Yes, I think you will too.

It's a very famous rose and has stood the test of time, and from your picture I can see why.

That looks absolutely wonderful Nik - can I ask if you plan to try and keep it to a height of 4 feet or will you let it become taller once she learns that's she's meant to be a self-supporting shrub and not a climber? Also, is she grafted or own root?

She is budded. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, it will depend on what her inclination will be. I'll try to give her a bit more trunk, maybe one or two feet more and then let her do her own thing and prune accordingly.

Good luck - I'd love to know how it goes - I've wanted Mrs. HS for a while but don't have anywhere to grow another climber, however, if I could 'borrow' your technique I would be able to finally grow her!

Tuderte, there's also a bush form which is supposed to be 'well behaved'. However I don't know if it's available in Europe. Maybe the Hooks in France have it.

Many thanks Nik, I just checked their catalogue and they only have the climbing form ... your experiment sounds even more interesting to me now :-)

This plant, however Tea like it may look, seems to be able to build up a sturdy frame, hence my attempt at making it self supporting. The single cane to be used as a 'trunk' is just a little game I wanted to play since I saw that the main canes are quickly turning woody and there was this one which was relatively upright to start with. Will see if that one 'trunk' can become thick enough quickly enough to support the plant as it will be growing. I'm sure that at some point some additional support will be required under the canopy (especially since it gets windy over here) but I hope it will still be in a large shrub rather than climber fashion. I also hope that letting it have only one basal may limit its eventual size (of course at some point this trunk may need to be exchanged with a new basal if the plant will be kind enough to produce one at that time). I will take cuttings also hoping to produce another plant intented to be grown as a proper climber.

The Berkeley Botanical Garden in Berkeley California has an Old Rose Garden with a self supporting 'Mrs. Herbert Stevens' grown as you have done with one central "trunk" like cane. It is 8 feet tall by c. 6 feet wide and breathtakingly wonderful. It is one of the few H.T.s that can mimic the size and growth habit of a true Tea. Like a Tea rose it can blossom upon very slender twigs, and is floriferous.

Lux.

Thanks Lux. I wonder is there's a pic of that plant somewhere.