Im in a tough part of the country to grow ramblers, Ive tried a few of the marginal ones, like mde sancy de parabree.. It lasted about 4 years and I got like 20 blooms, it would grow to about 10-14 feet during the summer and die back to around 6 feet during the winter.. every year more of the original canes would die. Right now I have Quadra, John Davis, Baltimore Belle growing, Im trying to get ahold of a lillian gibson this year. I have several large bushes, hansa will get to 7 feet this year, my great maidens blush to just about that height.

My best repeat-blooming climber is White Cap. It doesn't get much blackspot, and it blooms a lot. Mine is one it's second crazy-heavy flush of the season. Visitors tell me that White Cap is fragrant, but I can't smell it. Another repeat bloomer to consider is Moonlight. It's classed with the hybrid musks, but it is a very mannerly, stringy grower on my fence. It also blooms frequently, with fragrant flowers, and it is one of the most photogenic roses in my garden. My best white rambler is Alberic Barbier ... rambler being defined as a large, once-bloming, climbing-style rose. This rose is bulletproof as far as blackspot is concerned. It produces hundreds of palest-yellow-fading-to-creamy-white flowers in late spring. No hips, tho. In exchange for one spectacular spring bloom, you get healthy shiny leaves as a backdrop for the rest of your garden ... a fair trade to me. Alberic Barbier and fences are MADE to go together. HTH, Connie

I LOVE PURPLE BUTTONS! I am getting giddy just thinking about its late springflush of bloom. PB and Midnight Blue are the Marie Pavies of the purple rose world. Perfectly sized for my inner city garden and absolutely joy-inspiring whenever I spot a cluster of blooms. In fact, Marie Pavie and PB look fanatic side by side. Breathtaking! All summer. Violette is one of my very favorite roses! (I think I'm repeating myself.) It is my top purple rambler. The color, when backlit, is breathtaking. I have been visiting mine daily. I can hardly wait for those little bud clusters to open.... Carol

My Lady Banks roses got badly frozen this last winter at about 10F, so I doubt they'd do in Zone 6; they're also massive. I was wondering if 'New Dawn' or one of its climbing offspring might do for you, though I don't know how big they get. It's hardy; I don't know about disease resistance in your area. Another thought was one of the lankier once-flowering roses usually grown as shrubs. For example, the Moss 'William Lobb', with little purple flowers. Mine is up to about 12', which might be the scale you're looking for. Many roses will scramble taller if given support, like a tree. I don't know if 'Louise Odier', a Bourbon, pink and fragrant, possibly repeat flowering (and possibly not) might work in your situation. A lot of climbers are for warm climates, and a lot of them get huge: neither of these would do in your case. I was trying to think of alternatives. I can't give you information about disease resistence as your conditions are so different from mine.