Gertrude Jekyll rose - shrub or climber?

5 years ago

I bought two DA Gertrude Jekyll roses to go beside a new pergola. I’ve read that they can be climbers or shrub type - are these two different versions of the same plant or is it a matter of how you train them?

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BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Phyllissteen,

Since you opened the floodgates, I’d add

Viciously thorned , stingy blooming, crazy vigorous attack octopus rose. More barbed wire barricade than either climber or shrub. I killed her in self-defense, before she could kill me.

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Comments (25)

Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
5 years ago
Hi ! There is only one plant , and it depends on how you grow it and your zone . Looks to me , your zone is that it will be a climber. But hopefully people from your area that grow it will chime in . For example, I’m in zone 7 and Teasing Georgia can be grown as either but it is a large shrub for me . :)
edenchild thanked Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9
5 years ago
Folks on this board have called her Galloping Gurdie, so my hunch is she will be a climber.
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I have Benjamin Britten, but even though left to itself to get 10-12 ft tall, I would call it a stretch to consider it a climber. It can be a tall shrub. For covering a 10 ft pergola, it would probably be too short if you are in the cool, coastal PNW. It blooms quite reliably all summer here even though the flowers are on the small side and fade rather badly from a bright vermilion to a watermelon pink. You might have a look at Polka, Night Light, Cl Sombreuil, Soaring Spirits, Fourth of July, Altissimo, Sally Holmes, or Westerland as alternatives. The spring rose shows are coming up in a few months. Perhaps you could visit one or more to have a look at some of the climber entries to see if any of them catch your eye.
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I have never grown Gertrude Jeckyll, but my experiences with Austin roses--Lillian Austin, Tradescant, Golden Celebration, the white version of Heritage--have all been positive. Do you want more of a shrub or a climber? If a shrub, I could not recommend Lillian Austin more strongly. If a climber, go outside the Austin box and seek out 'Dr J H Nicolas'--it's a classic, medium pink, delightfully fragrant, and the globular blooms would harmonize well, I think, with Austin roses. You'll have to seek out a specialty rose grower to find them, hopefully own-roots. If internet searches don't turn up something, find a grower whose customer service people have a copy of the blue book for roses--it's comprehensive. Good luck!
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I have been to the David Austin Headquarters in Tyler Texas and had the opportunity to tour the facility, including the area where they store the rose plants in large bins. I was told that there is NO DIFFERENCE between the Climbing Gertrude Jeckyll and the normal one. The same is true for ALL the other ones that claim to have a climbing version and a bush version. I don't know why they do this-it just confuses the public. We grow GJ in our garden and it will get quite tall here, even though we may take 4 feet of cane away when we deadhead. We can smell the most fragrant roses more than 10-12 feet away. We have a very large specimen of the noisette Jaune Deprez with hundreds of roses open at the same time, and the fragrance is detectable around 12 feet away or so.
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One of the things you need to do with clem-rose pairings is match the sizes so one doesn't overwhelm the other. Gertrude Jekyll comes both as a climber (8') and as a shrub 4'x3 1/2' (both sizes taken from the David Austin website - they may be a bit smaller in NH if they get killed back to the ground in winter.) Can you check with your friend to see which one s/he has? and also when bloom time is so we know if the colors need to coordinate? Betty Corning is a really large clematis that would be better with a large shrub of some type. I don't think I'd pair her with a rose unless it was a really large, vigorous one and I don't think any of the David Austins will be vigorous enough in NH.
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hugogurll
5 years ago
Garden eating, once-blooming monster.
roserobin_gw
5 years ago
mine repeats nicely if you cut back stems that have bloomed. Awesome fragrance!
edenchild thanked roserobin_gw
AnneCecilia z5 MI
5 years ago
David Austin Roses lists GJ two ways: as a climber to 8' and as a shrub rose to 5'. I'm assuming it's the same rose but different root stock that makes the height. I had the shrub rose in zone 4 for many years (which achieved the height of 3.5' there) and this year just planted the climbing version in my zone 5 garden after truly missing Miss Gertrude for these past several years. I can't deny that she is one of the thorniest roses I've ever grown. And to many folks she is apparently stingy with bloom. But in my zone 4 garden I never had a problem getting a lot of flowering - perhaps because she was cut back so severely every spring? In any case, I have clear memories of cutting the grass along the garden and being compelled by this one rose (out of literally hundreds) to stop the mower and inhale her perfume as deeply as I could. I can forgive her every drop of blood for that fragrance. *Sigh*
edenchild thanked AnneCecilia z5 MI
jacqueline9CA
5 years ago
I don't think it is the rootstock - lots of DA roses can be made to climb in warm (OP is in zone 8) climates by putting them next to something to climb on (so the rose it touching it), and tying up any long canes which emerge. If DA says the rose will climb to 8 feet, they are talking about IN ENGLAND. I don't know where edenchild is, but if in the US, I would say that with encouragement you could certainly double that number, or send it that far sideways on a pergola.

Jackie
edenchild thanked jacqueline9CA
SoFL Rose z10
5 years ago
Its not the root stock. i called DA once asking about it. Its the same rose, but you can "train" it to climb or prune it to form a bush.
edenchild thanked SoFL Rose z10
edenchild
Original Author
5 years ago
jacqueline9CA, I’m in the PNW, north of the border so we usually have a very similar climate to the UK. This year, of course, both locations have been hitting the mid to high 30’s Celsius or 95+ Fahrenheit so it’s plenty warm enough for us and the roses.

I’ve had the GJs in pots up to now. I will be transplanting them when my mini construction project is finished. It is a “she shed” and a small patio covered by the yet-to-be-finished pergola.
Patty W. zone 5a Illinois
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Once blooming akward beast of a rose with an incredibly gorgeous flower with a deliciously strong scent. Unfortunately it’s bloom was timed well with the onslaught of JB’s. Since I could not enjoy the blooms neither would they. It was eliminated. Mine was own root.
roserobin_gw
5 years ago
Edenchild I grow GJ in Victoria and she repeats nicely for me if I prune her back after each flowering. . I have growing as a large shrub, but could definitely be trained to climb. But gor repeat bloom needs to be cut back.
edenchild thanked roserobin_gw
edenchild
Original Author
5 years ago
roserobin_gw, I’m in the lower mainland, so hopefully I’ll have similar results. GJ did flower in June when I was away (!) and I cut it back when I returned. It is just starting to bud out again.

The pergola will have a trellis at the back. That plus the yews (which will be extended further right) should eventually screen out the neighbours. I am quite happy for GJ to get tall enough to cover the pergola top. I know I’ll have to prune to keep it under control below the pergola top.
jacqueline9CA
5 years ago
That looks like a great project! Also it sounds as if in your climate GJ will repeat bloom, and get big enough to cover your pergola. You will need to train and prune it a bit to get it to do that, so that will stimulate the repeat blooming. Please post pictures on here when it is done!

Jackie
edenchild thanked jacqueline9CA
edenchild
Original Author
5 years ago
It’s a weekend project but I’m hoping to have it finished within the next two to three weeks, Jackie. I’ll post pictures then.
edenchild
Original Author
5 years ago
It isn’t fully finished but it is looking much better with doors and siding. The siding needs to be painted (it will eventually match the house) and the pergola/trellis isn’t done yet. The wood for the pergola is hiding under the blue tarp. I’m working on getting the interior organised.
Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
5 years ago
That looks great, edenchild. I wish my garage and shop looked like yours.
flowersaremusic z5 Eastern WA
5 years ago
Even here, she was a climber, but I didn't experience any of the monstrous, house-eating, beastly qualities that have been associated with her. The blooms are stunning, and her scent wafted through my yard. As Anne said, you can't pass her without stopping to take in her perfume. She was growing up a porch post but the deer feasted on her so often that she didn't survive.

Your garden house is every gardener's dream! Looking forward to more pics of it and GJekyll adorning the pergola.
edenchild
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you, Sheila and flowersaremusic. This certainly is my dream “she shed”/garden shed/greenhouse. When we moved in to our house 1.5 years ago, my husband got the dream stereo/TV system that he wanted and this was what I wanted. It has taken a while but I’m loving the luxury of a garden shed with ample space, lighting and water. I can’t wait until next spring to start a ton of seeds.
edenchild
Original Author
5 years ago
It’s taken a while to get a sunny day to photograph the final result - it finally happened today. The shed is now the same colours as the house. The pergola and trellis still need to be stained but that probably won’t happen until spring when the wood dries out.
edenchild
Original Author
5 years ago
Interior shots
Karen R. (9B SF Bay Area)
5 years ago
What a perfect, in your case, "woman-cave"! Dreamy!
Kristine LeGault 8a pnw
5 years ago
That perfect!

Great layout and water, wow!

We are building something close but my .husband just said, no running water lol But just to have a place to store everything and a big potting bench would be so nice.

Im excited for you, it looks so great
edenchild
Original Author
5 years ago
Kristine, the water supply (cold only) is just a conduit from a tap on the irrigation system at the back outside corner of the shed to the faucet. The drain runs through the rear wall and waters the bed right behind. It isn’t as complicated as one might think and cost about $50 in plumbing parts from Home Depot. The faucet and sink were Craigslist’s finds for less than $100.
Liz Bell
2 years ago
@edenchild - we need an update! Would love to see your GJs on your pergola!
edenchild
Original Author
2 years ago
Liz Bell, I would love to give you one, but we sold the property last May. Garden-wise, we went from 1 acre to a 1000 square foot patio on a 18th floor condo - quite a change! We moved in June so I didn’t worry about growing much last year, but I’ve got another GJ and an Earth Angel on order. Hopefully, both will do well in large containers.