Hi Sameer,

I garden quite a ways north of you, up in Seattle -- so my experience won't be the same as yours. But for me Graham Thomas wanted to be HUGE and grew rampantly -- I wouldn't think he would make a mannerly climber in your area. Hopefully some CA growers will comment if I comment and bump up this question to the top of the thread.

THE PILGRIM is a ravishingly beautiful rose (I have two) but the last Californian rosarian who wrote about it here on the forum hated the rose and shovel pruned it. In her coastal garden it was a Jolly Green Giant with poor repeat bloom. If you do decide to go with it then get it own root instead of grafted, which hopefully will hold back the vigor (but don't hold your breath).

Jeri Jennings has written more than one positive post about REVE D'OR (tea-noisette, 1869). Look it up on HelpMeFind Roses. The globular flower form is more "loose" than Graham Thomas but that means the blooms will open in cool foggy coastal conditions. The tea-noisette fragrance is also more complex and the vigorous climbing canes have few thorns. Everybody says it repeats well.

What you describe, Sameer, is how I am growing an own-root 'Golden Celebration' (~ 7-8 years now) and it is easy to train that way; good repeat, nice blossom form and scent, good-looking overall. I keep it at about 5' wide x 3' deep x 8' tall against a 6' tall redwood fence that faces east but gets full sun nearly all day long. I find it makes a nice smaller climber in this part of California.

As for 'Reve d'Or', suggested above, it is a beautiful rose but was a rampant monster here (warmer, inland Alameda County), as are most of the dozen or so tea-noisettes I grow or have grown in this garden -- all on their own roots. It is so vigorous in this climate -- I can't imagine keeping it to a 4' x 8' space. I had it "trained" (if you could call it that...) along the same redwood fence, where it ran 35- 40', at least, horizontally, at about 10' tall. Just keeping it from attacking my neighbor with the 10 - 15' canes it would regularly throw her way was practically a year-round job, requiring constant vigilance. Figuring I was getting too old for this, I finally removed it after about 9 years, making my life immediately easier and making space for 5 other roses :-). It was not my thorniest rose, but I wouldn't say it had "few thorns", either. It was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

I'm not finding a photo of my 'Golden Celebration' right now, but here's about half of the 'Reve d'Or' when it was about 5 years old -- it was already impossible to get the whole plant into one photo:

Crepuscule is a wonderful rose in hot climates. Look on HMF roses.

Thanks everyone for a great feedback :)

From some of the other research online, it seems that Graham Thomas does not have a good fragrance either, so I am probably going to take that out of the list. Also, as K S 8b Seattle points out here, it wants to get huge.

And catspa_zone9sunset14, thanks for that "size" warning about the Reve d'Or, I wouldn't want a wild monster as my first climber. This is the first time I am trying my hand at roses.

Regarding, Crepuscule, I like all the traits described above, but the color is tending towards an orange, and my son (who is 7 , haha) has categorically said he does not want an orange/apricot hue.

It seems like Golden Celebration is ticking all the boxes. Any suggestions about where I can get it from ? In general, is it better to buy locally or online ?

I got my 'Golden Celebration' as a gallon-sized plant at Annie's Annuals, their growing grounds and main nursery (a gardener's Nirvana, by the way -- amazing place) being about a 50 minute drive from where I live. It's always easier to buy locally and choose your own plant personally, if that's possible, but it frequently can be difficult to find a specific variety locally, especially if it's an older one. You'd have to call around, I imagine.

As it happens, Annie's Annuals does ship and they have 4-inch sized plants of 'Golden Celebration' in stock now, according to their website: https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=4532. This would be, essentially, "band" size, and I would grow one that size on in a gallon-sized pot for at least several months, to get it to a nice-sized root ball, before planting it in the ground. HelpMeFind lists nine pages of sources for this rose (!), https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.1834&tab=16&lvl=1&qn=0&qc=a3, and by checking the websites of still-active sources in the U.S., you might be able to find a larger sized plant, if desired.

Thank you, I think an Armstrong here locally might be able to get one in 5 gallon size. A 5 gallon would be better to start with, right? Also, how do you like the fragrance of this rose?

I like Golden Celebration's fragrance and it is very fragrant, to me -- and to many others, based on the ratings posted on HelpMeFind.

A 5-gallon-sized plant should work fine for you, especially as you are just starting with roses, and that's a size many prefer to plant, anyway.

I second that -- Golden Celebration has a wonderful fragrance.

Thank you to both of you.

I had Graham Thomas and he grew big and never bloomed. One to try is Golden Celebration. I just planted one and it is doing well and actually looks like it will bloom. Hoovb at her Piece of Eden blog has some pics on her blog this month of it. She's in OC. Crepuscule is nice but with bright sun looks kind of faded to me and the same thing with Buff Beauty. Golden Showers did well and bloomed well but the blooms shatter quickly. Abraham Darby has more of an apricot cast but can be grown as a small climber or pillar and is tough as nails in my clay soil.

I am trying a new Weeks Rose for 2021 called Golden Opportunity. It's supposed to have a nice fragrance. My local Ace Hardware had them bareroot for $25.
So far it's growing tons of canes!
Carla in Sac

https://www.highcountryroses.com/shop/modern-roses/climbers-ramblers/golden-opportunity/

San Diego 2 miles in from the coast; full sun.

A perfect result is expected, even from a novice.

I was at Annie's Annuals over the weekend and was tempted by 'Golden Celebration'. Not currently being in the rose acquisition mode, I let it pass. But it sure was gorgeous! If I need to replace a climber on the back fence, it would be near the top of my list.

Golden Celebration is one my favorite Austins and I've grown it for about 14 years. It's huge (nine feet) and has definite climbing tendencies if you encourage them. Mine is a continuous bloomer in zone 7. It's grafted on Dr Huey--no problems there, either. Diane