Sorry, last decade of 19th Century - don't know where I got the other date from. Re. colour again, a reference to CR in a Gertrude Jekyll article indicated it had a 'purple taint' - seen as a fault at the time, even though she was generally enthusiastic about it. She said it was 'improved' if you looked at it with the light behind it. It was apparently the reddest climber yet seen at the time, and thus quickly became hugely popular and influential in breeding, so quite an interesting back-story if this does turn out to be your family rose, TWG. Trospero seemed very sure that ANY suggestion of purple ruled out Excelsa and that the colour of DP wasn't right either - I don't know anything about that, but one other point that might help - check out the stipules. On the first page of pix for Crimson Rambler on HelpMeFind, when you go to Photos, there's an old black & white photo of them (the feathery outgrowths on either side of the leaf stem where it meets the main stem). On closer inspection, I do believe I see identical stipules in your third pic!! There's also another photo of them further on in HMF's Photos with someone's hand displaying them. I don't know if DP or Ex or any other possible candidates have these, perhaps someone else knows? Thanks, Rosefolly for putting in that link; I am such a techno-dumdum.... Boncrow, one of the many other names for CR was Ten Sisters (in Chinese), I don't know why. TWG, did you manage to find that earlier thread? There were terrific photos on there of CR and Ex... Oh yes, and Super Excelsa I now see was a 1986 introduction, so I guess that would definitely rule it out as your wife's great-aunt's rose (am trying desperately to do the maths, but the brain is not being very cooperative at the moment...)? :-) :-) Comtesse

Okay. Here are the details: I have the spring-blooming rambler, Ispahan, growing on each side of the arch (a metal Cattle Panel bent into a hoop). The canes are very slender, but the clump is very dense. It blooms from 4-6 weeks every spring and then puts on lush green foliage. I planted a blue-violet Clematis at the inside base on the southside two years ago. Last year it bloomed although it wasn't very tall yet. I want to plant the Climbing Pink Don Juan to grow up the same arbor. I think there is room to plant the Climbing rose on either side as the panel is 4 ft. wide. The hoop at peak is about 8 ft. tall or higher. Climbing Don Juan doesn't get the heavy canes as say, the New Dawn climber, and the Ispahan is very lightweight, so I think the panel will be sufficient to support them. Thanks Regina. I'm going for it! :)

After much searching on the net....I believe I have a climbing prairie rose. ~Charm

Most traditional ramblers would engulf your house in a few years. They usually bloom abundantly once a year with some giving later blooms. Perhaps what you're thinking of are climbers with flexible canes that produce many laterals (flowering branches). Eden is a large-flowered climber www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.4791&tab=1 and A Shropshire Lad is a shrub rose that can be trained to climb www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.6704. On HelpMeFind, you can click on the tabs to find further info about a rose, such as Member Ratings, including shade tolerance, Member Comments & Photos, to get a more complete picture of performance. You're in White Plains, NY, your USDA zone is 7a, so you can choose from a number of climbers that will be cane hardy with little lost to cold. Figuring out how much sun & shade your planting area gets is a little tricky, but pretty much essential to picking the suitable roses. What direction does your house face? Draw yourself a rough map with compass points & include any buildings, trees, fences & such that cast shade during various times of the day. Since the sun varies in angle & intensity through the year, look up your latitude to help you guesstimate sun exposure during the growing season. This article explains the concept. www.thegardencontinuum.com/blog/bid/28513/How-much-sun-does-your-garden-have Once you have a better idea of sun/shade, you can start auditioning individual roses & think about how you'll support & train them. Softening the corners with romantic roses would be lovely. Welcome to the forum!