What is it about climbing roses that give us such a feeling of well-being; that make us calm, nostalgic, romantic or happy? Perhaps it is their perfect form or sensational fragrance. Whatever it is, climbing roses seem to 'do it' for many of us.
They are a wonderful addition to many garden structures. Some are breathtaking in their beauty and fragrance and will give you pleasure each and every year. Whether you have a newly built, or existing, garden structure, such as a pergola, arbour, arch, garden wall, house wall or even a fence, climbing roses will add interest, height and beauty. Have fun choosing and planting your climbing roses - they will reward you tenfold with a fantasic display!
Group plants of different species, with contrasting or complimentary colours, together with your roses to give a truly stunning effect.
My favourites are pinks of varying shades, white and purples. For instance, a pink rose with a purple clematis and white solanum. Or a white rose with a pink clematis and purple solanum. You may prefer a more bold approach - for instance a bright orange rose with a purple solanum. (Contrasting/complimentary colours) Whatever lights your fire!
Do a little research into both climbing roses and other climbing plants by following the 'Crocus' link below. You can either link to 'Roses' or 'Climbers' from there.
I often click 'Refine Search' at the top of the dark blue boxes , where the search narrows down to what you are actually looking for. This is a good way of exploring different species, colours and varieties of plants within a gategory. If you would like more guidance on your choice of rose, go to 'My Rose Recommendations' below. I chose the this site for you to have a look at because it gives excellent advice on roses for different aspect, colour, soil etc. and also gives great advice on planting, pruning and such like. It has the added advantage of having on-line ordering, so you can decide on what you like and buy it all in one fell swoop. Alternatively, choose which plants you would like, write a shopping list and take it to your local garden centre.
I have split this section into four colour categories. The roses shown are listed for their striking form, colour or fragrance and also for their ability to grow well in most gardens.
Pink:
'Aloha' - very good form and fragrance. 
'Albertine' - rambler/very fragrant.'Zepharine Drouhin' - deep pink climbing bourbon/fragrant. White: 'Iceburg' - good form, little scent. 'Rambling Rector' - small flowers, rampant, thorny, good scent. Yellow/Orange: Gloire de Dijon - apricot/very good scent. 'Maigold' - gold/good scent. Red: 'Guinee' - very deep red/excellent scent. 'Paul's Scarlet Climber' - vibrant colour/little scent. 'Etoile de Hollande' - very good scent.
Pruning any plant can seem to be a bit of a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be! Listed below are two excellent sources of information.
The first is a 'How to' article by Crocus on month-by-month pruning. The second is an excellent 'Pruning and Training' book by the Royal Horticultural Society, with very clear diagrams, instructions and pictures, covering all types of plants. It's a real gem of a book that will help both novices and more experienced gardeners. Take a look and hopefully you'll never look back.
There it is in its full glory, looking magnificent and then - horror of horrors - your beautiful rose, which everyone has been admiring all week, has been attacked! Whether it's greenfly (aphids) or black spot, you know it is going to harm your prize specimen.
Don't worry. There are things you can do to prevent and treat these most common of complaints. Check out the following article:
Pests and Diseases
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