Vigorous climber that barely repeats vs. repeating shrub?

The big issue for Meg would be whether it is cane-hardy in your zone--I have no idea. The flowers are breathtakingly beautiful.

Good analogy, Michael. Add to it the extra work required to winter protect the vigorous climber which flowers virtually only on old wood as opposed to trying to winter protect a REPEAT flowering shrub which will flower even if severely pruned to permit being covered. Seems a "no brainer", doesn't it? Kim

Well, given that Golden Wings is a blackspotty, tender mess of a rose that barely blooms . . . .

I was warned that this rose is brittle and not over floriferous but I have it against my chicken fence (wire) where it has flourished, presenting me with astonishingly lovely blooms. A beautiful rose, well worth the effort of providing support.

Location, location, location. Here, no disease, no hardiness issues and eleven months of gorgeous flowers.

Golden Wings winters wonderfully and blooms like crazy for me. It does black spot though. And it isn't a climber of any kind. It gets between 5 and 6 feet tall for me and that's it.

Golden Wings is blackspotty here but can be grown without spray because it is hardy in our climate.

Campanula, I take it you are talking about Meg. How much bloom do you get after the June flush? I don't grow it and haven't been able to observe it except briefly.

Meg has only had 2 flowering seasons so it is hard to say - there has not been a noticeable spring flush as it is still putting on flowering wood. The amount of blossom stayed fairly constant throughout the summer rather than going in distinct cycles. It was certainly willing to carry on almost indefinately. It is a rose which seems to have got up some people's noses as it has one of the nastiest reviews I have ever read in the RHS Quest-Ritson book and I seem to remember Stirling Maccoboy being equally derisory. OTOH, Beales has always championed this rose. I know nothing about the breeder, who 'experts' refer to as an amateur! but I am loving this rose so far and think it will be a very mannerly grower which will respond well to my (ahem) 'experimental' pruning (I have it with the apple cordons and other variously 'trained' fruit trees as well as the (obvious) apple rose, R.pomifera duplex.