Need hardy, thornless rose to drape down tall retaining wall

13 years ago

I'm looking for something pretty to cover an ugly, 8-foot, southwest-facing retaining wall that abuts my patio. There is a place for planting on top of the wall, but nothing at the bottom. I'm looking for a nice rose that can trail over the edge and down the wall - is that even possible? Or do roses just climb up and not hang down?

If it is possible to plant a rose atop a wall, it would be nice if it was not too thorny (so people don't cut themselves walking down the stairs nearby), and even nicer if it was fragrant. So far I have come up with: John Davis, Madame Plantier (said to be only hardy to zone 5, but supposedly will grow in zone 4 too), Polestar, Polareis, and New Dawn. Any other ideas? Thanks.

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Mountie

9 years ago

paulineinmn,
David Austin's "Bishop's Castle" is good for cascading over a wall, but it is not thornless. The catalog describes it as: rich rose pink.....very healthy.....excellent repeat-flowering.....very good Old Rose fragrance. I don't know how it would do in zone 4 though. What color is your southwest-facing wall? If it is brick, I think white roses would cool down the red brick. If it is a light, neutral color, a brighter color would add interest. Hope you will find/have found a rose for the wall that pleases you well.

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Comments (10)

catsrose
13 years ago
No to New Dawn. Very thorny, very stiff canes, does not hang down, but hangs up anything it comes in contact with.

Sea Foam, tho its a bit thorny, but hangs well. The Fairy and its various versions.
buford
13 years ago
Zephrine Drouhin is almost thornless and has a great fragrance. However, it doesn't have a great rebloom. I think it would 'hang' I have it in a fountain shape and it gets long trailing canes.

oops, sorry, you probably can't do ZD in zone 4.
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drudadunat
13 years ago
How about Red Cascade? I'm not sure how thorny it is, but this rose cascades over walls beautifully.
wirosarian_z4b_WI
13 years ago
John Davis canes are too stiff to be planted at the top thus they would not trail down over the wall. If there is any way you can get a planting space at the bottom of the wall, JD would work well for you--hardy in Z4, very disease resistant, nearly thornless & with support can cover your wall. I really don't know of a good rose prospect that would fit your "8' trailing" requirements in Z4. You may have to look at some other type of plant for trailing.
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
13 years ago
What about Parthenocissus tricuspidata, common name 'Boston Ivy' (it's not an ivy). It covers a wall beautifully and turns a brilliant red in the fall.
artemis_pa
13 years ago
Veilchenblau could work. It is extremely hardy and nearly thornless. I have one that is growing up a maple tree. It has long, long flexible canes.

From HMF:
Mauve or purple blend. Moderate, green apple, lily of the valley fragrance. Average diameter 1.5". Small, semi-double (9-16 petals), in large clusters bloom form. Once-blooming spring or summer.
Habit:
Climbing, thornless (or almost). Glossy, light green foliage.
Height of 10' to 20' (305 to 610 cm). Width of up to 12' (up to 365 cm).
Growing:
USDA zone 4b and warmer. Shade tolerant.
johnnycabot
9 years ago
I love roses too, but perhaps you should consider clematis for that close a situation. No thorns, and showy even in our zone.
Embothrium
9 years ago
If you are saying you are in USDA 4 you should start by looking at which ones will actually survive the winters there and then proceed with your selection process from that point. As the choice will be very much smaller than in warmer climates you may have to sacrifice one of more of the desired attributes in order to have climbing roses at all.
User
9 years ago
Crown Princess Magaretta? It is almost thornless and mine is floppy and drape over a walkway wall.