Could you give more information about location and climate? If it's southern Ontario, for example, a main consideration would be resistance to blackspot disease.

John Cabot is resistant as well as hardy. It is not a particularly vigorous grower, but that would just mean setting the plants say 12 feet apart as opposed to say 18.

Generally, climbers do not drape, but the vertical canes must be pulled over and tied down to the fence. One that is drapey as well as highly vigorous is the climbing form of The Fairy. I don't know whether it is cane hardy in 5b. Among the Canadian Explorer roses, William Baffin is too stiff to train on a fence. John Davis and John Cabot would probably work.

My John Cabot is awfully vigorous. It's a great climber, very disease resistant and hardy. It is a bit thorny and mostly blooms in the spring. Quadra is another hardy, disease resistant rose that blooms better, but it's red. Both will need to be bent towards the fence to get the effect you are looking for. I would also be concerned about deer - both roses are too vigorous for my rabbits to kill, but I bet some hungry deer would be a problem.

athenainwi makes a good point: what's the deer population like?

I don't know if it's hardy enough for zone 5, but I know that while it may later want to grow higher, at least earlier in its life New Dawn does have the ability to grow in a lax manner (at least, its parent Dr. W. Van Fleet does in my climate, as long as it isn't fertilized and so far as I'm aware the only difference, if any, between New Dawn and Dr. Van Fleet is that New Dawn is both remontant and slightly less vigorous). If you train it upright it will happily grow upright, but if you train it horizontally, at least early in its life it will grown in a loosely horizontal fashion and then drape as it gets too long for its support.

(If deer are an issue you probably don't want to bother with climbing roses.)

To do what you want to do with your father's fence, I am going to suggest once-blooming ramblers. They are the absolute best, in my opinion, for doing exactly what your father is wanting to accomplish.

My Rambler Fence has Wichurana ramblers planted on it, the likes of Alberic Barbier, Francois Juranville, Aviateur Bleriot, Paul Transon, Jean Guichard, and others. The fence itself is a 4-board pasture fence with a strand of wire installed between the boards to fasten the roses to. Canes are trained horizontally and I get thousands of flowers each spring. After the roses finish their annual show of flowers, the foliage is healthy and shiny and makes a great background to the tea roses planted in front of the ramblers.

Another class of ramblers to look at are the Hybrid setigeras, like Baltimore Belle, Arcata Pink Globe, Queen of the Prairies, etc. These are also healthy and vigorous, spring-blooming, and they are happiest trained horizontally and allowed to drape.

During the growing season, my ramblers are extremely care free. I take any new basal canes they produce and I flip them over the fence. Every couple of years in late winter, when the roses are bare and I can see their struture really well, I thin out the oldest canes and tie the newest ones into their permanent positions.

I do not spray fungicide on my ramblers, and I do not spray insecticide in the garden at all. In this area of blackspot hell, my ramblers are very resistant and look good all year long. There's a blog post I did last year that has pictures ... I'll put the link below.

Connie

Here is a link that might be useful: The Rambler Fence

Thanks all of you for the replies.

Connie, your detailed post is superb.

A couple of questions that comes to mind....are these 'ramblers' weather hardy? The farm in question is z5 at best and the owner is concerned about the extra wind as the property is elevated.

As well are such ramblers easily obtained (Ontario)?

Stick with either the explorers or the hybrid setigaras.

Great Place for explorers, is Pickering Nuseries.

Great Place to find the hybrid Setigarar's is Rogue Valley Roses (Long John Silver, Baltimore Belle and a host of Geshwinds)

There is a few rare climbers like Lawrence Johnston (rogue valley roses has it) Lillian Gibson (North Creek Farm has it but doesnt seem to be selling it this year.)

There is also a host of OGR that grow to about 7 X 7 including but not limited to some of the Albas, some of the kordes Fruhlings series (pickering) and some of the other classes(like Moss William Lobb, Gallica complicata). These would look good as well.

If you take the next step down with hybrid Multifloras or any other rambler class, it will be more than likely to recieve winter damage in most ZONE 5 locations.

I dont want him to be disapointed , There is no way new dawn would be hardier enough.. but Austins Constance Spry is similiar but hardier.

Ive tried a few with no real luck.

Silverkelt

I'm not as up to speed on winter hardiness in colder climates as I'd like to be. How do the hybrid wichuranas do in your climate?

Connie

I wouldnt depend on any of them living thorugh the winter, other than at the grown to a foot maybe to snowline growth, which wont help since they all bloom on old wood.

I too would love to grow some of the old ramblers.. Ive tried a few, of those that pickering told me might survive, only Mdme Sancy De Parabree exists in my garden.. barely. I will put her out of her misery this year and replace with a large OGR of some sort.. or Fruglingsmorgen that looks like fun rose.

IF you do look at RVR though.. some of those geshwinds are very nice looking and I have baltimore belle, John Davis, Quadra and several of the larger albas. I also have alchemist another kordes hybrid that will grow large like a climber if let be.

Ive I learned to live with what will grown, whilst wishing new hybridezers will come along to work on these. I know there is sitll some work up in canada on some, but even though I like the few I grow.. none of them appeal to me as much a OGR form would, especially the ones that are scented.

Silverkelt

Connie,

That rose fence is to die for!! We have a large property and are contemplating just such a fence. We just got back from China with our 5th child, so it may be quite a few years down the road!

How does your Alexandre Girault look this year? I just planted that rose a couple of days ago. It's teeny tiny right now, but hopefully will grow fast.

I'll have to print out your post for future reference!

Thank you,
Eileen

I've got a Henry Kelsey Explorer that I'm training horizontally along a 4' picket fence. Didn't see a bloom last year (planted last spring as an own root plant). This spring there's been crazy growth. Going to pop with flowers. Nice looking leaves. The canes are really easy to work with - very bendy. It is a red though.