I just posted my ramber Mel’s heritage in another post. It has everything you want and more. It reblooms well and is fragrant. excellent disease resistance and flexible, also you need only 2 to cover that fence. Lisa has one in California that is incredible.

Dianela, your Mel is just breathtaking. That is a good recommendation

Thank you Kristine, I hope Lisa sees and posts hers. Her Mel’s heritage is what made me try this incredible rose.

I would not be surprised if many climbers and ramblers grew way beyond 8-10ft in your climate.

I have Mel's Heritage also and love it. David Austin has also introduced some repeat blooming rambler type roses. Snow Goose and Malvern Hills are a couple. I don't grow either so can't comment or say how'd they'd do in your zone. Some of our California members have trouble growing multiflora type ramblers, so something to keep in mind.

-Chris

Lisa’s Mel is spectacular and she lives in Southern California so yes I think it would be perfect for your situation. Hers is huge! Snow Goose is at Huntington and it mostly has a Spring flush and a few scattered blooms after that, at least from what I have seen of it over the years. I have determined from personal experience that David Austin roses as a whole don’t bloom really well in warm climates. I think they prefer a cold winter to do well. But there are exceptions and I have noticed that the ones that handle warm temperatures are list as being good to zone 11 on their website. And yes as Chris mentioned, roses with Multiflora in their heritage tend to get chlorosis here and thus they don’t thrive.

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions!

Good to know that Mel Heritage is a local invention. I was very excited and ran to the San Jose Rose Garden today. but I didn't find a nursery.... There is a bathroom structure and several arbor type of structures scattered in the garden and the entrances. I alao saw several flowering climbers/rambler along the fence. but they were planted outside of the fence so no names....

Hope I can buy these special names mentioned here. I guess maybe I would need 5-6 plants to cover the fence...

Should I check out at homedepot / summerwind / payless / central nursery type of local nurseries from time to time in spring time to look for these ramblers? or is it better to mail order? I am hesitant to start with barefoot. Would prefer a stronger start because I am a newbie and would like to get the fence covered from bottom to top in the shortest years possible.

Thank you everyone for all your super helpful advise!

I rushed to the rose garden today and just realized that my post above from the mobile phone was actually a different account... didn't even remember I had 2!

With your suggestions, I will check out the following:

Mel Heritage - try to find in Local nurseries

Snow Goose - David Austin

Malvern Hills - David Austin

Snow Goose - Huntington

For "trouble growing multiflora type ramblers" in California, what does it mean multiflora type ramblers? Is this the information that I can find out from the plant label printed on the pot?

I wouldnt worry about starting with a bareroot, they are older established rootstock that take off rather quickly.

TY, Mel's Heritage sources are Burlington (California) and other specialty mail order nurseries likely. These treasures might not be in "regular" nurseries. Mel is a winner here too.

How many different roses would you like to plant along this fence? I'd think it unlikely that you'd find any ramblers or large climbers at a local nursery.

Also, the 2 Snow Gooses in your list are the same rose released by David Austin.

https://www.davidaustinroses.com/pages/search-results?q=snow+goose

Are you familiar with the helpmefind website? You can go there to learn more about the parentage of various roses. For example, for the once-blooming multiflora rambler 'Veilchenblau', helpmefind lists it as hybrid multiflora, so you would know.

https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.6110

If you are unsure, just ask here on the forum.

Awakening is another repeat blooming rambler you can look into.

https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.465.0&tab=1

-Chris

Burlington has the best assortment of rare roses and since she is in California they do well here. The roses you get from her will be small bands, baby starts. But roses are super vigorous and hardy here. we have so much good year round weather they take off fast. You must email her for her rose list and then the easiest way to pay is through a PayPal link she can send you. Another great mail order nursery for warm climate roses is Antique Rose Emporium in Texas. High Country Rose is also good but they specialize in roses for cold climates. The roses you will find at the local nurseries will most likely be somewhat “generic” varieties that do well in all climates across the country, unless they are a more specialized nursery that makes an effort to sell those roses that do especially well here. If you buy 5-6 Mel’s Heritage from Burlington and plant in well amended planting holes, this month or next, you will give them the best chance to thrive. It’s best not to plant roses when the weather gets hot. Now, in January, is the ideal time.

Link to Picture of Lisa’s spectacular Mel’s Heritage.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6126760/time-for-the-mels-heritage-show-posted-for-lisa-adams

I don't grow Mel's Heritage but it looks great. I have Paul Transon on a low fence and it never seems to need to go higher....it just sends out extremely long, horizontal, flexible canes. Those canes tend to send out laterals that drape down. It's a once bloomer but very healthy.

Peggy Martin also tends to send out long horizontal canes.

Purple Skyliner (young plant)

I'd suggest Violette or Veilchenblau but they can reach for the sky.

Thank you all very much for your recommendations!

I looked Burlinton's rose list and picked the following candidates based on Burlington availability, disease resistance, repeat bloom, fragrance, spread coverage, shade tolerance and popularity.

1. Mel's Heritage 10'
2. Peggy Martin 14'
3. New Dawn 6'
4. Cécile Brunner 14'
5. Crepescule 6'
6. Veilchenblau 10'

Please help take a look and confirm these would perform well in 9b, with some section under partial shade due to nearby trees.

Also, would really appreciate your suggestions on some companion Clematis! I read it is good to plant them together with rose and they can climb trees too!

@erasmus_gw Every one of those photos is perfection.

T Y, clematis don't climb trees on their own. If you want to train one up a tree you can, but you're going to have to install something for it to hold on to, like netting, or diligently try train it up a rose once the rose has gotten big enough. Clems don't really want to go sideways, they want to go up, though there are bush/sprawling varieties.

I am a bit concerned about the huge amount of roses on that list.

My picture from Mel’s heritage are from a 2-3 year old plant with heavy pruning. I am certain that Lisas’s Mel’s is probably closer to 30 feet long on her fence. In such a warm area two Mel’s heritage would probably be long enough to cover your fence. Any three of the roses on that list would certainly be more than enough. The stated size of those roses is larger for your zone than those numbers indicate. Any of those roses should perform well in your zone. I am afraid if you plant so many in 3 years you will have to prune your fence 3 times a year to keep it neat

I think many on your list will get huge in your climate, and will not be confined to being trained on a fence. I grow some big ones beside my fence, not on it, and that's fine. But for those I want to train ON the fence, a huge rambler won't do. Your fence may end up looking like a little bitty low edging for the rose. I have seen Peggy Martin trained nicely on a fence. Crepuscule might work. I have Parade on a fence and it wants to get big...I prune it to stay more or less on the fence, same with Gertrude Jekyll. My Veilchenblau ate an apple tree..about 25' tall, and Cl. Cecile Brunner is way up in the trees , at least 30'.

Thank you, Magpie.

Thank you, Magpie, Dialena and Erasmus, for all the feedback. Exactly what I need! As a newbie, the real life growth situation could be hugely different from what's on paper!

For "Veilchenblau ate an apple tree..about 25' tall", "Cl. Cecile Brunner is way up in the trees , at least 30'.", are they also 25' or 30' wide? Or do you encourage them to climb the tree and grow height wise?

For "Veilchenblau", I learned it is one time bloomer. The pictures of the blooms certainly look very nice but have to face a green plant for the rest of the year. Is there any "children" of Veilchenblau with similar color scheme that is disease resistance and a repeat bloomer throughout the year?

Just heard back from Burlington that Mel's Heritage is too small, won't be available until summer!! What are other sources in CA? HMF listed "Angel's Garden" as the other vendor but they are currently slow due to personnel medical situation....

Is "Cecile Brunner" a similar color to Mel's Heritage? But I would really really want to have Mel's Heritage, due to the local connection...

Take a look atPurple Skyliner mentioned above. 😉

Mel's Heritage is in stock right now at Rogue Valley Roses: https://roguevalleyroses.com/rose/mels-heritage/. But they are not in CA.

Another one you might consider is Annie Laurie McDowell. https://helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.170089

I am making further progress with the project. Thank you each one of you for all the kind help! I posted the following in the other thread about Purple Skyliner. Thought would be good to list them here as well to align with the original intention and for future reference.

My goal is to cover two long stretch of fence in about 3-4 years. I am in NorthernCA zone 9b.

The Northwest facing fence (about 50 ft horizontal) gets some afternoon sun in the summer (no sun right now in winter), then blocked by nearby trees and the shadow from the house. The row of climbers I plan to plant at the same time for this Northwest facing fence are:

• Mme Alfred Carriere (let it spread to the right and climb onto a nearby tree to the left)
• Blossomtime (let it spread left - right ) pink
• Veilchenblau (let it spread left - right ) summer will be green with no flower
• New Dawn (let it spread left - right ) light pink

The Southeast facing fence (80-90ft horizontal) gets most of the morning sun, then blocked by the oak trees and the shadow from the house after 2pm. The row of climbers I plan to plant at the same time for this Southeast facing fence are:

• Climbing Cécile Brunner (some shade from a nearby oak) light pink
• Peggy Martin - pink
• Crépuscule - Salmon yellow
• Climbing Westerland - apricot orange
• Excellenz von Schubert - carmine pink
• Mel's Heritage (Burling won't have it until summer time) peachy pink

I know some of them get big. I think they may be smaller in the shade and hope some can climb onto the nearby trees.

Please let me know if these 10 are good choices for my 9b zone. I am a new learner gardener, I studied HMF + various websites to hopefully plant the ones that are easy to maintain with good outcome.

With all your rose experience, what would you do differently to reach the goal of covering "two long stretch of fence in about 3-4 years", or if there are any areas of special considerations before I place the order. Thanks a ton! Really appreciate your feedback!

Excellence von Schubert has amazing fragrance! I miss it for that! I gave mine to a friend with a good spot for a large mounding shrub. I could not ever figure out how to train its thick stiff canes to climbing effect and have in that spot a Climbing Crimson Glory now. I got mine from Burlington because I knew she has the true EvS. There were several threads about how many nurseries were selling the thorny pink Gartendirektor Otto Linne with theEvO name. EvO threw out completely smooth canes and also canes that had knobby prickles that were not very sharp as shown in picture. He also had the sweet habit of closing the blooms at night.