Thanks, Diane! I watch videos on youtube and always find them to be helpful. And I am confident that my Climbing Pinkies that I have been working hard on training against a fence will look every bit as beautiful as the one shown in the video :) (we can always hope, anyway!) Lynn

ines, after really looking at my H curtisi, I have to take it back. It will grow as an epiphyte on the mount quite easily, BUT the leaves don't lay FLAT so I really can't call it a shingler. But it is definitely a CREEPER! The term for plants that shingle is "IMBRICATE" so I have to assume that's where Hoya imbricata gets its name. I have a friend in Ohio who does grow her plants (many different types, including mounted hoyas, mounted orchids) inside during the winter and does fine with them, even finicky South American species and stuff like Draculas and Masdevallias that require exceptionally high humidity (they are cool growing Cloud Forest species). They have a breezeway that they move plants out to in the warmer months, but you know that Ohio is pretty brutal in the winter and winter is long there relative to my brief 3.5 month foray into slightly cooler temps with only an occasional frost/freeze here. They get feet and feet of lake effect snow, slush, sleet and ice. If she can do it there for the winter, I believe ANYONE can do it. But as this very subject prompted such an arguement from the more northerly apartment dwellers and some others on the forum who insist that it "can't be done" last time it came up, you would just have to try it yourself and report your own success or failure. Its important to keep in mind that, while I have been lucky enough for the past 4 years to have a really nice greenhouse to grow in recently, for the 11-12 years BEFORE I had it, I maintained my plant collection inside in the winter. That included mounted plants as well as potted plants, including a collection of almost 400 orchids many of which were mounted or otherwise completely epiphytically grown which I managed to keep growing and thriving inside part of every year with a spray bottle full of water. It used to take a full day (8-10 hours) in winter to bring all my plants into the house and get them situated for the winter, and another full day in Spring to move them all out. So yes, I believe it is totally possible. I have a friend here in FL who lives 15 minutes away from me and has a 2000 sq ft greenhouse, but she still keeps some mounted plants and epiphytes in the house year round in her master bath, which has a large "garden window" over the tub.

Great feedback everyone. I must be totally misunderstanding the concept due to my climate. Is the idea to only defoliate/prune 30% from each section, knees, waist/chest and head height? Then leave 60% foliage and unpruned? Or is it saying to prune 30% — of the size — off the bush from each section? Or something else entirely? Question.... in “stagger pruning” if you only prune 30% from each section.... then what about the rest? I must be missing something here because I read the article and understand Peter Beales differently... ???? Let me explain a little more of my scenario (sorry for the length)... Ok here’s what I was thinking... most of my climbers that I was planning on doing this way are along a wired fence. The wires do a good job of visually separating the roses into lateral sections. I have a lot more than I hav ever had and it’s going to be a HUGE task this year. Roses don’t go dormant here, but I am planning on forcing them dormant by stripping off the leaves. They have been flowering well top to bottom this first year, but of course I want them to continue. I was thinking that if I begin at the bottom third, see what I have to work with as far as canes, then also begin defoliating, begin pruning about 30% in the other sections, making sure to leave some terminal cuts in the bottom (knee) section, some in the waist/chest section and some in the section taller than that, etc.... Then move my focus up to the middle third over the next 2 weeks, while still making sure to check my previous or make some new terminal cuts in the knee section, chest/waist section and the section taller than that ... (it will probably take me 2 weeks to get through them all anyways) Then finish by focusing on the top third, again making sure to to check ormake some more terminal cuts in the knee section, chest/waist section and the section taller than that — and untie, take them down and retie them if necessary. I like the idea of spacing it out instead of doing it all at once because if we get another crazy weather year, the wrong weather at the wrong time can ruin a whole flush. Spaced out it will be an easier task and I bet I willl still have my wired fence covered in flowers, but it will be over a few weeks instead of all at once. My understsanding of stagger pruning must be wrong... but that was the idea I had about how to tackle pruning my bazillion climbing roses. Ok... so now... thoughts from you wonderful, knowledgeable rosarians who are constantly teaching me and helping me? :-) Thank you!

A wildling such as r.helenae or wichurana or alba semi-plena or hugonis will offer heps in autumn which is always a plus. Frances E Lester has been on my radar this year.Generally healthy too. I often get the US climate a bit wrong though. I have a Darlows Enigma which is always a joy. I have a lot of other ramblers too, but after 25 years, I am not always enamoured of the mad growth (although I once misread a label for 6 feet when it was 6 metres!). The most insane fence coverer I know would be one of the Ayreshire roses such as Splendens. Not sure how available it might be in the US but blimey - these roses can cover a house in a fortnight.