I think you should plan on about 3 years to make a climber out of Abe. Any rose you purchase this time of year is going to be small as the growers prune for sale and nurseries prune for space. You could order direct from the source -davidaustinroses.com- but the same problem exists.
Carol

According to their website, Burkard Nursery in Pasadena carries Abe in a 5-gal pot.

Try Otto & Sons in Fillmore, they have a website but call anyway if you don't see it on their website. If you can't find a pair with longer canes, don't worry, they WILL grow, just pile on the nitrogen and keep the laterals trimmmed (disbudding wouldn't hurt either).

Thanks for all your great suggestions, I will start making some phone calls! Some roses, like Iceberg, have a shrub form, and a climbing form. Does anyone know if it's the same with Abes? I've emailed the David Austin website with this question, but so far I haven't heard back. I know I should be more patient, and not be looking for instant gratification here, but my wall has been bare for so long ...

Happy Gardening.
Provence

I was just playing on the DA web site last night. On the LH side they have a menu. Click on "Stockists" and that gives you a listing of nurseries that carry their stock. There were lots of listings for Walter Anderson's. Maybe there's one near you.

They also had about 4 or 5 climbers listed. I don't remember if Abe was one of them.

wanda

Climbing Iceberg is a sport of (shrub) Iceberg. Abe D. (no climbing sport as of yet) will climb/scramble if given a support as many roses will to some extent if they don't have to devote energy to canes as free-standing shrubs. You might go to Otto & Sons and look at what they have in climbers, they have a good selection of Austins and other interesting stuff (like cl. Winifred Coulter). If you're just covering a wall, I'm pretty sure you can count on a rose growing vigorously to the extent that by the second year you will be trimming and the third, hacking to keep it in check.

Provence, I have an Abe Darby I'm training as a climber on our ugly old wood fence. Got it own-root from Heirloom Roses (www.heirloomroses.com)as a few sticks

You can train just about any Austin as a climber in Southern California. In England, these roses are whatever the suggested size is, but in SoCal, they just gallop. I grew both Getrude J. and Abe as climbers (trained laterally) in South Pasadena. The trick is to make sure the biggest canes go horizontal and then the canes that erupt from those can climb. I bought Austins at Burkhardt's and Armstrong's and both did well.

I think I must be doing something wrong then. I planted an Abe in a different location last spring hoping that it would grow up the side of an arbor - it has barely grown! It gets full sun and I fed it regularly during the growing season. Everything I've read said not to prune it for the first couple of years, but it's looking pretty scruffy now, especially compared to all my other roses which I pruned and are leafing out nicely now. Should I just leave it, or should I be pruning? Perhaps I'm being too impatient (again), and it will take off this year ...

Thanks for all your help everyone.
Provence

Hmm. Weird. I found Abe to be vigourous from day one. I've heard that you have to be careful about fertilizing new roses. Maybe that had something to do with it? Are you sure it's Abe? Did you get any blooms?

I have really only pruned to shape into long canes, but I took all the old leaves off a week or so ago & sprayed with hort oil. Shiny new leaves are already out.

I have had quite a few blooms, it's definitely an Abe. I think I'll try your tip, greenfreek, and remove all the old leaves. Ideefixe's suggestion to train the biggest canes horizontally is also something I'm going to try. It's such a beautiful rose, I hope I can find out what I'm doing wrong.

Provence

I purchased the A. Darby from Heirloom Roses too and will receive in them December. Can they be trained to climb a post? Do you just "wrap" the canes around it?

Provence - something is wrong. I suggest you check the roots - dig it up, remove any damaged, dark roots & replant in a well amended squarish (not round) large hole, make sure the bud union is at the correct level, etc. It should be more vigorous than what you describe.

Wow, I posted this question almost 2 years ago! My Abe that wasn't growing back then is now almost 7 foot tall and has given me some gorgeous blooms. It's still one of my favorite roses. Just goes to prove that patience really is a virtue ...

Happy Gardening everyone.
Provence