I meant to put this in the other forum.........

That's okay that you posted on the wrong forum.
I can still make a suggestion though, right?
'Climbing Pinkie' should work and would be very tough and healthy, with almost no thorns.

Randy

I'm with Randy on this one. I think Climbing Pinkie would be a better choice. Compassion is beautiful, indeed, but it seems to grow much more stiff and upright... I really can't imagine it cascading down the umbrella top. Pinkie definitely would.

I don't grow Pearly Gates.

Robert

Heh, heh, I actually have two Climbing Pinkies in another spot. My dad had one that was truly magnificent! I am always trying to keep up with the ol' Dad's plants (and failing)! No matter how I do everything "right" for my tomato plants, I go visit him and his are twice as big and nice! He is one of those "not by the book" guys too.

Back to Pinkie, I am still waiting for mine to come into their glory. I have had a problem with them being planted next to a fence and horses eating them :) (can you say GLUE!!!!!) It happened again this year when my poor husband didn't secure the gate. Well, let's just say that I wasn't too happy! They may have to remain in bush form since they have been eaten down twice.

Thanks for the thought on Compassion being stiff; I guess I better consider that issue!

Lynn

I thought this might be a post about whether to shovel prune (send it to the "Pearly Gates") or save (show "Compassion") a rose that wasn't performing well for you, Lynn. :)

Pearly Gates is a sport of America, so if you've seen it you'll have an idea of how Pearly Gates will grow. It certainly can be trained to curve over the top of an arbor or umbrella trellis, but the canes will not dangle down unless and until they get really long (not too likely to happen in most climates).

That's a good one, Redbirds. It reminds me of the garden I visited which the owner called "Rose Heaven". The only way into the garden was to go through an arbor that had Pearly Gates growing up each side. Thus you had to enter through the Pearly Gates to get to Rose Heaven.

Redbirds - yes, that was pretty funny! I hadn't thought of it that way!

Ok, it is appearing that I have the wrong type rose for my umbrella (or the wrong structure for the right rose! Sure do like both of those roses - dad nab it!) At this point I may have to just let the skyflower do it's thing for another year. It has really beautiful flowers but by late summer it is a ginormous mass covering the umbrella and surrounding plants. It finally blew over during Hurricane Ike....

Of course, not having a place to put a rose/daylily/perennial has never stopped me from purchasing anyway!