Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Advice on roses - climbing ones, 0 by mickgene

mickgene wrote:
I added numerous climbers a few years ago, trying to pick both disease-resistant and very hardy ones. My favorites, after living with them for a while, are:

Fourth of July (red and white with yellow stamens)
Westerland (sunset orange with bits of golden yellow)
William Baffin (part of the Canadian Parklands series that are super hardy and also floriferous. Can become a monster climber.)
Darlow's Enigma (probably the best of the lost for hardiness, disease-resistance, and fragrance)
Dortmund (red single flower and repeat bloomer)
Greetings (not really a climber; but a shrub with long limber canes that could be trained onto a smaller trellis or railing. It's my favorite for the large clusters of blooms; I've had had as many as 35 blooms in one cluster before; and that's not unusual on this plant. Picture below)
Veilchenblau (tolerates some shade and it's color is actually better with some shade.)

You may want to consider roses grown on their own roots, rather than grafted ones. Own-root roses can grow back after a harsh winter that would kill a grafted rose. This is particularly useful if you're considering some that are marginally hardy. Many on-line sources are available for own-root roses; and I have found more and more locally available in the past year, although their availability is still spotty out here in the boondocks.

Also, Rose Forum regulars have been experimenting very successfully with using Messenger to fight the effects of disease; so check those threads out, too.