Others may chime in and disagree with me, and I encourage that, but in my experience I have never seen a reliably hardy climbing rose in Edmonton, and I suspect with those chinooks you will find it even tougher in Calgary. If I were to try to mimic a climbing rose here, I would choose something like a Therese Bugnet, which can get very tall and is quite hardy, and try to train it to look like a climbing rose.

You probably right Don,
I'm not much into roses but my wife has tried several an none made it, ..have yet to see a climbing rose in Alberta.

What I've read about people doing is taking the rose off the trellis in the fall and laying it down as much as possible. Then covering the canes with straw or something. Not sure whether this works, I've never done it before. I agree with Don that making a tall rose just appear like a climbing rose would probably work great. Might not be quite the same effect, but it is a whole lot more reliable and less work!

Polestar is absolutely hardy here. I have seen monster specimens (8 feet high with 1/2 inch think stems). It's a once bloomer.

William Baffin is the most hardy out of the ones you listed. Always had great success with it. No dieback at all.

John Davis does well here too. It can dieback but the canes grow back very quickly.

I have Polstjarnan and it is fully hardy and eating my shed. It's not very pretty but holy cow, it's a monster.

I also have John Davis, which is a very nice rose in every way, blooms heavily and repeats, but it's not a climber for me. Some years it's tall and some years it's short but it's more of a tall shrub than a real climber.

My mom just pulled out John Cabot unfortunately, after 8 years. It didn't bloom well and was this giant monster octopus razor wire thing.

My best tall-but-not-really-climber is Mme. Plantier, a gorgeous once-blooming Alba. It gets about 6' tall and is fully flexible and thornless so I can lay it flat under leaves. It occasionally loses a cane here or there in the winter but it is a success overall. I grow it on an obelisk.

I have not grown Billy Baffin but I've heard he's pretty big and reliable. I find the colour a bit awkward.

New Dawn is sometimes recommended but was not hardy here. My Grandma grew Blaze for 15 or so years against a south wall in the city, and it was fantastic but eventually died. People also recommend Ramblin Red. I would like to try it sometime but have limited space for climbers.

Should also mention Quadra. I have it in a fairly exposed location and does well. Very nice blooms. Mine is still quite small though (got it as basically a stick).

I just bumped up a rose thread on the gallery side. It has some nice pics

You know what? YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!! :-)

I came home from work and I saw all these really helpful responses - THANK YOU!

I am now thinking that perhaps I should not do a "climbing rose" in the spot that I have in mind now. I really don't want to have a high maintenance rose which may only bloom once or twice a season. I read about William Baffin rose being very vigorous but also saw that it may form a big thorny thicket that can be hard to maintain.... and I am not looking for a tall bushy shrub rose either - TB is really not my favourite rose - it just looks too wild for me. I need to think more about this.

Perhaps I should consider a clematis instead, so I can have something more manageable to climb up my trellis.....

Thanks so much again everyone!

Just one more question - shazam, how well does Quadra bloom for you? Is it again just one flush and then it's done?

I'll find you photos of my John Davis. It is trouble free and the leaves and canes are actually very beautiful. It might even be nice with a clematis to increase its height.

Quadra bloomed right till frost. It seems to be a good rebloomer.

Ramblin`Red has been in the ground for 3 years on my brother`s ranch by Pincher Creek and is starting to send out longer canes - is everblooming - doesn`t get any TLC other than some water over the summer. It is against a fence for some shelter from the west wind and mulched with shredded cedar.

northspruce - thank you! I would love to see your John Davis.

shazam - where can I find a Quadra Red in Calgary? I still have not found one yet....

shilllanorth - Ramblin Red sounds great! I just did a search online and it looks fantastic! Does it die back much over winter?

Thanks again everyone!

CT and WM both have Quadra. All the garden centers should have it too.

Oh yeah, the only place that I've ever seen Ramblin' Red in Calgary is Sunnyside.

Thank you, shazam!

I just went to Sunnyside on my way home.... I was so disappointed to see that their roses looked TERRIBLE just now! They were full of powdery mildew and blackspot. Very ugly looking Rambling Red.... so I did not buy one! And they did not have Quadra there.

I have not found Quadra in any CT yet, but I will start looking for it!!!

Do you think that Quadra or RR would be hardier?

Probably quadra. RR is some sort of sport or descendent of Henry Kelsey, which I find dies back consistently here. But it does grow very quickly.

I realized Sunnyside never sells Quadra.

You might have to wait for another shipment, my MIL told me she met someone that bought 65 roses from CT and Walmart.

65 roses!? WOW!

shazam, I must say that when the roses arrive at CT, they are usually surprisingly healthy looking. Then they deteriorate quickly due to the poor maintenance there at most stores.... so if I time it right so that I get there the day after the shipment arrives, that is just perfect timing!

Of the roses that you bought from CT before, have they done well over the years? Do you find that their quality is pretty decent overall for roses?

Thanks!

Oh yes, photo. Here is John Davis last year. In previous years he has been taller and less bushy, but he does bloom heavily.

ostrich,

there's only a few rose growers in NA anyhow, so everybody gets their stock from the same suppliers.

When I saw the picture sign on the thread I was hoping to see a 10 foot or so climbing rose,..anybody?

Happy to oblige, Konrad!

Here is an over 10 foot Polstjarnan, it's not pretty though.

Here are its flowers:

And for information's sake, here is Madame Plantier, which is tall but not a climber.

northspruce, thank you! JD is pretty. However, I looked at my area again and I think that I will really want a bright red rose. Also, it needs to be leggy so that it will have most growth at the top, in order to suit that area in question.... so anything bushy like this may not work then... but thanks for the photo!

BTW, northspruce, why do you say that the white climber is not pretty? I know it's not full of blooms, but it is still pretty! I love how it contrasts with your red shed/garage.

shazam - do you mean that whether I go to a pricey nursery or CT/Walmart, they had pretty much the same supplier!? And I guess the main difference is only the maintenance after delivery to the nurseries? I know that the pricey nurseries have more varieties, but then.... hmm....

It's definitely a curiousity and there's nothing else like it, but Polstjarnan has a very dishevelled beauty to put it kindly. ;)

I agree if you want a climber you want it to bloom at the top. Ramblin Red or Quadra would be worth a try if you can find a decent specimen.

Die back on Ramblin` Red seems to vary from year to year. This year there was a lot - no snowbank over the entire winter to give it a little protection but it is growing although everything out on the ranch is about 3 weeks growth behind what I am experiencing in town 25 minutes east. Have you checked at Eagle Lake Nursery in Strathmore - they should have a good selection and the location is worth the trip alone!

northspruce
Now your'e talking..great pictures!

Hello, I know this thread is a bit old, but it also seems to be the subject most on my mind right now. I'm also in Calgary, also looking for a (preferably but not necessarily) climbing rose that (surprise!) will surivive.

Also, full disclosure: entirely new to gardening for myself, and I've been in Calgary for 3 winters now.

The area I'll be planting in is in a roughly 3ft circumference area bounded on the south, east, and north sides by a dirt driveway, an asphalt sidewalk, and a wooden porch respectively. The area is east facing with another apartment building across the driveway to the south. The goal is to get a fragrant flowering something to grow in these impossible conditions to a height of about 10 ft, about eavestrough height. The plant would have the corner pillar of the deck as a central support (it's one of those old homes with a big front porch) and I'm looking to underplant it with native Asters (which I have) and maybe some native Mint if I can get ahold of any.

So, a couple questions:

1. First and foremost, is it reasonable for me to expect *anything* to grow there? Am I entirely nuts to even think of subjecting a rose to that kind of punishment? It would be wonderful for the building to have something *nice* nearby, but I would like to know if I have even a snowlakes chance of keeping a tall, fragrant plant alive under those conditions...

2. If a rose is basically 90% likely to die a quick and painful death, are there other tall/climbing fragrant perennials I should consider?

Lastly, I should probably mention the 3 fragrant roses that my research indicates might be even remotely suitable:

Martin Frobisher (Explorer series Rugosa, Zone 2, 2m x 1.5m, light pink)

JP Connell (Explorer-ish series Floribunda, Zone 3, 1.5m x 1.2m, yellow cream)

Mme Plantier (Old Alba Rose, Zone 4, 1.5m x 1.5m, white)

Of these 3, which do you reckon is least likely to die?

...

Wow that's a terrible question. Ah well. Gardening in Canada.

Thank you in advance for *any* advice you can give!

Welcome to the forums!

Do you care if the rosé is recurrent or not? Since you have an alba listed I am guessing no.

SCG

All of the roses you listed will survive. None will get 10 feet tall. Get Polestar if you want tall and fragrant. It's not remontant.

Don't plant on the north side. Not enough sun. There are many clematis that will do well there.

There is no mint native to Alberta. If you're thinking of plants with square stems, then there are many to choose from that will do just fine.

Thank you for the responses!

For SouthCountryGuy, I'm not much fussed whether it's recurrant or not. It'd be nice, of course, but I figure I already have enough limitations on what I want to grow, there's no need to add another. :)

For shazam, that's great news! Hurray for roses surviving! If they're not going to get 10ft tall, about how tall should I be able to expect them to get? And for Polestar, I've heard wonderful things about its indestructability, and I definitely considered it, but I had heard that it wasn't fragrant. Did I hear wrong?

Duly noted on the clematis! Are there any fragrant options I should look at?

Also, there does seem to be a native North American mint species that is found in Alberta, called any of the following names, depending on the author:

Mentha arvensis,
Mentha arvensis var. canadensis,
Mentha arvensis var. glabrata,
Mentha canadensis

Everwilde farms has seeds available, and Prairie Moon nursery has seeds and plugs.

Hello BuildBurrowGrow ... on the south side of my house, I have a five year old 'John Davis' that last year had shoot up very tall stems, one to the height of 11 ft tall and surviving and budding out to the tips this spring. I had very deeply dug (over 2 ft deep x 2 ft wide) and amended my silty soil with well rotted manure and peat moss. On average garden soil, 'John Davis' will remain a shrub.

The native Alberta mint grows in moist and low lying areas and spreads very aggressively in fertile garden soil. It makes excellent very flavorful tea, so we dry lots of it!

Terrance

I don't know if I'm reading this right, but if the area is shaded by the apartment block to the south, a rose isn't going to do well there. Also, here in Winnipeg I wouldn't plant any marginal perennial next to an area that will have snow cleared. I realize Calgary doesn't have the extreme cold and also doesn't have the reliable snow cover, but here if you plant next to a driveway, the frost will track through the ground making a surprising difference.

I also wanted to mention that Polstjarnan has no fragrance and you wouldn't want to plant it anywhere you'd walk past. It will reach out and grab you like that thing in the lake on Lord of the Rings. It dragged me off my riding lawn mower twice last year. It hurt less if I didn't struggle.

Thank you all for the replies! I think I may just go with a clematis or some such in that area.

Also, to northspruce, that is quite a mental image. I may think of you from now on as 'Poor Old Bill', after the pony that the lake monster got.

Are you sure Polstjarnan has no fragrance? I went a couple of gardens that had it and it was definitely lightly fragrant.

I can't find my Plants of Alberta book anywhere (I swear, I lose that thing every couple of years and then find it again in the weirdest spots) so I'll believe you guys that the mint natively grows all the way up to central Alberta :)

For those of you with established climbing roses, esp. John Davis and William Baffin, did they survive this past winter, since most "hardy" roses seem to have died back to the ground?

I am about to dig up a shrub in one spot and hope to replace it with either a climbing rose or a vine, and I am particularly interested in William Baffin and John Davis. So I am curious as to how they did over this harsh winter.

Thanks!

I don't even know where to post this as we have so many threads going, but Polstjarnan DIED BACK TO MY WAIST HEIGHT.
Environment Canada says it's been Winnipeg's coldest winter in 160 years (is that ever? I don't even know) and this is what it takes. I also had significant dieback on 2 Rugosas: Agnes and Rugelda - down to a few inches on both of those and they're usually cane hardy above the snowline. I lost my little Weigelia completely. My Albas had surprisingly little dieback at all, but they were protected with leaves. That's my rose report. Doesn't look like anything is completely dead in the rose department.

My sister has a William Baffin and she said it died back, not sure if it was to the snow line or the ground. It was 5 or 6 feet tall, and in a protected spot.

Oh and John Davis died back to about 2' but that's pretty normal for him here. Mine has a lot of canes and is vigorous so he still puts on a good show when this happens.

northspruce and wayne61 - thank you so much for your updates! I am really wondering if I should do climbing roses here, or whether I should just go with something with less risk and less maintenance, like Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle... hmm....

Thank you again!

My DHS died back too, for what it's worth. Alpina clematis did not die back at all and it grows beside Polstjarnan. I think we have a new hardiness queen...