I tried many, many "shade tolerant" roses on the north side of my house. I get full sun for 6 months and shade for 6 months when the sun angle changes with the season, (my house interferes with receiving any direct sun at that time). There are no trees on this side of the house. I have never found a rose that remained happy or healthy in that situation. I don't think you should waste your money putting a rose there. Plant something that is pretty, and that will enjoy that spot. I have camellias planted now that are extremely happy, and look nice all the time. I am sure there are some native bushes, or some other types of plants that would love to be on the north side of your house. Then, if you have the room, plant some roses out in front of those, maybe with a little path in between, if there is some full sun there. The combination can be quite striking. Sandy

I am into old garden roses as are all my Finnish rosarian friends so few of us grow many, or any, red roses! I grow a few myself, Alain and Flammentanz that both came with the house, the bourbon Gruss an Teplitz and Futtaker Schlingrose a Geschwind multiflora which is probably my brightest red rose. The rest are all pink, pink, pink, old rose, white and lately, apricot and yellow. I also have some of the dark maroon and purple old roses like Tuscany and Nuits de Young as do most of my friends. More spinossissimas grow in Finland than anywhere else in the world and they are all pink or white and occasionally, yellow. So I don't agree with you!

How cool, Mad - thanks for that link! I knew the eclipse would be total here in Nebraska and we were planning to drive to the western part of the state, but it turns out it'll be complete here as well and after school hours no less (starting 4:30 pm). We were going to pull the kids out of school for this but won't have to. Watch for it - August 21, 2017! And yes, that was a rose detour. On the original topic, I have about 50 roses on the north side of my house plus maybe twice that many in part shade in various locations. It's trial and error to see which roses can do well in those conditions, and you'll want to make sure the rose you pick is at least a zone hardier than your actual zone, since I've found the north and east sides of my house are zone 4 pockets where normal zone 5 roses won't survive. That cuts out Penny Lane, since it won't survive my normal zone 5 winters, and makes Madame Alfred Carriere a bit iffy. Mine survives just fine, but it only blooms on surviving cane and that only happens sometimes (and I have mine in a zone 6 pocket of my yard to boot). Furthermore, I only get one bloom cycle from in in the years that it has bloomed, and I've heard the same from some other northern gardeners. In its 7 years, it has probably only bloomed in two of those years. Several of the hybrid musks would do well in that location - even though they're only rated to zone 6 officially the following hybrid musks in cream colors survive fine for me in a normal zone 5 spot: Cornelia, Bouquet Parfait, Ghislaine de Feligonde, Guirlande d'Amour, and the intrepid Darlow's Enigma have survived well. All of these have climbing tendencies (may not cover an arch but will get 6' or more with support), though Darlow's Enigma is not really a climber but a big free-standing bush, both broad and tall. Sally Holmes and Clytemnestra both didn't overwinter a few years ago, but I'm trying again. Buff Beauty would be a nice rose for you and survived several years before fading in a non-ideal spot. No idea which ones are fragrant since I can't smell most roses. Here's a shot of several of the hybrid musks all in bloom - they're a loose cluster of blooms in general rather than single blooms, though Buff Beauty is the closest to a cutting rose among these. Here's Guirlande d'Amour in specific: There are several yellow hardy climbers that have larger blooms that would survive Ok in this location. Golden Celebration really wants more sun among Austins, but I have Teasing Georgia in a mostly shaded situation and it blooms reasonably well. Not that often, but I can get several good flushes in a good year. A more reliable yellow bloomer that would look nice against your house is Lunar Mist. It's related to Colette and is rock solid hardy for me. I have mine towards the east side of my house in part shade and it blooms all season, more or less like this: Among those that I grow, I'd probably suggest Lunar Mist, Buff Beauty, Darlow's Enigman, or Guirlande d'Amour as the most frequent bloomers. Roses Unlimited sells all of these I think, though Buff Beauty is available several places. A lovely spot for a rose and lots of options. Just remember as Mad Gallica says, any rose will bloom less and less often in a partly shaded spot than in full sun, so be sure to temper your expectations of having season-round blooms around your front door. Cynthia

You were given misinformation. Climbing roses will thrive spilling down over a wall when planted above it and behind it. Just plant the climber at least a foot, better yet 16" from the inside edge of the concrete wall. Also, if you could place a heavy, 3 mil thick, 2' x 3' piece of plastic liner/barrier, about 2' deep from soil level, and 3' wide along the soil side, inside face of the wall where the bush will be located, this will keep the bush's roots cooler, moister, and subsequently the bush will be healthier. Moses