Climbing Roses
By
Amy McDowell
You can grow spectacular climbing roses in
central Iowa. Look for those labeled hardy for zones 4 or 5. Zone 3 would be
even better, but climbing roses that hardy are rare. I’ll share a few of my
successes and failures.
Blaze – My first climbing rose. The cane winterkill was
aggravating, and I wasn’t willing to wrap them in burlap or bury them to
protect them. One glorious bloom season in seven years wasn’t enough for me, so
I dug it up and gave it away. Soil and mulch around the base of climbing roses
just protects the lower part of the plant, so most years I’d get blooms no
higher than my knees. Blaze is a red rose that grows to 10 feet with
protection.
Zephirine Drouhin – My first successful climber. Three years after
planting, this rose rewarded me with large deep pink blooms. When the blooms
first open, the fragrance is intoxicating. This rose was on the south side of
my home. I mulched the base but never protected the canes in winter. The tips
of the canes would sometimes die back, and one harsh winter they died back
several feet. It still came through winters much better than Blaze ever had,
and I was hooked on climbing roses from then on. Zephirine Drouhin is a rampant
grower to 12 feet. The canes are thornless, and it will bloom beautifully in
light shade, although full sun is best.
Paul’s Himalayan Musk Rambler – I put a simple metal arbor over the
walkway to my front door, and dreamed of my guests floating to the door
wide-eyed with wonder at the lovely climbing rose. After poring over the
catalogs, I ordered two “Pauls” for the arbor. Pleased with my decision, I
curled up with a brand new catalog that had just arrived in the mail. Panic
flooded through me when I read their
description of Paul—it said this rose has “sharp, grabby thorns.” The visions
of my guests turned gruesome and tragic. Scrambling, I decided to plant the two
Pauls along the split rail fence away from any paths. They have grown 30 feet
wide along the fence, with long arching canes that rarely suffer winterkill.
The blooms are such a pale pink that they look white from a distance.
Jeanne LaJoie – This is the pink climber I chose for the walkway
arbor, and it consistently rewards me with small perfect blooms and minimal
winterkill. Jeanne is much smaller in stature than Paul, barely reaching six
feet. Clematis planted on the arbor fills in where little Jeanne leaves off.
