortimer Sackler it will be climbing beside (minor problem!). Cornelia might work decently well, and we already have one. But it's slated for a different spot, and also has more thorns than is really ideal for that spot. (We'll have to walk reasonably close by to get to some of our camellias for cutting.) I do love Cornelia, though.

I'm tempted on Red Cascade, as I really wish we had that rose somewhere, but think that maybe its color wouldn't look good touching Reine des Violettes. Of course, that assumes that Reine des Violettes likes that spot and continues to be a consideration. It's just barely getting started there now, a newly-planted two-caned rose, though it's heavily flushed out with foliage on those two canes--so I'm optimistic.

We already have some Lyda Rose plants and if I thought they wouldn't become totally wiped out by blackspot again this year one of them would fit the bill just fine. We've moved them into a sunnier spot than where they were last year and thus far they're doing well this year, but it's a bit early to know how they're going to do. I'm guessing that they're not resistant to the form(s) of blackspot they're confronted with in our woodsy yard so I'm not counting on any of those plants as a possibility.

The rose planting spot will be in relatively full sun all winter (deciduous trees) and in the months of May-July, when a clearing to the west side takes effect, in addition to midday overhead direct sunlight. The months of August-October are much shadier than most roses would like here, but they'll still get maybe 3-4 hours of midday/early afternoon sun then. For several reasons, the winter microclimate in that spot is definitely warmer than the rest of our yard; it likely is closer to a zone 8 hardiness than our 7b situation generally. Anyway, I'm thinking that the rose ideally ought to have some shade tolerance to get it through the shadier months here. Past experience with teas in that spot suggests that a tea has enough shade tolerance to get it through the half-season of shady months, though the blooming will be reduced then.

The rose criteria, ideally, are for: shade tolerance, good flexibility, and easy growing in a no-spray yard. I'm also looking for a heavy rebloomer and don't want to have to worry about blooms hanging on and turning a dingy rotting brown; the rose will be too difficult to easily reach to keep it well deadheaded, and it's in a prominent spot. Some fragrance would be nice too. All those desirables in a contrasting color or flower form (or both) to Mortimer Sackler. And a last criteria, but very important, is that the rose ought to be available either this fall or at the latest next spring; custom rooting is out. I've seen a bunch of Ralph Moore roses that as described at Vintage might be really nice, but I wouldn't buy without being able to see a picture and definitely wouldn't buy if it's not available by next spring.

Roses I've thought about:

Alister Stella Gray might work well but isn't currently available and might not have enough shade tolerance.

Lamarque. Hardiness is iffy, but I'd love to give it a try. It also grows larger than ideal for the obelisk, but I'm thinking it could weep down the sides some, and most of its canes could ramble around in a different direction. Tricky, but might work.

Snow Goose. The pompom flowers would pick up the white pompom idea from Little White Pet about 30 feet away in the same bed. Not available until next spring, though, and then only in a bareroot form. (Every time we plant a bareroot I swear it's the last.)

Old Blush, Climbing. The regular Old Blush has good shade tolerance, but this form might have less? The color might go well, though, and the lack of thorns is a big plus. Gets some blackspot, but possibly it wouldn't be too bad here. (Location is prominent, so any badly blackspotting rose in our no-spray yard would get tossed.)

Purezza. The spring flush would probably be excellent, but I don't know how many flowers to expect past that point.

Souvenir de la Malmaison, Cl. Probably not a showstopper grouped with such a soft pink as Mortimer Sackler but the flowers themselves are so desirable that might not matter too much.

Clotilde Soupert, Cl. Same comments as for Souvenir de la Malmaison except perhaps a bit more of a balling problem.

Moonlight. We have a small one in a shady spot now and could order another one if that looks like the best bet, though it has more thorns than what would be ideal for that second spot.

Rosarium Uetersen (Seminole Wind). Might work out if it has enough shade tolerance and if the color doesn't clash with Reine des Violettes (hard to guess about by comparing pictures taken in different lighting with different cameras). Has many more thorns than I'd like there, though the prolific blooms are beautiful.

Thanks for reading this not too short post. Any additional ideas would be most welcome!

Best wishes,

Mary