Arch Roses

I am planning on installing a wooden arch over a central path in garden. I would love to plant climbing roses over the arch.

I'm stepping into new territory since I haven't done this before. I have a few roses in pots and in the garden, but I lack experience with climbing roses. If you don't mind, I have a couple of questions.

1) Roses are assocated with issues, e.g. black spot..etc. Do climbing roses come with their own set of challenges?

2) It it okay to plant two seperate rose varities at either end of the arch or stick with one.

3) I'm looking for roses with medium to small blooms that have a lovely fragrance, preferably in light pastel shades. Any suggestions?

4) The arch will be about 1.0 meters wide. Should I plant a couple of roses at each end, or is it better to go with just one?

The garden is in S. London, North facing but does get almost full sun in most part.

I would appreciate any ideas or advice you might have!

Thank you

Dilip

 

Climbing and rambling roses come in different heights. If you would like 2 roses, one each side of the arch then chose shorter ones.

I have Strawberry Hill, Open Arms, The Albrighton Rambler and Narrow Water. My daughter had The Generous Gardener.

Try looking on websites such as David Austin and Peter Beales.

 

Hi @Dilip

Regarding your questions:

1. Climbing roses and shrub roses basically differ in relation to pruning but other than that are very similar. Rambling roses are a bit different. Most are once-flowering but there are some repeat flowering ones (e.g. Lady of the Lake, which also matches the description of what you are after). Ramblers usually have fewer issues with diseases.
2. Yes
3. Lady of the Lake (rambling rose).
4. Hmm... To achieve the effect you normally get with arches, you would have one on each side, and they would meet in the middle. But, at 1m wide, that sounds like quite a small arch. What is the height?

 

In answer to Q4, that will depend on whether your soil is good and rich or at least the planting holes will be well-prepared. Also on how much you're prepared to feed them in future. Roses are greedy plants!

 

Thanks you for your great suggestions and tips.

@Busy-Lizzie, I appreciate your tips! You’ve shared some fantastic rose suggestions, and I’ll definitely explore those varieties and check out the websites.

@CostasK, thank you for your message! I really value your suggestion. I just confirmed that the arch has a depth of 1.3m. Thanks again!

@noisette47, thank you! The soil is in good shape—loamy and well-drained. I’m currently caring for several roses, including the DA's Lady of Shalott, so feeding them shouldn’t be a problem.

I must admit, my novice mindset has started to consider climbing roses for the arch, but I hadn’t really thought about rambling roses before. You all have truly broadened my perspective, and I really appreciate it! The only thing I know about rambling roses is that they grow faster, are more tolerant of various conditions, and are somewhat resistant to diseases.

Planned arch and Lady of Shalott, a showcase rose in the front garden, its amazing.

 

No problem @Dilip Just make sure you check the mature size of any option you consider, as some rambling roses are enormous!

Besides Lady of the Lake, I have heard good things about Blush Noisette and Ghislaine De Feligonde. I only have Lady of the Lake out of the three though.

 

I have Blush Noisette and Ghislaine de Féligonde and, although lovely, I don't think they are the best choice for a rose arch. They aren't very tall but they are bushy and wide. You can try pruning them into shape but it would be better to plant roses a bit taller to go over the arch and not so bushy. I have Ghislaine against a 6ft fence and she is almost as wide as tall.

 

How about choosing a colour and then see what is available either in pillar/climbing rose form or in the rambler section of the catalogues? You can't go far wrong with David Austin's info or his roses as long as you can actually source them elsewhere cheaper :-) The main requirements are long-or -repeat flowering and reasonably flexible stems.

 

I truly appreciate your assistance; you all are incredibly supportive. The wealth of knowledge available here is invaluable, and I feel fortunate to have access to it. Thank you once again!

@CostasK, thanks for the variety tips. Will check mature size.

@Busy-Lizzie, I appreciate your input. I did mention the challenges in my original post. I’m considering what things will look like in a few years. I can already picture the rambler potentially overwhelming the arch, even with some pruning . Your tip about their width is really interesting, and I’ll keep that in mind.

@noisette47, I actually had a conversation today with the boss (the lady of the house). We’ve not settled on the rose variety as yet. But looking for small to medium blooms, with fragrance, colors like yellow or peach/orange (similar to Lady of Shalott), and we want it to either repeat bloom or have a long flowering period. As for flexible stems, not thought about that, I’m not quite sure what to look for when choosing a variety?.

Thanks again folks.

 

I prefer ramblers to climbers on an arch as the canes are more supple but a lot don't repeat flower. There is a lot of good advice in this article about growing roses from Ian Limmer of Peter Beales Classic Roses in Norfolk. I've been there often and done a pruning course with Ian. My partner has a cottage not far from there.

Rose garden ideas - how to choose a rose for an obelisk, arch, fence or pergola

I had Malvern Hills on an arch. It was beautiful, soft yellow, covered in bunches of small flowers, but it grew very big so had to be pruned to keep it under control.

When growing roses on an arch tie the stems in so they go horizontally back and forth. That way you get more flowers lower down. Roses tend to shoot upward and flower at the ends of the stems. That's why it's easier to use roses with supple, not too thick, stems, like ramblers.

 

Hello again ... I've been doing some browsing Wollerton Old Hall looks promising for a repeat flowerer. (DA). BIG drawback with the older rambling roses is the relatively short flowering period and the vigour. TBH, I grow a very vigorous red climber on an arch and solve the problem of too much growth by restricting it to 3 or 4 main stems. Everything else is just pruned out near ground level. Will try to find a photo to show you what I mean...

 

There are some small ramblers. You can tailor your search on David Austin and Peter Bea,e so only these will come up. We have two small rambler varieties Lady of the Lake and Rambling Rosie. Both quite happy on a standard size garden arch

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bxFxoRA5WdL6J6vU8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vXgQi8wHX6MeAATH7

 

Which one is that @noisette47? Looks a bit like my Chevy Chase.

 

I've been trying to definitively identify it for 45 years :-). Thought it was Clos de Veugeot but it repeats too well. Possibly climbing 'Etoile de Hollande' but photos of that always seem a tad too bright a red.