Jo -- Have you considered Sombreuil, Cl.? It's got wonderful foliage, beautiful blooms, a fragrance similar to that of Mel's Heritage, and it repeats wonderfully. Ours was planted in 1987. It's gone through a couple of bad years, but is coming on strong again, and I am remembering why I have always loved it.

Jeri - thanks for the suggestion. I like what I am reading and seeing on HMF.

I must have missed seeing Sombreuil in bloom each time I visited the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden!

Jo

Purezza would work, except I'm not sure about cool summers. We don't have cool summers at all here! He's a repeat-bloomer but not anywhere near continuous.

I do know that (my) Renae wouldn't work. Maybe in full-full sun and cool temps, but not both, I don't think. I have to put mine in a lot of sun to avoid disease and improve vigor.

Pink Mermaid would be lovely and blooms/puts on growth while it's still quite cool here, but she is pretty much a once bloomer. She's really gorgeous, though.

Those are my favorites for that airy look with very tall climbers. My Sombreuil isn't big enough for me to know his growth habit yet, but I can vouch for the flowers myself, and they are wonderful!

Meredith - thanks! There's a comment from Kim that Purezza requires heat to flower.

Pink Mermaid. How absolutely lovely. I hadn't heard about her before. Is she as thorny as Mermaid is?

Jo

Just curious - why does it need to be grafted? I have a spare Crepuscule (own root) that I could pass along if needed. I'm not discarding it since Crepuscule is one of my favorite roses, but I would be willing to share with a friend in need. It likes as much sun as it can get, but afternoon sun ought to do.

Also, no need to feel guilty about climbers in drought. If anything, they are more drought tolerant than other roses once established. The roots go down deep and they can get by with being watered maybe once every three weeks or so.

Paula, no it doesn't need to be grafted. It's just that bands and own-roots less than a gallon in size can really struggle here due to the lack of summer heat.

I have cleared up some space a few feet from where Mel's Heritage was planted. This spot gets far more sunlight as it isn't shadowed by the house, and should be ideal for a rose.

Thank you for your generous offer of Crepuscule (a rose that has been on my wish-list for a very long time) and for your comments about the drought and climbers (which makes sense). I will message you through Houzz.

Jo

I just wanted to say Hi Jo because i wasn't at the Celebration this year and I always like to see you there. That sounds like a great idea to plant Paula's Crepuscule. I was tempted to tell you to try a new Mel's Heritage since it is such a great rose. I think sometimes a rose will get bacteria in its canes and just go down. It's happened in my garden a few times. I lost a Crepuscule that way!