It does well against a wall or posts and wires. It is a bit of a sprawler but retains enough flexibility to train it in one plane. Are you able to get behind it and stake a couple of stout posts on either side, giving a span of 2-3 metres? You can stretch straining wires or rail between the posts and tie the canes in a fan shape.It wants to grow outwards rather than upright but can be held fairly flat against a fence or trellis. Not a rose which will be contained within a tight space, though.

Austin,

I tried growing Buff Beauty as a pillar rose and it just didn't work. The canes are way too stiff and stubborn to tie up. I made a pillar out of an old 4X4 and ended up having to put cross bars on it to help hold up the unweildy canes. I kind of like it with the white background but it's just not going to wrap easily around a pillar--too many of the canes come out laterally, just like you said.

Hope this picture of my Buff Beauty helps somewhat. Jeff

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At the Sacramento City Cemetery, they made two gentle arches -- each one simple length of rebar.
Crossed in the middle, and held there by a twist of wire, the rebar arches are quite stable, and the canes can be easily tied to the rebar.
It makes a very graceful whole, and I'm sorry I don't have an image of the thing.

Jeri

Jeri, do you know what diameter (1/4, 3/8?) and length rebar they used? I love the idea....

Susan

No, but if Cemetery Rose (Anita) or Janelle don't drop in and tell you, I will ask them.
It's one of those simple, inexpensive ideas that just works.

Jeri

>I tried growing Buff Beauty as a pillar rose and it just didn't workMany roses mature stiffly, you have to tie the canes in when still young and pliable. And maybe your 'Buff Beauty' actually looks pretty good the way it is. Would it really be better if it were all clapped against the vertical support, at full attention? Perhaps not.

In Austin this one may need some shade for the flowers to be any good. These seem to be pretty prone to deleterious effects from hot sun.

Thanks, Jeri.
I'm gonna drive up to Sacto (it's only about 2 hours from here) when the roses are in bloom, so I can take a look for myself; and of course I can experiment myself; it's all part of the fun.

Susan

Oh, SUPER!

Listen, plan to come on open garden and rose sale.
I think this year it's April 16.

There's really no BAD season to visit that garden, but Open Garden day is really THE BEST.

Jeri
(Who lives in SoCal, but
Tries to visit the Cemetery
a Couple Of Times A Year.)

It's on the calender !!!!
Thanks

Susan

I just finished pruning Buff Beauty about twenty minutes ago. Somehow this year's pruning is really dragging; I'm so ready to be done with it.

Here you can see the pruned rose clearly, and the structure that supports it. My DH Tom made it out of copper pipe. This bed is high above the patio, and the thorny rose and its trellis serve as a guard rail to keep me from falling.

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I'm trying to think how long I've had this rose. Maybe ten years? It throws out strong new growth from existing canes, but hasn't sent any new canes from the roots in years. Also it builds on previous year's bloom. I cleaned up a lot of that this year, trying to induce it to break new buds from the lower regions. Not complaining. This rose performs very well. I'm happy with it, just exploring possibilities.

Rosefolly

And here is a picture of the same rose in bloom, taken a couple of years ago.

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I have mine in an enclosed patio trained over an old metal arbor where it gets almost full day sun. It's doing fine. I don't prune it (it is pretty tall and I don't get on ladders) so it could probably do much better. And those thorns! I think the cat rubbed up against one once and ended up with a large abcess on his cheek. He never did it again. I call Buff "serious business" and respect it very much. I marvel at the fragrance and beauty every spring and look forward to April.

wow, thanks all for your wonderful ideas. It has really helped me image better what I can do with this rose. I think it's actually in a perfect place now that I have seen some of yours. It's getting the right amount of sun, but it just needs encouragement to shape sideways. I love the idea of training it in a fan shape. I have some 2x4s and old steel fencing but I'm no builder so I may have to get someone out here to help.

And Jeri, I love the idea of using rebar, which would go quite well with my garden--although is rebar bendable without some kind of welding trick? (I'm clueless!)

I do have a welder who is building a fence for us this year and may see if he can do something like a simple (and hopefully economic!) horizontal structure. It wouldn't be too hard to get behind the rose and fan the canes. I'm moving and getting rid of the other plants and roses around it this week ... I definitely overplanted roses 3 years ago and am starting to see what I need to edit around here. This one's a keeper because it doesn't seem to fade and shy in the heat as much as some of my other roses. And I love its golden flowers.