My impression is that Cl Lady Hillingdon grown only moderately larger than the bush anyway. The issue is getting it to be the climber, not getting it to stay shrub-like. I would imagine it is very easy. I grow Pierre de Ronsard as shrub, no problem. And after all, Luanne keeps Madame Alfred Carriere as a shrub. Now that one does boggle my mind!

Rosefolly

Luanne needs to make a YouTube video of that one (MAC as a shrub) for the betterment of humanity.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

This post was edited by sherryocala on Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 23:12

I completely agree! She is an amazing sculptor of roses.

I've had Cl. Lady Hillingdon before at another location and after three years it most definitely was a climber, much larger than the bush Lady Hillingdon that I also had there, and also much leafier and more vigorous. I had Lady Hillingdon the bush at my present location also and again it was wimpy, with few branches and sparse leaf coverage. At least in my climate I've found the climber to be much superior to the bush in vigor.

Ingrid

We had a large, vigorous plant of Lady Hillingdon that was supposedly a climber but never grew as such. After Anne Belovich told me that some climbers need something to support them before they start to send out long canes, I tied a couple of canes onto a nearby structure and, voila, they grew to ten feet or so. So, yes, it could definitely be grown as a large shrub. We also had an unidentified found rose in the cemetery that grew the size of a small tree, with very stout, self-supporting canes - Phillip and Gregg from Vintage IDd it as MAC. It was budded, which may have made a difference (manetti, I believe), but it definitely was a large shrub not a climber.
Anita

Against a wall it will be very easy to espalier cl. Lady Hillindon' and thus reduce the size by c. 50%, just prune it vertically instead of horizontally. If you've never done this before I find it is most easily done if I picture in my mind a wall coming closer to the plant, for my Teas that is c. 4 and 1/2 feet outwards, (from the real wall in back of it) and then removing any growth outside that imaginary wall.
Dozens of Old Garden Tea's of this size are kept at c. 6 feet tall by 6 feet wide, but only c. 4 and 1/2 feet from a stone wall on outwards, at a local public Old Rose garden.

I'll see Luanne tomorrow, ( I pick roses with her on Thursdays) and mention your request, that Mac of hers really is something, and she has made a sublime plant out of Reve d'Or' by espaliering it against a garden shed, and also removing the bottom canes from the ground level to c. 4 feet, to open the view to show the companion plants and smaller rosebushes below it.
Luanne introduced me to Old Garden Roses and I owe her a debt of vast beauty and love.
Luxrosa

We all owe Luanne quite a debt, those of us who have met her and those of us who have not. Her influence echoes far and wide.

Rosefolly

My Lady Hillingdon "climber" doesn't climb and I'm wondering if it was mislabeled. Kind of disappointing since I planted it next to a trellis, so it could climb.

It's a good rose though, healthy and blooms a lot. Doesn't like my heat much though.

Thank you all for the helpful and interesting replies. I do think now that this will work and will send pictures next spring when it's hopefully grown even more and will finally have blooms when I stop disbudding it.

I remember Luanne when she posted here some years ago. I'd love to see pictures of her garden and her MAC especially.

I also remember Olga, who sadly doesn't post often any more, had a gorgeous bush of Lady Hillingdon, that she pruned to perfection. I really think this rose likes a little more humidity than I can give it, but the climber at least manages to do better in my dry location.

Ingrid