Congratulations on your purchase. Now the patience game starts.
As for clematis, you're better off asking on theClematis Forum.

If you plant Multi-blue, it's flowering will overlap WB. It will flower also in September.

I grow Multiblue with Quadra. Multiblue (group II) starts flowering at the end of May, and Quadra at the 11th of June. They overlap.
It flowers with single petals in September again, if I don't prune it. Multiblue is around 8' tall and 2' wide.

However, over time, it is possible that Quadra overwhelms Multiblue. From what I've read William Baffin will do the same. So they must be planted judiciously.

It all depends, if you want the wow factor in June (Roses and Clematis) and then sporadic flowering for the rest of the season or a more or less continuous flowering, for June, July August and September....

I wouldn't worry too much about disbudding William Baffin unless you think it doesn't look like it's putting on growth as a bush. You really don't have to worry about winter hardiness in that one, and that's the main reason for emphasizing root growth so much in our zone, to prepare for winter survival.

Multiblue is a nice clematis, but it's mostly an early summer bloomer. I actually have that one blooming with my Quadra, and it makes an occasional statement, but not the "wow" factor that others might have. Other true purple clematis like Jackmanii or white ones like Arctic Queen tend to bloom longer in the season if that's what you want.

Basically, you can't go wrong, as long as there's enough dirt at the base to support both the clematis and the rose. You don't want them competing for nutrients, and in our zone the clematis will set out some substantial real estate in the ground when it's happy.

Have fun, and we want to see pictures when they get well established!

Cynthia

Thanks for the info, Cynthia! Willie is putting out some nice new canes already - six, to be exact - and I'm wondering what exactly I got myself into, lol! Monster is right! ;) His first blooms also opened today.

The Ramblin' Red is doing well, too, but I'm a little torn with the color of her blooms & thinking Quadra would be a better color for where I have RR. Something for me to think about closer to colder weather, though...

Here's another picture of Willie's new growth & the six new canes he's throwing out. This being my first rose, I'm a little shocked at the amount of canes he's producing! Finding a permanent location for him with lots of room to grow is first on my agenda for this fall! I'm a bit scared as to what he's going to do when planted in ground & has more room to spread his roots!

Wonderful, Nicole! We'd kill for that kind of basal growth on most of our roses, so Willie clearly must like you and your care. I think the Ramblin' Red will look fine against your brick, as you have more tan in your coloring and the "hot" colors will pop nicely against it. But as always, suit yourself. Do remember that a first bloom of a rose isn't always like its permanent blooms, and the heat and other weather conditions can change the coloring of a rose bloom.

Cynthia

Thank you, Cynthia! I'm still amazed at the amount of growth & vigor of WB! Red has a couple emerging basal growth, too! Red is up against my garage & his color does pop nicely against the light brown, so I think I'll keep him there but add Quadra on the other side. I'd love to put a couple on the west side, but no morning sun & hot afternoon sun, so I'm not quite sure about that. Know any roses off the top of your head that will thrive in those conditions, for zone 5 & colder? ;)

Aw, gee - a chance to further enable a rose gardener? Twist my arm!! There are plenty of great choices in a wider variety of colors. All of these below are tip hardy for me in zone 5, so they should at least have a good chance of being cane hardy a little cooler.
My favorites are Nahema and Collette - fluffy profuse blooms and trouble-free foliage.
Nahema blooms in pink

Collette is a lovely apricot- pink blend

Harlekin is a tough Kordes climber that isn't as profuse, but it's a nice white with a deep pink picotee edge. When it's hot, it gets mostly hot pink like these blooms

Antique 89 is another Kordes climber that's a bit fuller flower - again it's sometimes picotee but has more of an overall pink cast in the heat here.

I have been particularly impressed with Lunar Mist the older it gets, and it's pretty much a continual bloomer for me in zone 5, fading a bit to cream as the blooms age but not too bad.

Madame Carolyn Testout is an older climber with thick canes that occasionally needs pruning back but regrows well and blooms off and on

Reine des Violettes is another old garden rose that's tough and will rebloom if you get the correct specimen of it (mine is an imposter that's lovely, but a once-bloomer). It has a definite purple cast to the blooms and peppery smell to the foliage.

Rosarium Uetersen is a lovely coral-pink that would look nice against your brick. Mine isn't a terrific rebloomer, but the first bloom flush is pretty nice, and the flowers are quite full.

Here is a nice shot of several climbers from a particularly good year. The darker pink at the upper left is Laguna (another Kordes) and the lighter pink at the top is Madame Bovary (Delbard), both of which should do well in your zone. The lighter pink at the bottom is Compassion which might be a bit tender for your zone (mine might be dead this year). The white small blooms are Cornelia, a hybrid musk that isn't technically a climber but a bit free-standing bush. The same goes for the yellow (Elina - a HT) and the pink at far R (Bonica - a terrific hardy shrub).

if you want to stay with the Explorers, there are Alexander Mackenzie and John Cabot, both in very similar growth habits and colors. Obviously they're tremendously hardy, and they rebloom a little for me.

John Cabot

Here's Alexander Mackenzie, with John Cabot blooms fading off to the left of the photo. Hmm, Houzz seems to have hit its limit so I'll post that last photo on another reply.

Cynthia

Here's the last photo of Alex with John in the background

Hope this is enough to entice you to try more climbers! I'm sure I can dig up some more options if you have a particular color scheme in mind.

Cynthia

Hahaha, hate to twist your arm, Cynthia!

Oh my, I do believe I have fallen in love with Nahema! All of your roses are gorgeous; thank you so much for the help!

I'll start promptly finding more info on the roses you suggested, at least the ones I'm not familiar with, but I do know I MUST have Nahema!

Thank you!

Good choice, Nicole. I got mine from Rogue Valley, and I think Roses Unlimited also sells Nahema. It does very well on own root, which is nice for our zones in case it does die to the ground.
Cynthia

Wow, William Baffin was my first rose too! This is when he was a few years old.

Asfar as clematis goes, I would rather plant one with WB that flowers after he does, since he blooms once. If you like purple clematis, the one below is great, blooms for a long time and gets very large. I forget the name right now but I can find it later.

What you want are roses that are hardy to the tips, if they die back each year they'll never get very high. Hardy just means the plant will survive, even if the canes die back to the ground every year.

This is Lillian Gibson

This is hardy to zone 3, I'm in Boston and have never had any dieback on it.

I have had Collette and have Rosarium and the canes do die back in Boston.

You could also try some of the Albas, they are extremely hardy.

Lillian Gibson is a once bloomer with beautiful red canes in the winter.

I second Albas. They flower once though and they smell divine.
I can vouch for Alba Semi-plena. Though I'm warning you it can become big.
It's a beautiful rose, with blue grey leaves and semi-double flowers. Mine, is grafted and is now 3 years old. It flowered on its 2nd year and it sets a lot of hips...
The flowering period is short, 2 weeks. It is around 7' now. It might or might not smell at close quarters but it has the propensity to waft. Mine grows with 3 hrs of sun from Mid- May to August.
I saw also a big specimen of Chloris in zone 4. It is thornless and very fragrant (wafts) but it balls in wet weather.

John Davis is also an excellent choice. It is site to behold when in full flush. There are more blooms, that you can count. It is nearly thornless, no tip damage. It is very shade tolerant. Mine grows with 3.5-4 hrs of sun. I have never had a 2nd flush, some say it would with maturity or very fertile soil. Mine is 8 years old. If I were to criticize it, it wold be it's lack of fragrance, and the flower form is not very elegant. But I won't remove it from the garden... ( flowering time 3-4 weeks)

You can also check Rugousa. Very hardy and thorny, some are very fragrant, they have a decent 2nd flush and they are shade tolerant.

Finally there are species roses, many are shade tolerant and they have the bonus of hips in the fall. I have Rosa glauca, with blue leaves and reddish stems. Very dramatic plant, especially if you prune it as a fountain shaped shrub.....


Good Luck!

My goodness, Altorama & true_blue, great suggestions as well! I've entered "cold hardy climbing roses zone 4" into Google more times than I care to remember & 98% of these varieties I've never come across!

Altorama, your Lillian Gibson is a beauty!

II can't wait to dig in & find out more about these guys ;) Thank you!

True Blue I love species roses too. I have r. Glauca growing next to Blush Hip, love the contrasting foliage.

I regularly check Corn Hill, a Canadian nursery. They have a very interesting collection.

Gallicas need more sun.

I believe Scotch roses ( pimpinellifolia/Spinosissima) are shade tolerant too, but double check that.

If you want I can post you a list I've compiled of the "supposed" longest flowering clematis.

I'd love a list regarding clematis, True Blue! And thanks for the link - I'll check it out now! :)

Most Welcome.
Note this is a list I compiled from the clematis forum. Not my experience, so take it with a grain of salt.
The most floriferous clematis in my experience is a herbaceous/ non-clinging clematis named Arabella. It flowers from June to September.
Many things affect flowering, age (4 years), sun or lack of, water, soil etc.
The colors listed are approximate.
The roman numerals, pertain to the pruning group.
Check for the details here:
http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemlistsearch.cfm

1. Clematis Blue Angel - Large Pale blue flowers III
2. Betty Corning - Nodding – scented Lavender III
3. Mrs Cholmondeley - Lavender II
4. Viola - Purple
   (violet blue) III
5. Wisley - Purple (violet blue) III
6. X diversifolia Olgae - Scented, nodding purple – Non
   clinging – Herbaceous
7. Daniel Deronda - Purple (violet blue) II
8. Emilia Plater - Lavender with darker burgundy veins
   III
9. Harlow Carr - Purple (violet blue) III
10. Juuli - Rosy
    purple - Herbaceous
11. Polish Spirit - Purple
    III
12. Perle d’Azur - Lavender
    - III
13. Prince Charles - Lavender
    III
14. Rouguchi - Herbaceous
    – nodding – blue purple
15. Venosa Violacea - Pink, white
    stripes III
16. Warsaw Nike - Burgundy III
17. Joe Zary - Purple - Hardy to zone 2 - I

Awesome, I appreciate the time & effort you took to compile that list & it's extremely helpful, true blue!

Also, this is William's first flush & I couldn't be happier with color, form, etc, etc! I'm so glad I went with WB for my first rose because it's given me the confidence I needed (thanks to everyone here!) & realize roses are plants, too! ;) AND, I haven't had a hobby I've enjoyed as much as this for quite some time. It's rewarding & will only get better with time.

This is Purpurea Plena Elegans.

Oops forgot one, Etoile Violette

Altorama, love the color of your "Polish spirit". Are you sure of the color? It doesn't seem right....

OK guys, I have a really stupid question but can't seem to find the answer anywhere & Altorama mentioned it: the laterals that flower for its first flush, do those need to be tied onto the trellis & will those flower again if previous blooms are dead headed & cut down to a leaf node or 3rd/4th set of leaves (from originating cane)? Not sure where the following blooms will come from - other than new wood - & don't know if I need to cut the lats back or tie them into the trellis.

Thanks in advance!

I don't tie my laterals, I tie the main shoots at an angle. When the laterals grow from the main shoot I usually cut them back to two or three leaf nodes. If I have a repeat bloomer it will repeat after I deadhead. It's really your choice on how long you let the laterals grow. Sometimes I'm lazy and don't touch the laterals, I just cut off the spent blooms and everything is fine.

Great, thank you!

Some of the laterals are getting a bit long for my liking but I didn't know if I'd be inadvertantly cutting of flowering parts, plus the trellis they're tied to now is getting a little crowded so I didn't want to have to tie the lats in. I am in the process of making a diy trellis - simple wood frame with chicken wire. It's 4'×4' & 2' will be underground, that way I don't have to secure it to the brick & will have some space behind for air flow. Hopefully the chicken wire will be sturdy enough!

What rose will be attached to it? I usually use rebar wire and replace it as needed.

Altorama, William Baffin will be climbing on it. I'm really afraid it won't be sturdy enough, but I'll have a vertical support (another 1" ×2") in the middle at 2'. I'll also add frames as needed, so it'll be in sections, making it easier to replace if needed.

Also, I found a leaflet with what might be spider mite damage & eggs on Ramblin' Red, but the white eggs don't look like what I've seen online, plus this is my first incident of them. Suggestions on what to do or insecticidal soap recipes, etc is greatly appreciated!

First pic below is upper side of leaf & second is underside with eggs attached:

I had him on a wooden trellis and as the canes got older and stronger the Rose became the trellis haha.

I'm not sure what pest that is, the burnt shoots could be from thrips. I'm really not good at identifying pests, if I were you I'd post a new thread and include those pictures. There's other people who probably know much more than I do. They can also tell you what to use to kill them.

Good idea, thank you!

You're welcome.

Ratdogshead, what did you use to secure the trellis to the wall that purple splash is climbing on? The trellis I made for WB is secured underground & I tell you what, that was a chore in itself to hand-dig the holes for it! Too close to the house for a post hold digger :( The next section of trellis I'll either use rebar to pound in ground or attach directly to wall like yours. I'm tempted to use eye hooks & wire, but I'm afraid that won't leave enough clearance in back for good air circulation...

Cynthia, how long do the blooms on Nahema & Colette last & are they good climbers for you? I'm absolutely in love with A Shropshire Lad but am doubtful that he'll be a real climber for me. I want a light color like ASL & Nahema & Colette are close. I'm also enamored with Cl Eden but again, I don't think it'll get more than a large shrub for me.

Lillian Gibson sure is pretty, too. I like the tomboyish blooms like WB & LG is similar. Shoot, I like the very double, high petal roses as much as the singles ;)

Nicole, I have my Nahema and Colette both stretched horizontally along a 6' black metal fence in part shade. Both of them stretch to about 8 feet in June, getting longer in the fall, but they're only about 3 years old. Nahema was going into a 4th year but for some reason didn't come back from this winter, after surviving much worse ones. It's definitely hardy for me - just sometimes things affect the roses out of the blue. I've lost some Easy Elegance roses this year too for no particular reason, and those were resolutely hardy as well. I also have the regular Eden (Pierre de Ronsard) and it stretches to about 8' straight up, since it's not in as good a position to tie horizontally. It has surprisingly survived our winters fine, but it dies to the ground and seems to want to bloom on old wood. I wouldn't probably do that one in a zone any colder than mine.

Face it - you can't go wrong with any of these, so you clearly need them all (smile).

Cynthia

You're so right, Cynthia; I think I definitely need them all. What a shame. ;)

FWIW I saw a Climbing Eden in Montreal Botanical Garden in zone 4. It was grown in a wrought iron obelisk, approx. 5' tall, in early June. A truly lovely rose, with one default lack of fragrance....
From what I gathered they protect them in winter by rolling the canes in some sort of a box.
Cynthia, do Eden and Nahema resemble somewhat?

Trueblue- they're pretty similar bloom shapes, with those lovely fat petal-filled blooms. For me, Nahema is much more reliably pink, a crayola crayon "pink carnation" pink. Some people have an Eden with that color pink centers that fade to white on the edges, hence the excitement over this climber. Mine is at best a blush pink - maybe it's our heat - so it's more like white than Nahema. I'd say Nahema is the more flexible grower, since my Eden has stiff canes, and it definitely bounces back better from being pruned to the ground after the winters. Eden will regrow long canes but frequently doesn't bloom in a season after that severe a winter kill.

Cynthia

Hmm, interesting how Montreal Botanical Gardens winter protect Eden - curious to know what they use. And you said they have it growing INSIDE an obelisk? I've seen that done but I always thought plantings looked better outside, although most I've seen weren't in full bloom covering obelisk. I've got my new-this-year Niobe clem climbing an obelisk I made out of upturned tomatoe cage wrapped in chicken wire, lol! All my trellises were in use & when I was searching garage I saw the tomato cages...

Good info on Eden/Nahema; thank you Cynthia. Like you said before, the best way to find out is buy them ALL & see what works, ha ha! ;)

Btw, I'm guessing the microclimate on the south & west side of my house & garage is a six in the summer. Sadly, 4/5 in winter :(

Thanks Cynthia, very helpful.
Nicole the structure was like this.

Apparently they roll the canes at the base of the obelisk. Then mound it with mulch or put some sort of box on top of it.

However, Cynthia said that Eden's canes are quite rigid. So, I don't know how they achieved that....

I've read that on multiple articles online about Eden's canes being stiff as well, which is one of the reasons I didn't think it would work well for me. I had a tough time positioning Ramblin' Red's canes that were established (obviously) & even the new canes this season are definitely not as flexible as WB. I only have those two to compare, so I can't say much on flexibility, though.

True_blue, Eden is planted inside the obelisk & the canes are wrapped around it, like a pillar rose on a post, correct?

Nicole, Eden something like this photo

but with a less exuberant growth. More lie a rose in a cage.

If memory serves me right the obelisk was somewhat 2' in diameter and 6 feet high.

The growth was somewhat 4'

How it's more clear :-)

Eden has stiff canes similar to William Baffin, the best I could do was train it at a 45 degree angle , I think it was too stiff to do anything else with. Darlows Enigma is a hardy shrub/climber for me, hardy to the tips. Starts blooming for me around this time with dark red new foliage. Repeat bloomer, sets hips for winter interest, very fragrant but probably the worst thorns ever. The blooms are single and white.

Another very hardy climber for me is Seafoam, this rose will do whatever you want it too do. Starts blooming around now and goes well into the fall,no fragrance but that's OK because it has exceptionally healthy,dark foliage. The blooms are white, a little pink in thefall.

I have another hardy rambler called Ghislaine de Feligonde. This reblooms for me, if I deadhead. Some people on the forum says theirs repeats and others say theirs doesn't. This thing is a MONSTER for me, and hardy to the tips even after this last winter. Blooms are yellowish to pink, very pretty.

As far as structures go, they are always iffy for me. Eventually the older, thicker canes of the rose are what I tie the new shoots to.

For additional color for my once bloomers I either plant clematis, liatris,daises or any tall perennial.

Oh I also have Veilchenblau, it has always been hardy to the tips. Young canes are easy to train if you get there soon enough. Once bloomer, but when it blooms there are so many you can't even see the foliage. Orange hips in the fall, leaves turn a nice yellow than as well. Semi double blooms, every shade of purple, will get as large as you let it. It's practically thornless.

Honestly winter protection is a gamble for me, some people bury the canes in the winter, I did this once and the rose got canker. It's just too much trouble. If I had a rose I loved with questionable hardiness, I would plant it close to the house where it would not be subject to northern winds.

Ooh, Altorama, thank you for all this great info! I guess I wasn't paying attention to my email notifications ;)

I was checking out my William the other day & noticed this:

Nicole - it's called a basal break and it means that your rose is putting out new primary canes from its roots. Since it's own root, this will be yet more of Billy to love. It also means it's happy with you as a "rose mommy" (smile).

Cynthia

Oh my, Cynthia, I am SO happy to hear that! When first discovered, I was a little hesitant to be excited, then realized, "hey, this is own root so it CAN'T be a sucker!" Although, it does make me a little leery of just how big this beast is going to get, as if I have had to see for myself & not take everyone's word on how Billy can be a beast, lol ;)

I just read a thread where someone was arguing semantics, saying that "true basal breaks" just aren't possible on a grafted roses & even on an own root, if it doesn't come from the top or the side of the crown, "basal break" isn't the correct term to use. Quite an interesting thread & I actually learned a lot ;)

Thank you, Cynthia; I've said it before & I'll say it again: I'm so happy WB is my first rose because it's given me the confidence & shown me that I CAN grow roses & they are quite fun!

Hmm, that's good to know about the semantics, Nicole. I always call these basal breaks, but there may be another term. Suffice to say it's a new cane that will support more new growth and things will branch out from here. And yes, William will get big, but you're ready for it. You picked a good one to start with and you're well on your way to more happy rose times.

Cynthia

There is no true definition of basal break, even by the ARS - that's somewhat of a quote from that thread, not exact, but you get the idea! Serious stuff, Cynthia. Serious stuff, lol! ;)