T-bird, What about fragrance? Do you want roses that will bloom all summer? Do you want the same type of rose on either side of the entry, or different roses? What zone are you in?

We'd be able to give you better advice, if you were a little more specific :)

Sounds very nice. A couple of roses that spring to mind that have the added benefit of being thornless are Kathleen Harrop (a more disease resistant and lighter pink sport of Zepherine Drouhin) and Annie Laurie McDowell (a sport of Renae). One David Austin that might fit the bill is Generous Gardener (also thornless, I think). If you don't mind thorns, New Dawn or Eden are both lovely. I did a bunch of research on lighter pink climbers for my front porch. Of course, I don't know what zone you are in, so you might have to check out their hardiness for your zone.

Lisa

Thanks - i'm in zone 5.

different roses or the same - not decided......fragrance - negotiable.

maybe make the whole 15 foot just latice with roses?

T-Bird if you haven't already seen it, go to the cottage garden forum and look at Mary Lu's recent posts picturing her beautiful rose garden. She has a very tall lattice fence covered in climbing roses. Really beautiful and she's in zone 4/5.

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Mary Lu's Garden

Thanks Lisa!

Heading over there now. I love photos! Truly 1000 word + inspirations!

I grow Alamo which is a medium lavender/pink with a hybrid tea style bloom on a tuteur. It would be a perfect size for a five to six foot fence. Do check out hardiness. It has thorns, but not excessive.

I'm almost 100% sold on solid lattice (is that an oxymoron?) and just covering everything with roses! Sigh!

About how many years do they typically take to climb to 6-7'?

Climbing roses are beautiful, but they can be difficult in cold winter conditions. Even within similar zones, there are a lot of differences in frost times, late cold freezes, etc.

All roses along the fence would be beautiful, but other climbers mixed in might be nice. Clematis is very pretty with roses and they usually grow well together. That way...just in case you have a bad winter, you'll still have some flowers higher up on your fence.

You might want to check out the rose and antique rose forums, to get some info on own root vs. grafted roses. There are some people in very cold zones, who have great success with their roses...it's just a matter of picking the right roses for your area :)

Tbanks Lisa, for mentioning my Annie Laurie McDowell. It isn't a sport of Renae, however, it is a seedling of it. Fortunately, it is becoming more available this spring. Sources will be listed on Help Me Find as they generate suitable plants. Kim

Lattice is lovely to grow roses on, but I would suggest using the lattice to tie your roses onto instead of weaving them in and out, because when it comes time to prune your old canes back(every three or four years)it can become a problem. Some climbers are strong growers and can damage lattice work, plus the lattice can rub the canes and create wounds. All the climbers listed in my gallery are all hardy and disease resistant.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Climbing Roses