Why do you think a banksie rose is the wrong answer? I have a banksie lutea which has been climbing up our house for 20 years - no thorns, and the bloom in the Spring is earlier than almost any other rose, and is spectacular. Lasts over 2months, too. The only "house" problem we had is once when it threw a cane behind an external water pipe - but that was my fault.

If you would prefer a pink repeat blooming rose, I have attached a picture of Cl Caroline Testout, an early hybrid tea with a lovely globular flower form, climbing up my chimney. The top of the rose didn't fit in the picture, but I just went out to look at it, and it is at least 15 ft high. My chimney is full facing South, and we are zone 9, so probably a little hotter than you are.

Jackie

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A banksiae would get enormous in FL. You'd be spending every weekend pruning.

How about 'Climbing Pinkie'. Check out this FL rose grower's blog.

Here is a link that might be useful: sherry's rose blog from florida

What are the disease pressures in your area? Banksiae is very healthy, not pink and doesn't rebloom, but it IS thornless and wonderfully healthy. It grows quickly and can literally be sheared like a hedge. Purezza isn't as large, is white, has very small prickles on the leaf ribs and blooms all summer where it is HOT. For covering your stairs, you might consider other kinds of climbing vines such as Pandorea or others of the Bignonia family. You can have rebloom, thornless, no diseases and pink.

If a rose is the only choice, Ralph Moore's Renae fits your qualifications http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.5185 , as does my Annie Laurie McDowell http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.32672 . You'll have to purchase them on line as small plants and grow them up in a container until they are large enough to fend for themselves in ground.

There are other posts here about Climbing Pinkie. I can't vouch for it as I've not grown it. Zephirine Drouhin fits your requirements, though it can be terribly disease prone in many climates. Of course there are many other pink climbers with fragrance and rebloom, but these are the ones with which I am familiar that fit your "thornless" request. Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie Laurie McDowell on HMF

Thank you all! This has been very helpful! I will look into these options and update with my decision. Jackie, that photo of the cl Caroline Testout is just stunning, and Cl Pinkie is looking like a good option as well.

Like my recent daylily order, I will probably come out with a few different options and each will have a home. Should be fun :)

Thanks again! Off to peruse.

Crust_muffin, Cl Mme Caroline Testout has a gorgeous flower but sadly was a black spot magnet in my no-spray garden. Cl Pinkie took her place. Happily, she holds onto her leaves, has little if any BS and few if any prickles. She wants to grow horizontal but that's not her situation in my garden as you can see from the link below. She's only been in the ground a year. She has not been the massive bloomer after spring, but that may be due to her age.

Maman Cochet, Climbing is a big Tea rose with gorgeous fat pink flowers. I don't know if she's flexible enough for your situation. (You do know - or maybe not - that climbing roses need to be trained at an angle or they will only bloom at the top rather than all along the cane due to apical dominance, so often you'll see them fanned out or running on a fence.) Here's a link to my blog about her.

http://sherryocala.blogspot.com/2011/07/maman-cochet-climbing-first-two-years.html

Another one that's nice and flexible is Reve d'Or. She's a pinkish apricot colored Noisette. She has thorns but not big ones like Maman Cochet. Here she is all trimmed up.

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If you want a once-bloomer, there's always R. Fortuniana. He has white double flowers in spring and will climb 25' easy into your trees. He does have small thorns but not bad.

Duchesse d'Auerstadt is a strong yellow and not too thorny and is in between MC and RdO as far as flexibility.

Rose Petals Nursery near Gainesville will ship or you can visit. I get most of my roses from Cydney now. She's sweetheart and can advise you, too. In fact, she came to my garden a couple of months ago for cuttings. Angel Gardens is in Alachua. Both have websites.

These will take all the Florida sun you can give them.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Pinkie, Climbing

If thornless is more important than color, how about Crespuscule? The blooms vary from yellow to apricot here. It's one of my favorite roses. It reminds me of tangerine sherbet. Own-root, it is slow growing here but will eventually make a monster; on Fortuniana it would probably get huge quickly.

Lady Banks roses do not bloom well here. I don't know whether or not you get enough chill for them to bloom better.

Here in coastal northern Calif., the climbing version of Mlle. Cecile Brunner easily gets over 15' tall (in fact, often to 20', sometimes even more) -- and very healthy, trouble-free foliage; but re-bloom is modest, at best (especially compared to the short bush form of the same rose). However, I've heard that the Cecile Brunner rose sold here on the West Coast is often not the same as sold in the East, that for some reason they are slightly different.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ken's Virtual Garden

Hi All, Thanks for the recs! I ended up ordering a Cl. Pinkie from Antique Rose Emporium. It arrived safely, seems happy, and is patiently awaiting its trellis. I will update on its progress. The photos and links have been very helpful, and now I'm planning (plotting) for other roses as well.