I really adore them too! I think they're such a forgotten class, but need to be grown more widely (especially ig you have the room). They just put on such an amazing show in the spring, and some of the colors are just so unique to other roses (Violette & Veilchenblau) and some just have the most beautiful bloom formations (Chevy Chase and Long John Silver jump to mind). I ordered quite a few more from Vintage Gardens this year because they just had so many that you get get elsewhere.

Tammy

I love to look at rambler pictures. What a blessing to have the land you do, Pam, to be able to grow so many of those wonderful roses. I have been buying a few and hope soon to plant them. Thanks for sharing your beautiful roses. Please post again with others if you have time.

This post was edited by harborrose on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 19:53

Thanks for sharing Pam. Like Tammy I ordered some extras from Vintage that seemed to be unique to them. With the exception of Schonste (which I ordered bare root from Palatine this spring and is now 5 ft tall) mine are still in one gallon cans but these are what I have:
Healdsburg Glory, Hermann Schmidt, Bleu Magenta, Long John Silver, Mme Sancy de Parabere, Easlea's Golden Rambler, Perennial Blue, Gardenia, Robinette, Lafollette, Garisenda.
I'm truly nuts, but I'm expanding my fences upward.
I would love to see any photos you may have of your ramblers.
I love Geschwind roses. Thanks for sharing.
Susan

I think ramblers are wonderful. No other kind of flower can give you walls of roses. With the smaller gardens many people have these days I can understand not filling them up with lots of once bloomers, but just about anyone with a back yard can manage one rambler. They are so immensely rewarding.

Violette has long been one of my favorites, but this year I am admiring Rambling Rector the most highly. It is starting to wind down now but it was covered with a profusion of white roses for a good six weeks this year. Six weeks of glory is something to be treasured.

Rosefolly

Well, that could cause a serious case of jealousy. I only have one large rambler. I grew it from a cutting of a rose growing at a marina on Boca Grand. It's been blooming since December. Does anyone know if there are others that will grow here?

Pam, thank you for sharing all this glory. I think if I were to see these blooming monsters in real life all together, as they are in your garden, my heart just might stop. These are just too beautiful.....

Ingrid

Oh, those are glorious! I wish I had that kind of space to grow those big beauties!

i have one that i got from the side of the road 6 years ago. it was just 1 little peaces maybe 1.5 feet long. just look at it a year ago. when it was in bloom. it will be starting to blooming in a day or two. im looking for a couple more. that are a differnt color than this one.

I would LOVE to hear more about your ramblers and see photos. Vintage still has quite a few left and I have a birthday coming up....

I notice the word "glory" has come up a few times in these comments, and rightly so. Add me to the list of their admirers: I have quite a few young ramblers in the garden and will be adding more, spurred on by a friend who is mad for them and generous with his cuttings. They root easily.
And then there are the species ramblers. Currently R. helenae is in full bloom down at the bottom of the garden and looking good to cover the whole shed in time.
Thanks for the pics! You must be having a wonderful time in your garden right now.
Melissa

Heavenly! I wish I had the room for such a presence in my garden. --Carol

They are magnificent, I love the abundance of blooms.

Just lovely, Pam. Thank you so much for sharing with everyone. I, too, love Ramblers. I am just beginning to plant them on our land and it's inspiring to see yours. And en-couraging -- I have a couple I haven't planted out yet because I have them in mind for areas that are beyond my everyday tending and I've been a little scared to do so. It's helpful to see examples of ramblers in action. And yours are ever so beautiful :)

The wonderful thing is that they can be beyond your everyday tending. Once they are established you can even get by without watering many of them.
Another thing is that many of them are in full bloom when the spring peak of other roses is slowing down.
Susan I can tell you the roses on your list are choice.

I just had to wipe up the puddle of drool on my keyboard...

floridarosez9,
Here is an HMFRoses Ezine article regarding growing ramblers in Tampa, Florida. John Starnes has more information and some photos on his blog titled "Climbing and Rambling Roses for Cold and Mild Climates" from February 2010 found at http://johnstarnesloveofroses.blogspot.com/2010/02/climbing-and-rambling-roses-for-cold.html

Here is a link that might be useful: HMF Ezine article

hugely inspirational and exactly the class I will be cultivating on my woodland adventure. And yep, the species ramblers are truly fabulous - soulieana, helenae, sinowilsonii, filipes, moschata, villosa - a feast of flowers. To be able to give these roses their head and let them grow as they like will be thrilling. Seeing your garden, Pamela, is so exciting to me - I can see that this is a life-work, something I also want to be able to achieve - to make an iconic and beautiful garden, a better wood without sacrificing the innate loveliness. Following Gertrude Stein, she famously wrote a chapter entitled 'when best to leave well alone' ....advice I will be pondering. Ramblers, though, as a class, have such sterling qualities - an ability to insert themselves within many different landscapes, regardless of type, contributing architectural bones, a dense green lushness and quite astoundingblooms.

I missed all the photos, got here too late! :-) Would you please post some of your lovely rambler photos again? All the ramblers you guys were talking about, do they repeat for you? Thanks

Geschwinds Futtaker Schlingrose was one of the first roses to sell out at the Rosarium, I wasn't familiar with it and didn't consider it at all. The photo looks to be a beautiful grape color. Next year I really want to see if they offer it again.

Rambling rose , rambling rose ,

Why I love you no one knows... Nat King Cole

Rambler, rambler, let's ramble; encore, encore, with forever blooms ......I am seeking hardy (zone 6a/5) repeat ramblers to decorate some trees. You must know some Mudpie since you love ramblers too. Spill, spill, let's ideas flow....... :-)

Poorbutroserich here. Just wanted to say that for the MOST part ramblers are once blooming. They put it all into one big show! Herman Schmidt is fantastic and blooms over a very long period but the other ramblers flower for a much shorter period. I go from 60 degree temps to sustained 80s so your mileage may differ. Repeat blooming climbers are the way to go for repeat but for the MOST part are stiffer. Brownell raised some great cold hardy repeaters -- Parade is one of my favorites but she is a THORNY beast!

Rhode Island Red is a glorious rose! I think it is a Brownell too. Christopher grows Orfeo into a tree and it's a beauty!

I know there are a few hardy repeat blooming ramblers out there and I'm sure other folks will chime in.

I will share some photos once I find the time to get to the desktop! Lol.

Lastly, I think you can do an advanced search on HMF limiting it to the qualities you desire.

Susan

If I were to buy one rambler this year it would be Henri Barruet, roses that have varying faces capture my attention. I don't know of any old good repeating. I would like to see David Austins Albrighton if the nursery brings it in. It is stated as having continual bloom. Rambling on of more roses I want is dangerous

I purchased Henri last year. I will post photos if he blooms....I also purchased Futtaker last year. And will post photos!

Susan

Thanks Susan and Mudpie! A beautiful photo ! :-) I added a Paul's Himalayan to my list for a big ash tree in the backyard, and ordered 2 Super Dorothy for 2 pine tree trunks, and some Ghislane de Feligonde for more tree trunks. I know they're short ramblers, they should ramble to 10-12'. I have to check out Susan and Mud's mentioned ramblers tonight. 3 mins left (lunch time) I need to finish my orange. :-)

Gorgeous photo Susan, i wish I could take a pup tent , some books and rations, and hide there all summer.

Susan, charge mudpie top camping rate. :-) Just checked over all the ramblers/climbers you two have mentioned. Henri Barruet is a hardy tall rambler-15', rated for zone 6, have some repeats, that's a good thing for a rambler. It only listed on RVR's site. I am trying not to buy from RVR, they're expensive. I am wondering if there are other nurseries selling it too. Susan's Herman Schmidt looks pretty big, love the color, does it repeat well for you? It looks different than the ones on HFM though, prettier with bigger blooms. I can't find Rhode Island Red size on HFM, I think that was the reason I took it off my list once. I guess I have to try it later see how tall it could get around here. It looks pretty with pink and light pink in Susan's photo. I had a Clair Matin once, it didn't make through its 1st winter here. I bought a DA Albrighton last year, love the color, planted it next to a once blooming New Dawn, Albrighton is pretty much tip hardy, and it's about 4' tall, and the rabbits didn't touch it through the whole winter. I also have DA Malvern Hills, but the rabbits ate most of it (3-4" above the ground), I love the blooms too. Can't wait to see Futtaker in bloom photo. That looks really pretty on HFM.........

HA! That would be a great spot til the mosquitoes show up! And that won't be long with the lack of winter we had. Thank you both for your kindness tho.

Herman is a wonderful rose here. Bloomed for six weeks with a tiny bit of late summer repeat. I've tried to insert a link to HMF for Rhode Island Red but it didn't work. It's a gorgeous deep crimson super fragrant and blooms all summer.

Veichenblau is fantastic too. What ramblers do you all grow?

Susan

I have Blushing Lucy, Albrighton, Malvern Hills, Excellenz Von Schubert, Peggy Martin, Renae, Sombreuil, Perle d'Or, Phyllis Bide, Buff Beauty, Ghislaine de Feligon,The biggest one is New Dawn (big climber, 12'), Blushing Lucy is at the 2nd place (10'), its 7-8 yrs old main canes suddenly went right before last spring's bloom, it used to be the biggest (17 - 18'), now it's only 9-10' tall, rest of them are 2nd/3rd year bands, most of them have winter die back ( 2"-1' tall), they're still babies. :-) ....and forgot about potted Secret Garden Musk ( 2nd year band). I don't think some of them can grow tall here, Sombreuil and Perle d'Or are always short (less than 1' tall,on their 3rd year). I am going to dig them up, grow them in pots just like some of my rose trees. I have Pauls Himalayan Musk, Super Dorothy, a couple more Ghislaine de Feligonde, E. Veyrat Hermanos, Bermudas Anna Olivier coming this spring. I just started my rambler journey......let's ramble! :-)

Ghislaine de Feligonde, Jessica, Geschwinds Orden, Prinze Hirtzenprinzen, Complicata, Edmond Proust, Gerbe Rose, Veilchenblau, unknown Geschwind, Captain Kidd, Glenn Dale, Tausendonshon, and a favorite I can't remember the name of. I might be forgetting some..

Oh Lillian Gibson, absolutely beautiful.

altorama, can you click on my avatar and send me a PM? Thanks!

Susan

Hi, can't find the option to PM but my email is alray1028@gmail.com

Hi guys, got my shovel ready, but not sure where to plant these ramblers at this moment.....do they bloom at the same time? Do City of York and Frau Eva Schubert repeat a little? Thanks

Alchemist

City of York

Frau Eva Schubert

Paul's Himalayan Musk

City of York is probably the only climber that will bloom in shade. I have had two and both did well with no disease in an area that only got filtered sunlight. The canes are bendy so best draped over something.

Alchemist the climber

Alchemist is a favourite and I have two. One I grow as a 6 foot shrub and the other a climber. Because the climber gets long and lanky, I really prefer the shrub and I get the impression there are more flowers and they are larger..

Alchemist the shrub blooms in bunches

Thanks for the info, now I know where to plant them. Lovely photos! :-)

Beautiful photos!!!!

oldrosarian, does City of York repeat for you? Want to order 2 more if it repeats. Please let me know. Thanks

Wow I love the Walsh rambles!!

Alida, You should come to Woods Hole and see the Walsh ramblers in bloom. They should be flowering about the 4th of July; about a week or two after the Elizabeth Park ramblers peak. Sandy

The 'Bonnie Bell' looks like what Darlow (of "Darlow's Enigma") used to sell here as 'Evangeline' (before selling his display garden to a condo developer and moving to Hawaii) and the above 'Evangeline' doesn't.

Yes, you are correct that some of the Walsh ramblers have been miss-identified over the last 100 years. For instance, at one point Vintage Gardens was selling a rose that was not 'Evangeline' but Dan Russo was able to provide them with the correct rose which they then distributed. Quest-Ritson in his "Climbing Roses of the World" notes that some of the ramblers in European collections identified as Walsh ramblers do not match the descriptions provided by Walsh.

Fortunately, all the ramblers above were found growing in Woods Hole, where Walsh had his gardens, on Cape Cod near Woods Hole, or at Elizabeth Park in Hartford, CT which acquired the roses directly from Walsh. Dan, who is the curator of rambler roses at EP, tracked all these roses for decades before many of us had even heard of Walsh and was able to identify and collect them and in so doing, preserve Walsh's legacy.

Just thought I'd share this illustration of 'Evangeline' from Walsh's 1907 catalog:

That's a delightful illustration from inside the cover of Walsh's Handbook of Roses. Walsh's
Handbook illustrations are all photographs in black and white with the
exception of the cover which is a color illustration. His handbooks are available for study at the
Woods Hole Historical Museum although the 1905 and 1907 editions are not complete. The Fay
family donated most of Walsh's Handbooks to the Museum many decades ago. Some of the pages or illustrations from the handbook are
available on HMF under the specific rose which is illustrated or described.

Here's the description of 'Evangeline' Walsh gives in his
handbook:

A distinct
variety, with single flowers 2 inches in diameter. The foliage is very luxuriant. Flowers are borne in large clusters, are
white with the tips of petals pink; deliciously fragrant. Foliage on the young growth of this variety is
particularly attractive. It is of a
beautiful bronze green. The contrast of the
flowers with the handsome foliage is most charming. Evangeline is suited for pergolas, parkways,
trellises, or for whatever purposes it may be desired. Perfectly hardy. $1 each, $9 per doz.

I should note that the fragrance is truly wonderful from this
rose as it readily carries in the air. ‘Evangeline’
seems to be the most robust of the Walsh roses and is easily found in the Woods Hole and Falmouth area.
Finally, the “beautiful bronze green foliage” is also a marker for ‘Dorothy
Perkins’ which makes it easy to identify since ‘Lady Gay’ does not exhibit this
trait.

centifolia, it isn't from any of Walsh's "handbooks", but I got it from his 1907 catalog, which can be found here: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/179718#page/3/mode/1up

The fragrance sounds delightful.

Virginia

I don't know what year Walsh started calling his catalog "Walsh's Handbook of Roses." As I indicated above some of the early catalogs are only fragments, in particular the 1905 and 1907. Here's the cover of 1911 from the Woods Hole Historical Museum archives.