We are in a notoriously cool, coastal climate. Our south-facing 12-ft-tall retaining wall seemed like a great place to espalier various roses in just that manner. In fact, what happened was that heat reflected off the wall and burned any stretch of bare cane. We mitigated the problem to some extent by placing big latticework panels between the plants and the wall, with a gap for air circulation. Even so, roses that hold a lot of foliage, providing their own shade, fare best in that rather brutal location. Another thing. You might want to check to see how wide and how deep are the footing for your wall. And, if the footing is concrete, consider if there might be any problems with the concrete being there. Jeri

Secret Garden Musk Climber is a lovely rose. Here. If high blackspot pressure is common in your area, it could be troubled by that. Moreover, it is a BIG plant. We have a pair of them over an arbor, with a trellis on either side, like wings, and the rose covers all of that. Moreover, it is quite prickly. So I'm thinking that confining it to a trellis against a wall might be a really bloody, continuing battle. Take a look, also, at the images of MATURE plants of Phyllis Bide, on HelpMeFind. I would only try that if there was somewhere for it to go, after it topped the trellising, and if you had lots of room to walk by it. Sally Holmes might be easier to work with in that situation, and it can handle some pruning. Though, it, too, can become quite large, if allowed to do so. Sombreuil can probably do it, but note that your greatest volume of bloom will come from HORIZONTAL canes -- and that it, too, is very, VERY prickly. VERY! See, below, Sally Holmes (L) and SGMC (R) Jeri

If you like damask scent arizsun, you might like to try something I bought at Target, Botanic's Rosewater Toning Spritz, 100% Organic. It was developed with plant extracts from Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. It smells heavenly!!! Very strong damask fragrance. Ingredients: Aqua (water), Alcohol denat, Glycerin, Rosa damascena flower oil, Citronellol. I grow both Rose de Rescht and Pickering Four Seasons. Both have wonderful scent, but both are also smallish plants and don't climb. RdR has the better rebloom. I have a magnificent damask with a powerful fragrance called York and Lancaster which I've grown for over 20 years in partial shade (bottom of plant in full shade, top of plant in full sun most of the day). It is now up on my roof but would only be able to climb with lots of support (wants to be floppy). However there is zero rebloom. You might want to try Portland from Glendora. Wonderful, strong scent. This rose has fairly good rebloom and is quite willing to climb. If you want a headstart in getting it to a large size, I would suggest buying from Antique Rose Emporium in Texas. The shipping can be expensive but that is because they send out such big plants. One of my favorite vendors. Comtesse O'Gorman is a hybrid perpetual that has a heavy, dreamy scent and climbing tendencies. I don't think it is in commerce at present unfortunately. It is red though, not pink. Cl. Chrysler Imperial is another worth considering, if you can find it. It's a climbing hybrid tea with powerful fragrance and a liking for heat. Very good rebloom. I had 2 that perished in a wildfire in 2003. I have been unable to find replacements. :( Another suggestion that you can look up on HelpMeFind is Yolande d'Aragon (I've seen it grow much taller than HMF indicates), Or check out the damask/portland roses at Greenmantle Nursery and give Marissa a call there. She is very knowledgeable. Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: Damask and Portland Roses at Greenmantle

I planted Wollerton Old Hall to partially climb up the side of my house. It gets about 4.5 hours of sun. The flowers are just gorgeous. Really. But it does get some black spot and does not seem terribly vigorous. Not sure it would cover your wall. It is about 5' tall in it's second year but kind of leggy. I'm still figuring out best feeding / watering schedule. Not a heavy bloomer (maybe needs more sun) but the consistent blooms I get seem to glow from the inside. I really love this rose so am willing to fuss with it. I'm only using organic spray so it's trial and error.