I will put a link to the HelpMeFind.com listing for Claire Austin. If you click on the photos tab at the top you can see good pictures, but I don't see any of the full plant there.

At any rate, the description says it is arching, which sounds like it might work for your fence.

I am in SoCal about 9 blocks from the ocean. Where we live, we can plant any time of year without a problem. You will want to improve the soil by adding composted mulch. Our soil and water tend to be a tad alkaline, so ignore anything you read about "liming" the soil.

Yes, many kinds of roses do well in our climate.

I am careful to avoid varieties that are susceptible to rust fungus, which can be a problem here on the coast.

I also avoid varieties don't open well in cool, damp weather, often described as "balling."

I don't know of any roses that are totally pest-resistant, but I don't spray mine and they are fine.

In the spring we can get tiny green sawfly larvae called rose slugs that munch the undersides of leaves, but I don't find that much of a problem.

Here is a link that might be useful: Claire Austin

Now I will put a link below to Windermere. If you look at the photos, there are several of the whole bush which appears to be upright and shrubby, not arching or draping.

The member ratings do say it has excellent disease resistance.

I want to add that roses need good air circulation and six or more hours of sunshine to do their best. Adequate soil drainage is also important, and they need deep watering at least a couple of times a week.

Here is a link that might be useful: Windermere

I grow Windemere and it is an upright shrub not very adaptable to drooping over a fence. The blooms are lovely and profuse and until last summer it had been disease free for me.

However in the face of relentless high temperatures and lots of rain, last summer was not a good one for this rose - actually I had more disease over all than I have seen in thirteen years of gardening here so I am hoping for a better season next year. But even with nasty looking leaves Windemere kept pumping out the lovely blooms.

I gave away my plant of Claire Austin -- I didn't like it because it's just not a good rose -- doesn't bloom enough and the flowers ball and the blooms droop and can't be cut for bouquets, because they lose their petals immediately when cut. There are scads of better white/cream roses out there without the Austin name. Austin just doesn't do white very well. If you want Austin, you had better like pinks and corals.

If you want a high growing plant, get Sally Holmes and underplant it with either Sharon's Delight or White Out.
Sally gets big, circa 8-9 feet (wide and high), so you will need twice as many plants of the small ones as of Sally. Sally can be sparse underneath, due to the density overhead. So if you plant shorter roses just in front of it, but where the short ones can still get some sun (and they will themselves also reach out for it), it presents quite a nice view, taken together.

If you want a shorter hedgerow, I would go with Bolero.

All of these mentioned so far do well in a Coastal California climate without spraying. Claire Austin will mildew, and you will need to spray it if you use that one.

Or, if it were me, I might even go with Constance Spry, even though it only blooms once per year. But oh what a bloom. Can just see that Craftsman now.

Kathy

Now that I reread your post and see "vinelike" I'm also thinking Darla's Enigma or
Secret Garden Musk Climber. Both are good coastal roses that can be grown nicely in SoCal without spraying.

All of the roses I've mentioned are available mail order from various specialty nurseries, but you probably won't find them at the local garden centers. The selections at those places tend to be much more "mass market" than what you seem to be hoping to achieve.

Have fun with this project, and be patient for the roses to grow up and show their personalities to you.

I agree about Darlow's Enigma and Secret Garden Musk Climber - these flower with clusters of single roses (very few petals) - less likely to ball. Another rose you might consider is the tea Madame Joseph Schwartz - it is semi-double, so does not ball, but has way more petals than the two previously mentioned. I live 4 blocks from SF Bay, and it blooms here all year. It is a tea, and so very graceful, and will hang over your fence in a lovely way. Mine does not get as huge as my other teas. I never spray mine, and it gets hardly any disease. Look at the pictures on help me find/roses - there are some good ones there of entire bushes.

I also second what kstrong said about patience - any rose you plant will not start looking like its adult self for at least 3-4 years.

Jackie

In SoCal, Jackie, 'Mme. Joseph Schwartz' will probably mildew like mad. Sad, but true.

Secret Garden Musk Climber would work.
{{gwi:292529}}

[Cl.] "Sombreuil" would work (Shown here with Golden Celebration)
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All Three very very fragrant ...

Sally Holmes would work.
But a better, more fragrant, disease-free choice might be the Noisette -- 'Lamarque'

In all cases, I would underplant, but in SoCal, I'd choose something like Dwarf Lavender, for water-saving, and to add extra fragrance.

Jeri

Jeri, that's Sombreuil-not (Colonial White), right? Not, Mlle. de Sombreuil? My concern about "in commerce as Sombreuil" is how unbelievably thick and stiff the canes get. I would be worried it would over power a four foot fence with thick, huge, stiff canes. For that look, perhaps Prosperity might work. I can't comment on mildew, etc. with Prosperity, but something with thinner wood and more foliage might make the fence nicer to be around and look better much of the time. Kim

Kim, we put "Sombreuil" (aka Colonial White) over an arbor, BUT we ran half of it along the adjacent wrought iron fence. It was never a problem there. And it can spread easily 12 ft in either direction.
Depending upon the fence in question, I think the problem could be TOO MUCH foliage. (I think this could be a problem with SGMC, for instance).

See:
{{gwi:237582}}

Sombreuil isn't all that stiff to work with, really.

What it IS, however, is PRICKLY. It still grabs me when I walk too near. In that respect, I like Lamarque a LOT better.

Jeri

I have 'Windermere'. The best thing about it is the fragrance, which is really really good. Repeat is excellent. The big drawback is the flowers are very ephemeral, lasting just a day or a day and a half. Too bad, because otherwise it's a nice rose. It's a pale apricot that fades to ivory.

For Austins, look at 'Snow Goose'. I have 'Litchfield Angel' which is a nice ivory, but so far, it's stingy.

I would do SGMC instead of Sally Holmes because SGMC blooms about 20 times as much. With kids I'd stay away from Sombreuil, only because it's really thorny.

What about Star Jasmine. Sweetly fragrant white flowers in spring, no thorns, little care needed.

Hi Zuccella,

A couple of roses come to mind that you might want to consider, and ask those who grow them in similar conditions close to the ocean, how well they do. The first is Rosa banksiae 'Purezza'. I have a related rose, White Lady Banks (Rosa banksiae banksiae) which has lovely white double flowers with delicate violet scent. It is thornless, with very flexible canes good for draping in graceful fashion, and although stated to be a once-bloomer, it repeats a little for me. It made me think of Purezza, which others have posted about on these forums. Purezza is a white hybrid banksiae and is known to repeat bloom. As I haven't grown it myself I can't say whether it is also thornless, but given its pedigree, it's possible. The photos of it on Help Me Find look simply lovely. Those with experience growing Purezza might be able to shed some light whether it does well near the ocean.

Here's a closeup of blooms on HMF:
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.143539

Whole plant:
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.45847

On a trellis:
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.74367

The other rose I thought of that might have the look you are seeking is Rosa moschata 'Temple Musk'. The individual flowers are very elegant and old-fashioned looking.

Some photos on HMF:
http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.5354&tab=36

Vintage Gardens is shown on HMF as the only commercial source, here is an info page on Vintage's website:
http://www.vintagegardens.com/roses.aspx?cat_id=38
Alas, it is not in stock.

Depending on the conditions in your garden, especially shade, it might be encouraged to grow along your fence.

Melissa

I hope none of our neighbors ever plants jasmine! I'm violently allergic to the stuff -- a not-uncommon problem.

Jeri

Melissa, Purezza repeats beautifully, WITH HEAT. If your climate is too cool, it won't repeat, but heat things up and it's off blooming like a weed. If your climate is very mild, traditional Banksiae will "repeat" its bloom as long as the weather feels like spring. Once it heats up, Bansiae stops flowering. In Pacific Palisades, two blocks from the beach, Double Yellow Banks began flowering in spring and often continued until nearly September, when the REAL heat there hit. I don't know if four blocks from the ocean will be hot enough for Purezza to repeat. I have one out back where it's HOT in a southern/western exposure on the hill and it flowers very well. The other in the walled garden in front, gets almost as many hours of sun as the one in back, but it is much cooler in the front garden and that Purezza doesn't flower nearly as much. They are from the same cuttings and both were grown into five gallon size before planting. The difference isn't in the plant, but the heat levels between the two positions. Kim

Kim -- You know that Purezza we planted several years ago?
The one I complained, because it didn't repeat here at the coast?

Well, it grew up!
Now, it's climbing over the garage, as intended, AND it is blooming well, even now, in the waning days of November.

Go figure. :-)

Jeri

Jeri, how much extra heat do you think Purezza is picking up from the garage? There can be a tremendous difference between out in the yard and the reflected, radiated heat from that garage roof. That could very easily make all the difference between repeat, or not, just as it could prevent a longer spring flowering from a once bloomer. Kim

Good point Kim.

The rose is on the WEST side of the garage wall -- NW corner. It extends up over the roof (thick dark grey shingles). The garage walls are wood, and the West side is very pale grey.
I'd say it probably gets quite a lot of warmth, in the summer.

It also has the advantage of being protected for 2/3 of its height from East winds -- but I am somewhat concerned about the predicted monster N.E. windstorm coming late today through tomorrow. Purezza could take some real harm from 60 mph winds, and up. (So could all of our climbers.)

I was (as you recall) dubious about it in the beginning -- but it has proven itself to be an asset.

I thought it would if you could supplement its heat. You might try some of the heat loving yellow Tea-Noisettes on that garage. It might be the trick you need. Kim

AH! That's the side of the garage that is 3 ft. from the property line.
I honestly don't think we'd plant ANYTHING else there. Unfortunate, isn't it? Particularly as the house there is about to go up for sale, so things are a bit up in the air?

Anyone interested in buying a 1-Bedroom cottage with a priceless view????

Jeri
Coastal Ventura Co., SoCal

The view may be priceless, but I am POSITIVE they will have no difficulty setting a price on it. Too bad you can't pick it up and add it to your garden. Wouldn't a "guest cottage" be a nice addition? Kim

Yes, but as the local garden maintenance guy said the other day: "I wouldn't TOUCH that property."

The flat yard at the house level was doubled by building a massive retaining wall, sans footing, out of large stackables. The fill was compacted by driving a truck over it. This is the "home" of the gigantic Italian Stone Pine that self-pruned into our yard a year ago. Nope. I'll pass on that.

Jeri

That's OK, the new owners will compact the entire site and build a "Ramada Inn" dwelling. Kim

No. I don't think so.
The County caught it -- and will question it, if anyone tried to do that.

But we've joked about the neighborhood chipping in, and buying it, and making it "Gypsy Lane Park." WITH Guest Cottage. Now, if we weren't all dirt-poor, wouldn't that be the cat's pajamas?

Jeri