Remember, y'all, when the query is from Southern California, many of the spring-blooming ramblers may not bloom much (if at all) and New Dawn will mildew miserably. Also, I've never seen Clothilde Soupert open here. Spray Cecile Brunner is a big Shrub here -- I've never seen it used as a climber. But if it DOES, it certainly would be a more restrained substitute for Cl. Cecile Brunner. Jeri

I think this is a very tough issue. We chose to live on conservation b/c of the wildlife that we might see. We have lived in our home for over 4 years and I've never seen a 'coon or 'possum in our yard. We did have an armadillo issue for which we hired a trapper to catch and relocate to his acreage (he said that's what he would do and I hope he did). Other then that, I have never had a problem with any animal eating/stealing/destroying anything I have grown. I have a 40-mile roundtrip commute to my office each day. Every day, I see so many poor animals that have been run over. At the rate I am seeing roadkill, I truly question that there are more of them than there are of us. Look at the amount of habitat loss! I also blame some, certainly not all, of the animals that get hit on people not paying attention to the road and/or speeding. One of the main roads leading to where we live is a very dark, narrow, 2-lane road. Because I have seen deer, rabbits, 'coons, etc., I know to drive as slow as I can and pay extra attention to my surroundings. But that is my soapbox for another thread. Personally, I cannot justify killing these animals, unless like Nicki said, it's for food or the animal is suffering. Call me a bleeding heart, but I personally do not think it is right to kill or harm these animals because they eat our veggies. Like Marcia and others have said, my philosophy in my yard is to live and let live. I have enough space and grow enough stuff to be able to share with the wildlife that live around me.

Although HMF notes GT as very disease resistant, a grafted potted GT planted here in central Virginia suffered repeated bouts of blackspot in this no spray garden & died off after several years. Perhaps I just got a bum specimen, but I've not been tempted to replace it after that experience, having read some reports on the Roses Forums that it blackspots in some gardens despite spraying. You may want to ask specifically about other gardeners' results with GT in hot & humid conditions. Golden Celebration, another golden yellow Austin, has grown happily here for 8 years. Also bought grafted & potted, it didn't begin to throw climbing canes till its second year. It blooms profusely & nearly continuously (new buds swelling as others are blooming) in large sprays off many laterals, offers solid perfume, and sets hips if not deadheaded in the Fall. This one's held upright within an obelisk & arches through the crossbars, but believe it could easily be trained along a fence. Without pruning, its canes are now 8'+ in arching length & would be longer trained horizontally. Very little & ocassional blackspot problems, confined to lower leaves that I just strip off when it occurs & it quickly replaces them with clean fresh ones. Mine is planted where it gets good air circulation, the branches don't much intermingle with other roses & the support is metal. Interlaced along a wooden fence for dense coverage, it might be more apt to spot, or not. Ask for others' reports if you're drawn to this one. You might consider Kordes' Golden Gate (KORgolgat) for your fence. At a distance, very similar effect as Graham Thomas. On my radar for several years, found two grafted 3-gallons last Spring & brought them home for tryout. Intended for either side of an existing arch in a long hedge, needed to shift the plants next to the arch prior to planting, so repotted them into 15-gallons & kept them where I could observe them closely in the meantime. (Hot Summer. Still in pots. First on my to-do list when we get a mild spell that's not wet. Likely better for the hedge plants & roses to accomplish when both are dormant, and certainly easier on me.) Golden Gate arrived in bud & bloom at 5', put on another 3' before cold set in & still holds a good amount of green leaves at the beginning of February. It bloomed in rapid repeat with snap-deadheading deep into Autumn, each round of blooms fuller & more numerous as it grew, increasing also in the perfume punch that won the Prix de Parfum Paris in '08. No disease at all, reflecting the ADR awarded in '06. Blooms held fresh a good while before dropping their petals cleanly (except in heavy rain when wet petals didn't shed till they dried again), flowers were unmarred by rain, didn't ball in the wet and were produced in both heat & cool. Given no support, the canes arched as they gained height & laterals sprouted & bloomed. Only a preliminary report after 9 months not yet in the ground, but Golden Gate certainly looks promising. Searching its registration name of KORgolgat turns up reports from Europe where it's been available longer than the US. I'm betting it will reach 10-12' or higher, and trusting the 3-4' width grown upright against a support. Some sources include it for fences, as well as arbors, trellises & pergolas. In the link below, the height/width is backwards. Included because it links to Palantine & Newflora, give the Newflora site a minute to cycle through the three photos, or click the dots under the main photo to see each one. Here is a link that might be useful: Golden Gate

Aloha is my desert isle, if-only-one rose. Generous nearly continuous bloom from early to late on a sturdy yet flexible framework with impeccable health here in blackspot country no spray. Sumptuous large quartered flowers with subtle undertones show that lit from within quality, pack a rich delicious fragrance of damask & fruit (not apple as HMF states), last two weeks in the garden or cut, unfurl slowly & drop their petals cleanly. A mature Aloha here, grown from a gallon ownroot, reaches 14' high. (ARE's height of 6-8' describes its form grown as a freestanding shrub & they list it with large shrubs in their print catalog.) Blooms are routinely 5" & larger in Autumn. Bloom is also very full all over the plant, which is literally studded with blooms. Grown in an ESE location, mine receives morning sun till 1 pm then dappled shade through much of the Summer, but as the Sun's arc shifts in Autumn, enjoys less than 4 hours of direct sun. Last blooms just finished & the display was only slightly less full than earlier in the season. Big fat hips form decoration through the cold months. Deadheading through the bloom season is optional as bloom continues regardless, very nice quality for the high growth. Thorns are well spaced along the branches, so find it easy to work with. Cane hardy to the tips down to -4F. (Lowest temp for the 18 years we've lived here.) Do order this one, and later its sport, Dixieland Linda aka Lady Ashe. Others on your list landed here only this year & received my usual routine of pinching all but one bud each as first year own roots. Can merely report their foliage is clean so far no spray & they've grown enthusiastically. Like you, researched for health no spray, bloom, fragrance & suitability for my conditions. Found them likely candidates to give a go. Another new pair of Alohas, Climbing Caroline Testout, Climbing Crimson Glory, Felicia, Parade & Pinkie Climbing from your list growing on in pots. Still debating Blossomtime & others ARE offers for order today while free shipping applies. Pairs of Cl. Crimson Glory & Westerland arrived from ARE this Fall & the shipping for 4 was $34 - almost enough for 2 more roses during their free ship sale. They send hefty plants with great root systems in specially designed protective packaging that's easily opened. Best buy in my book for older more developed own root roses at prices comparable to bands & gallons. Shipping for 4 broke down to $8.50 per rose via FedEx. A pair of 2-gallon Parades arrived mid October from K & M during their sale. Wanted to try that one for years, but put off by the color description as "rather harsh" by UK authors. Finally went ahead to see for myself, since the quality of light here on the 38th latitude softens the intensity of some saturated hues. Allowed a bud to develop on Parade & found the color very appealing & jewel toned. About to be nipped by a hard frost, cut it with a short stem to keep at my desk. Really too early to cut, it still managed to partially open & the fragrance was satisfyingly promising. Great luck with your choices! Sue