This rose frustrates me, because, though wonderfully healthy and vigorous, it's habit is like that of a giant HT-stiff, stiff branches bearing flowers at the top, way above my head so I can't see them. Now, I have another own-root James G., still in a pot.and I am wondering if part of the problem with my older plant is that it was planted too deep, and therefore has this obnoxious growth habit. This happens in my garden- deeply planted climbers turn into shrubs , refusing to climb,because all the canes root themselves, so I wind up with a sort of grove of own-root roses. So, I was wondering how to grow JG as a climber. Pictures I've seen of it being grown so mostly seem to show it trained onto a wall,but there are no walls in my woodland garden (it's far from my home). So I'd want to train it onto a pillar or something similar. Does anyone out there grow it as a climber without a wall? If so, what support do you use, and how do you insure that it flowers all over, not just at the top? Thanks in advance!

Other climbers have this "stiff" cane habit with supersize growth.. Berries 'N Cream, Above All, and Westerfield are examples I am familiar with. Berries 'N Cream is on a pillar while the others are on a lattice wall trellis, but are turning into giant shrubs because of their stiff growth habit and being planted too close together.

I watched a climber seminar sponsored by the American Rose Society and the rosarian speaker was asked the question about climbers and pillars and he said the climber should NOT be planted in the center of the pillar because it creates pruning problems. It should be planted NEXT to it with the canes wound around it. I have three climbers to care for that are planted in the center of pillars: Berries 'N Cream, Blaze, and Madame Carriere. What a nightmare. especially MC.

Best wishes!

reh0622 said: Other climbers have this "stiff" cane habit with supersize growth.. Berries 'N Cream, Above All, and Westerfield are examples I am familiar with. Berries 'N Cream is on a pillar while the others are on a lattice wall trellis, but are turning into giant shrubs because of their stiff growth habit and being planted too close together.

I watched a climber seminar sponsored by the American Rose Society and the rosarian speaker was asked the question about climbers and pillars and he said the climber should NOT be planted in the center of the pillar because it creates pruning problems. It should be planted NEXT to it with the canes wound around it. I have three climbers to care for that are planted in the center of pillars: Berries 'N Cream, Blaze, and Madame Carriere. What a nightmare. especially MC.

Best wishes!

Rosemarie, I think you mean Westerland, not Westerfield. Regarding the seminar where the rosarian stated to plant the climber adjacent to the pillar, that makes sense because in order to train a rose bush, there needs to be some length to the canes, and if you are planted right next to the pillar, there is no allowance for length so it doesn't work properly (unless the canes were to be super pliable, like rubber). So... MANY THANKS for mentioning that, I'll keep it in mind.
Re: Madame Alfred Carriere, that is a vigorous climber that can reach 25' tall x 10' wide, it sounds like it is too substantial for a modest lattice, it's more like a rose to grow up and around a major arch or even up the side of a house. Regardless, this is a rose that needs a very strong support!

Yes, Claire, Westerland. MC's canes are more pliable than Blaze or B & C's stiffer canes, but I'm faced with 10+' canes popping out of the top and all around the MC's 5' pillar. B & C's pillar is 6 ft, still a bit short., I believe, and Blaze's 7 ft high has been ok. I am ready to just cut MC to the ground and start over. So easy to miss new canes emerging, hidden by ones already tied on the outside of the pillar and then it's too late to tie them around. I know someone who had to get rid of their MC because it was too much for the 6' high backyard fence it was growing on.