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Rose for a difficult position

21 years ago

Can anyone suggest a rose with a sufficiently lax habit to trail down a wall without extending too far and snatching at passers-by? Might as well go ahead and ask the impossible - thornless or few thorns would be good; and able to cope with only 4-5 hours sun. Don't throw up your hands and suggest a rain forest creeper; I can give it a bit more sun if I site it to one side. Suggest anything at all that's lax.

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Comments (6)

plaur
21 years ago
Sweet Chariot is a cascading rose but I don't know if she matches your other requirements,I have her on order.Perhaps one of the roses used for weeping standards would be suitable.
Pam.
Daniel_Hanna
21 years ago
Zephirine Drouhin is both thornless and shade tolerant. I'm not sure how lax it is, but it's often recommended for walls and fences where passers by need to be allowed for.
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Woodlands
21 years ago
Renae? Lamarque? Both have lax canes and are near thornless.

Hazel.
Snodge
21 years ago
Hmmm, I have a baby Lamarque, and like Clbg Pinkie the thornless or almost thornless descriptions often given leave me completely puzzled...my lamarque has plenty of thorns, yet in other respects looks to be the genuine article...acquired from a specialist nursery.
meryl2
Original Author
21 years ago
I already have a by-now (three years down the track) pretty large Lamarque and, while it's not as thorny as Jaune Deprez, it certainly has a fair few thorns, Snodge.
Renae and Zepherine sound well worth investigating.
I have Sweet Chariot, which I planted to cascade over a wall elsewhere. It's only been in one season, so it remains to be seen whether it will cascade. One word of warning, Pam - maybe you should try to buy it potted, in flower, so you can smell it first. I bought mine because people spoke of wonderful perfume, but the one I got has rather ho-hum scent, not all that strong. It's not just my nose - I've asked a number of people to smell it and rate the perfume 1 to 10 and no one has awarded better than 7.
plaur
21 years ago
Thanks Meryl.Picked it mainly for the colour and growth habit.If it doesn't get rampant BS,I'll be grateful for any second or third rate fragrance.
Mistydowns have Heidikonigen(Pheasant)Kordes 1986,'prostrate and spreading growth,small deep pink dble. flowers',rpts well AND fragrance!
Ph.0353456575.
Hope you find something,
Pam.

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