Have you ever seen pictures of Secret Garden Musk Climber? I have one that is growing by leaps and bounds. It's a single rose but much adored.

http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/roses.php
I'm sorry I'm link retarded. Go to this page and go to left column and click roses. Choose the name choice as contains. Type in Secret Garden Musk Climber and pull that up and click on the various photos. I hope this works?

Carla

Magick, I will try to get a picture of SGMC. Mdme. Sombrueil is beautiful too.

Carla

The Cl. Sombreuil looks interesting. How is the scent? I've read that white roses do better than the other colors, in dappled shade. Depending on the time of year, dappled shade is what I have on the fence.

I have Sombreuil and it is a beautiful rose...however. It is VERY thorny. So far, mine has not bloomed as heavily as I would have wished, although it is putting on a late flush right now that is better than what it did in late spring. The fragrance is not even close to what I had expected. It's nice...but very faint and not that "rose I remember" aroma.

On the plus side, it has proven very resistant to bugs and disease - even black spot in this humidity! It has grown quickly but has not gotten leggy or strange.

I think different soils and other things affect fragrance. When I first smelled Sombrueil, it was wonderful!

Carla

Ahhh... VERY thorny might not be so great. That was one of the things I liked about Iceberg - I read that it is not extremely thorny, does well in dappled shade, smells nice & is a repeat bloomer. I wonder if it is a "house eater" though.

I have Sombrueil. Mine doesn't have a detectable fragrance unless I put my nose into the flower, then I smell "tea" fragrance (the tea roses all smell different to me, but Sombrueil to my nose actually smells like tea). Not damask rose fragrance. Once established will put on a spectacular show in the summer and repeat sporadically the rest of the year, into winter. Will get some blackspot. I never spray mine. It is thorny but I've got Mermaid so it seems a little tame in comparison.

Magick you might consider Climbing Devoniensis. I have the shrub form. The fragrance is wonderful, although not damask rose fragrance either. I'm not sure how to describe it. The climber is supposed to be quite vigorous, more so than the shrub. Teas are pretty healthy in this climate if not overfed.

Training a climber along a chainlink fence is going to require lots of 'hands on' involvement by the gardener, so thorniness is definitely an issue you'll want to take into consideration. Another is flexibility/pliability of the canes. Cl. Iceberg has fairly flexible canes; however, it has severe disease problems in many parts of the humid South. When grown under favorable conditions it's utter perfection. Unfortunately, it's a disaster in my garden.

I had heard that Iceberg has blackspot issues. If you are planning to weave the canes through the fence rather than just tying them, Sombrueil would not be a good choice. It has rather stiff, brittle canes.

I was thinking that I would tie the canes along the fence. I may even consider a pale yellow - I've heard good things about Lady Hillingdon. The main thing I'm looking for is ease of care and tolerance of a bit of shade.

Lady Hillingdon is supposed to be good. Mermaid is yellow in dappled shade, and pale/yellow to white in full sun (I have a 7-year-old Mermaid that first shade some shade from a pine tree until the tree was taken out), but would likely crush your fence.

Another climber to consider is the noisette Lamarque. Prosperity is a good climber too, but I prefer Sombrueil to Prosperity. It's the flower form -- a Sombrueil bloom is just beautiful. A Sombrueil climber in full bloom is a sight to behold.

Thanks for all the input. I've narrowed things down to Sombreuil, Lady Hillingdon & Buff Beauty. All of which are somewhat shade tolerant (or so I've read), have a good fragrance, and fall on the yellowish side of white. I may even try all three (I have a long fence)!! I want to use the roses as a backdrop to some Purple Ruellia. I currently have a BEAUTIFUL Cl. Butterscotch on the front (short) leg of the fence.

Alicia - I know it's the wrong thread, but will you have any cuttings of Sombreuil for the swap?

Magick, yes I can take cuttings for the swap. I'll go ahead and take them now to see if they'll root.

Would a pillar rose work since you'll be fanning it out along a fence? If so, I recommend Sally Holmes. Her single blooms bud out as a pale, pale pink and then change to write. She is sprawling over about an 8 foot span in one of my beds. She's full of bloom right now, but hasn't been a prolific bloomer overall. Although,she has some bloom all the time. The foliage has looked good for me for 2 summers in my heat and humidity. Might be worth checking out. :)

I have Lamarque and can recommend that one. I don't spray and it has been very healthy here in Raleigh. It has flexible canes, grows vigorously, and it is not very thorny. The blooms have a lemony scent.

ZCat - I try not to spray (although there are SOME things I love so much that I would spray if I had to) If you have enough, and will be attending the swap, I'd love it if you'd bring some cuttings. Otherwise I will add it to my list!!

Hi everyone...Greetings from France! I just discovered your site and have been avidly reading up on several topics. This particular conversation, on the "perfect" white climbing rose is very useful.

So, here is my question for all of you: I'm looking to plant two climbing roses at the back of my house. Can somebody suggest a solid pink repeat flowering climber to go with Sombreuil? I had thought of Mme Grégoire Staechelin, if that is any help in giving you an idea of my preferences. Btw, my house dates from 1906 and I like the idea of historically accurate flowers. (Have also thought of using Rambling Rector--different from Sombreuil, I know).

Thanks everyone!

Looking for a Sombreuill, or Prosperity or other fragrant white rose (or rambler). Anyone with cuttings to trade?