New Dawn is very long caned and could easily be trained along a fence..the more horizontal you make the canes, the more blooms it will have. I would rethink the idea of cutting it back every year..very few climbers will bloom on this years growth, they need the canes from the previous year to bloom.With New Dawn, you don't have to protect the canes in the winter. If it is a graft, just bury the bud union 4-6 inches deep, then mulch, if it's own root, just mulch well. Donna

Thanks, DonnaZ, for your recommendation. I am doing a little research, and I came across a sport of Iceberg that climbs. I recall Iceberg as an old time climber. Does anyone have any experience with this variety?

Well, given your description, you don't want New Dawn (too bushy) and you definitely don't want Climbing Iceberg (not hardy, not disease resistant, may not bloom)

How about Baltimore Belle?

William Lobb, blooms only once, but puts on a spectacular show (down here). Hardy to zone 4 (4b). Fully double, mauve-pink, wonderful old rose fragrance. Mossy buds. 1855.

Mike

You might try looking up Viking Queen. Florence has one, I believe, and it looks spectacular, and it seems to be a cold-weather rose, if I recall correctly. It's a very beautiful pink rose.

Ingrid

The way you intend to grow the roses somewhat reminds me of how my parents' 1950's era Better Homes & Gardens gardening book recommended growing the roses known as "ramblers". One of the really popular ramblers once was Dorothy Perkins. I don't know how hardy it is. It's scentless and it has a reputation for getting powdery mildew badly, but the flowers are similar in color to The Fairy.

There are other ramblers that are still available, too.

Lillian Gibson is a very hardy pink rambler. You shouldn't get much if any cane die-back. She only blooms once, but for a very long time.

My Lillian Gibson purchased last year came through my zone 4a winter with no die-back.

Ah! I am in error about the color of Dorothy Perkins. It's definitely a darker pink than The Fairy.

Thank your for all of the thoughtful comments. They are all great and will give me lots to look into. Keep the ideas coming if you have any more!

A once bloomer that has long arching canes is Mme Legras de St Germain - covered with very double white flowers for 2 or 3 weeks, and then attractive foliage.

OK--I think I found the right rose: Darlow's Enigma. Hardy to Zone 4, very fragrant single blooms, and repeat blooming. Only downside might be excessive thorns. Your thoughts?

Gotcha, Mad gallica, on the shrubby thing. I don't want shrubby.

The area is about a ten foot privacy wall between our driveway and our neighbor's property. There is only about two feet of clearance between the fence and the driveway, so shrubby definitely won't do it.

At our old home I grew several of the David Austin roses with great success. I remember one of them, Abraham Darby--that is the type of graceful, arching aspect I am thinking of. Canes would get to be about 7-8 feet long, as I recall. I remember severely pruning it at the end of the season and then mounding some hay over it--i.e., no dramatic protection--and each year it bloomed just as beautifully. That is kind of what I am thinking of.

I am also beginning to think that I am going to have to deal with mulch if I want to grow something really beautiful.

Also--just for my own understanding: Climbers don't necessarily have to grow on old wood, correct? If I don't need to preserve the canes, then I could use any long-caned rose in that location, right? That's kind of where I am leaning.

Sorry for all of the questions. Thank you again! philosopher

I think climbers usually bloom from wood at least one year old. The usual growth habit of a rambler is to put out new canes in summer, then bloom from those canes in the following summer. After that the canes can be cut down and will be replaced with new canes that will bloom the summer afterwards.

Would Constance Spry work? I know nothing about it except that it's a once-blooming Austin that is at least sometimes used as a climber. I don't know anything about its hardiness.

Baltimore Belle is an enormous rose that sets hundreds of buds. The canes are very arching. It is fragrant. It is super hardy showing no damage after winter. I have it against a wall and it is maybe 4-5' deep. About 8' tall and as wide. Maybe wider and taller never measured it. Might be too big. But I've never pruned it so there is that possibility.

Here's a picture of Baltimore Belle.

I've grown ALOT of so called "hardy" large flowering climbers and the best one so far, which is usually cane hardy in my rural/might as well be Z4 location is Louise Odier.
Very double, pink, fragrant blossoms.
It's a good rebloomer and the long canes are flexible enough to put them where you want them as you can see I've done on this trellis.
It's the only reblooming climber I have left.

For a once bloomer Constance Spry is my ultimate favorite!
Huge, very fragrant, cabbage roses! VERY vigorous grower, very flexible canes and cane hardy in Z5.

Louise Odier
{{gwi:294320}}

Constance Spry
{{gwi:294322}}

Philosopher,
I would recomend Therese Bugnet for your situation. It is extremely hardy (Z3-10) with 4'-5' canes, great fragrence.
Here is my one year old Therese Bugnet, the canes are about 5' with 3 more starting this spring.

{{gwi:294323}}

I used to grow Constance Spry--I love her! That is actually the effect that I am aiming for--large cabbage roses on long, arching stems. I had read it was a little more susceptible to blackspot than other Austin varieties, which is why I was staying away from her. But I will definitely look at her again.

I will also look into Therese Bugnet. All great ideas!

I grow 2 Constance Spry on an arbor and she would fit the bill, but you may have to prune to keep her in check in your allotted space. Canes are hardy and need no protection but she is once-blooming only. Anyways, I really doubt any of the repeating Austins would fill in such a space with height and width on a consistent basis due to winter dieback. I grow two Abe Darbys and neither of them have ever grown more than 5' in the summer, maybe the occasional arching cane that is longer, but not consistently.

Another once-blooming Austin climber is Chianti, beautiful wine-red double blossoms, and not as large as Constance Spry. It has a nice arching habit for me.