Comparing Gertrude Jekyll and Zephirine Drouhin climbing roses?
Liz Bell
7 months ago
last modified: 7 months ago
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jjpeace (zone 5b Canada)
7 months agoRelated Discussions
Cl Benjamin Britten vs Cl Gertrude Jekyll
Comments (3)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....See MoreZephirine Drouhin
Comments (3)oh dear, this does not sound right at all. True, ZD can be a bit of a health risk but 18inches! Mine, on an East facing wall, in not very good soil, rampages along the wall, over the path and on to the pergola. Individual blooms do lack defined form but this usually does not matter since it is one of the most floriferous roses I have come across. Right now, it is throwing out vigorous canes with deep, deep burgundy leaves. Such a piddly little specimen can't really be rejuvenated by pruning. Usually, even a bit of competition doesn't knock it back BUT, my climate is very different and I think that bourbons may struggle with a long, hot Cali season (I expect Jeri will chip in here with her usual spot-on advice but I have to confess to being at a loss as to why you are having such a miserable response from this rose (even though it can be a bit of a diva)I can only think that ventilation might be an issue especially if it is well-watered but still mildews....See MoreClimbing Gertrude Jekyll + Question About Fragrance
Comments (10)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....See MoreHelp on choosing climbing roses
Comments (51)Thanks a lot for all the wonderful suggestion. We used to have a line of cypress along the fence giving us a lot of privacy. I got rid of the trees for the roses, but I really hope the climbing roses could provide both beauty and privacy. I think I could sacrifice a little thorn for beauty, as long as they are not like those epic thorn on New Dawn. So here are my latest climbing roses selection. Yellow - Crepuscule, Teasing Georgia, Reve d'Or Dark Pink - Peggy Martin, Pretty in Pink Eden, Raspberry Cream Twirl Since other flowers were planted only 5 feet away from the fence, there is not much space left for shrub roses between the fence and other flowers. The only way is up the fence. However, I did find enough space in front of the Tea Olive for a shrub roses and I like the suggestion of Belinda's Dream....See MoreLiz Bell
7 months ago
rosecanadian
7 months ago
Diane Brakefield
7 months agoHere I go again with my friend's Zeffy, which she has grown for years. We are lucky to not have blackspot and very little mildew (not on roses, though). I don't grow either rose, but my impression of GJ is it's huge, but not a true climber. Austin calls lots of their big roses climbers, but they aren't necessarily that. I'd go for ZD. Diane
Liz Bell thanked Diane BrakefieldLiz Bell
7 months agoLiz Bell
7 months agorosecanadian
7 months ago
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