Ah, that is a shame, Paul, that your really lovely rose is just not recognised for the unique treasure it is. Without being disrespectful to other hybridisers (because for sure I know how hard it is, to find a pearl amongst the swine), I think it is possible to become a victim of success. The Austin roses broke new ground, back in the 70s and 80s but have all got a bit samey. It must be hard to take risks with unusual hybrids, wild cards, experiments, specially with a business empire and a fan base to cultivate.......but sometimes, really good things come out of an insane whim and an idealistic optimism. I might be wrong but I feel there is an increasing appetite for a less complicated type of gardening, freer, looser, back to basics. I am sure a rose such as Fed.Lav 08 could gain traction. I certainly hope you do not get disheartened and fail to take the road less traveled. Ah well, I guess I could try Hans, Kim, and a bit more standing on the shoulders of giants and revive my pollinating brush (an ancient make-up brush which last saw cosmetic use around 1984)....and yep, Seil, I caved in shamefully fast - I got the practicals OK but honestly, I used any old roses including notorious rubbish.....and then got distracted with woodlands and stuff. I am used to a high attrition rate so not gnashing (imaginary) teeth.

I thought I would mention it is very very hardy . Is not bothered bye drought or flood . It will get bs and loses a few leaves but replaces them very quickly . Mostly blooms on the end of its canes in clusters . It has a light scent. And WICKED thorns . They are smallish in size but very sharp and very strong and plentiful ... it is possibly the healthiest rose in my garden ... on part with the drift roses and more resistant the my knockouts

Bonjour 'Sombreuil' Quelle merveille : a mon avis le plus beau des thés grimpant blanc : forme parfaite, parfum suave. Malheureusement il est stérile ; Malgré tous mes efforts je n'ai jamais vu ni obtenu une graine. Les fruits grossissent parfois mais ne produisent pas de graines. Les embryons avortent-ils, je ne sais pas. Il faudrait essayer la culture d'embryon mais c'est un travail de laboratoire. 'Sombreuil' ne donne pas de pollen. Dans la litterature ancienne, on trouve deux Sombreuil: le premier est un'alba' obtenu par Vibert (date inconnue) Le second le thé grimpant qui nous interesse, obtenu par ROBERT un jardinier de Vibert, en 1846 mis au commerce en 1851 Dans ce cas, 'Sombreuil', 'Mlle de Sombreuil' sont deux synonymes . Dans le journal des roses on peut lire que cette rose est dediee a Mlle de Sombreuil, l'heroine qui durant la terreur, enfermee avec son père, le comte de Sombreuil,gouverneur des invalides, sauva celui-ci de la fureur des assasins des journées de septembre en acceptant de boire un verre de sang qu'ils lui présentaient! Ceci dit, je ne resiste pas au plaisir de recopier le descriptif de la variete 'Sombreuil' decrite par Max SINGER dans son dictionnaire paru en 1885 ; "Arbuste vigoureux, rustique; fleur grande, pleine, coloris blanc légérement rosé au centre; rosier recommandé pour touffes, colonnes et pour forçage; feuillage assez large et assez fourni, bien étoffé, d'un vert plus clair que foncé" (jusque là tout va bien mais la suite pose problème "Ouvertes (les fleurs) on peut les considerer comme grandes; la quantité de pétale est restreinte; elle est donc à classee parmi les roses presque pleines: on dit sans certitude qu'elle provient d'un semis du thé 'Gigantesque' Cordialement Dominique

Jane I will start by answering your question regarding the number of lady B roses you need. 5 is definitely too many for only 100 feet of fence. I would do no more than 3 and that may be overcrowded but it will cover the fence fast. I hope someone growing her in your area can give us an idea of how big she gets there. The plants in California would get much bigger than in Atlanta and this rose is not super hardy in cooler zones for what I have read. If you do not mind once bloomers there are many beautiful ramblers with no/low thorns that would work for you. For example Veilchenblau and Paul’s Himalayan musk. If you would like a rebloomer, there are several nice climbing roses that would cover your fence and rebloom well in your area. The biggest issue is disease resistance to blackspot. Bathsheba by David austin is gorgeous with yellow/apricot large blooms and it would rebloom all summer and fall in Atlanta. Excellent disease resistance no spray which is extremely rare in your area. Has some normal amount of thorns and unless your children just go and rub against the plant it shouldn’t be a huge issue. Raspberry Cream Twirl is another rose I grow that would rebloom on an off until frost with almost zero thorns and good disease resistance (not as good as Bathsheba). I would plant whatever clematis you choose at the same time as the rose because clematis take a long long while to actually grow and give you a good display. Type 3 clematis are the easiest to grow and easier to maintain around a climbing rose that needs to be pruned and trained. Brushwood nursery is in Athens, GA and they offer a large selection of very large 1 gallon plants you could try.