It all depends also on what height you need.
In my climate for moderate height hedge ( below 6 feet)Belle de Crecy,Alice Vena, Jenny Duval, Charles de Mills, Rosa Mundi, Apthecary Rose, Tuscany superb, Allain Blanchard, Belle sans Flatterie, Oeillet Flamand work really well. For taller hedge (7-8 feet) Gloire de France, Duchesse de Buccleugh, Ipsilante and Beau Barcusse will work. One side of my garden now is almost completely gallica hedge and it looks very good even now in October. I have some taller and shorter variety all mixed together. Information on plant height is usually not relaible. Still looks good. Many of these gallicas are available at Vintage and Beau Narcisse, as far as I know, is available only from Vintage. Wonderful rose buy the way, really vigorous.
Olga

not yet, but I anticipate having one along the side of the house in a few years where I'll be planting Tuscany Superb (own root). Year after that I'll probably plant a Charles de Mills in the back. The other side of the back has Apothecary and sort of in between is Belle de Crecy (Alice Viena will be on other side of house). Will be throwing in a James Mason & Marianne in the Spring. Will see if Jenny Duval survives (summer planting).

Gallica (for the most part) = suckers = a lot more coming along (the more the merrier); NO SPRAY REQUIRED.

I've been debating one on and off once I get the white pines taken down. Some things to keep in mind:

Plan for the suckering. After about 15 years of growing these roses, this is by far by biggest maintenance problem, and it is a big one. They must be treated as the thugs they are, and the garden planning has to account for that. A mixed line of gallicas will not stay put, and the more aggressive ones will crowd out the weaker. It will also spread into adjoining garden space unless it is controlled by something like lawn mowing. I'm getting a Charles de Mills hedge by default, as everything else in that bed is losing the fight, and the outer edge is the lawn edge.

They require a regular pruning scheme once mature. They are not plant and forget plants, but are more along the lines of the fairly high maintenance raspberries. It takes me babout 5 minutes to prune a HT because there isn't much thought or work required. Proper spring pruning of a mature gallica can take me an hour for one rose.

Locally, there are two fairly successful rose hedges, in two very different styles. Both are one variety of rose, and neither of them are roses that sucker. One is a large, impromptu hedge of R. setigera bordering the Wilderstein parking lot. Given that setigera is fairly common in that area, it may have seeded itself in. It's about 8 ft tall and about that wide. The other is an old hedge of what they call the Livingston Rose, and more commonly is called Jacques Cartier. It was planted in the 1930's, is kept tightly pruned at about 3 ft, and is one of the few rose objects I truly covet.

The other is an old hedge of what they call the Livingston Rose, and more commonly is called Jacques Cartier. It was planted in the 1930's, is kept tightly pruned at about 3 ft, and is one of the few rose objects I truly covet.

*** Now, THAT is something I'd love to see.
Given that it's highly unlikely I'll ever have the opportunity, I wish you'd photograph it one day.

Jeri

James Mason and the hybrid gallica Chianti form a nice screen/hedge along one side of my deck; both are upright growers to about 8 ft here. Chianti is nice in that it suckers very little.

Rugosas also make nice hedges, tho, like gallicas, many of them sucker. I planted a Will Alderman 4 years ago and he is now a very dense, solid nearly 5'tall and 4' wide, and he hasn't sucked yet. I planted him along the driveway, which was sort of a sample-of-roses bed, but he so dominates that I'm taking out most of the others and putting in all rugosas. No blackspot or mildew, the deer leave them alone and the JBs eat the flowers but so far have left the foliage alone. By August, the rugosas are the only solid green rose bushes. I'm no-spray, so everything else falls to one thing or another. Rugosas are also very thorny, so they make a good "keep out" hedge.

There is an incredibly long (maybe a quarter mile?) hedge of what looks like either R. rugosa or R. rugosa rubra, at the Hermitage, (late the home of Andrew and Rachael Jackson) East of Nashville TN.

We did not see it in much bloom, but it was all the same impressive.
I believe we were a little early in the area for bloom.

Jeri in SoCal

I have a young Gallica hedge along my garden path, made entirely from suckers (imagine Kay cringing, here:) from plants at Mottisfont. Knowing they would mix themselves up anyway, I mixed them on planting. I am well on the way toward forgetting what they are, already, but I know they include Gloire de France, la Rire Nais, velutiniflora, Belle de Crecy and George Vibert.

Rosa Mundi is often seen as a short hedge here.

Best wishes
Jon

I guess the best hedge is made by rugosas: very carefree, everblooming, incredibily halthy. And hips in autumn!
The problem with once-bloomer is... well, imagine precisely THAT week it rains, you'll have to wait another year to see a flower...

Somewhere around Sacramento I came across a hedge that went literally for miles of just Eglanteria. I don't think they got water in the summer, either, but still looked great. You'd have to want a BIG hedge if you were going to use those (at LEAST 12' x 12').

--Ron

Some folks in the Carolina mountains try rugosa hedges, but in these parts there are some pests that kill rugosa canes, and if the problem is ignored, the whole bushes will die.

"I'm getting a Charles de Mills hedge by default, as everything else in that bed is losing the fight, and the outer edge is the lawn edge. "
Madgallica says it well. For my inadvertant Gallica hedge, substitute the name Alika. Magnificent, long blooming and going to succeed regardless of weather. (And it will overgrow other gallica-like roses.)(Which isn't good, but I do love the vibrant color of Alika and it produces hips well.)
Folks in a valley one mountain over had a very good inadvertant gallica hedge about twelve feet long. That gallica is probably Ipsilante which is a passalong in that valley. Their grows right next to a deep ditch (homage to its south of France heritage perhaps). But one end of it got RRD. We caught it in time and had the sick end dug out. Then the next year, the road crew came through and mowed it down, unasked. It's holding on, but the road crew are getting agressive over there so it may not make it.

Then the next year, the road crew came through and mowed it down, unasked. It's holding on, but the road crew are getting agressive over there so it may not make it.

*** YOu'd think they could find something better to do with their time.

Jeri

My dear friend Nick from Heritage Rosariums sent me this picture he took of the gallica hedge at Kiftgate Court. It is made up of Rosa Mundi and Apothecary Rose. I've been there too and it is a lovely sight!
Lori
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WOW...that is gorgeous. I grow my Gallicas in beds about three deep-taller (in theory) to the back but I think I should rethink that. I have a couple of edges...in general they do make nice shrubs with some shaping-necessary to keep the flowers out of the dirt. We are fortunate that the bloom here is long-6 weeks or so. Belle sana Flatterie, Surpasse Tout-either Tuscany, Belle Herminie, Duc de Guiche, Jenny Duval-I could keep on but I am typing around a cat.

patricia

A gallica hedge is the kind of thing you would do at a big place to produce a seasonal spectacle that is viewed and enjoyed at that time, with its lack of excitement the rest of the year not being a problem as there is plenty of other stuff to look at elsewhere on the farm or estate. Small places don't have the room for this kind of thing, except where someone is so mad about a particular plant or the effect it produces for a comparatively small amount of time they put up with it the balance of the year. Or the occupant is not interested enough to care about the lack of yearround interest.

In addition to a comparatively brief season another feature liable to be noticed with a gallic hedge is abundant foliage mildew.

Olga has it right.
It depends upon your conditions -- Climate, et al.

I LOVE Gallica Roses.
But Gallica Roses do not grow well in my environment. Not only do they mildew, they also rust like the dickens, because they don't get any winter dormancy.

Eventually, they die.

Trying to grow Gallicas in an area unsuited to them is like trying to put lipstick on a pig.
It insults the pig, and frustrates you.
We must be grateful for what we CAN grow well.

Jeri

>Still my gallica hedge looks good even now in October. I do put a lot of campanion plants with it for interestMaking it a mixed planting instead of a hedge standing there by itself. Does anyone think that woman in the above shot would be photographed looking at the hedge when it was not in bloom? The hedge in a flowering condition is the dominant feature in the scene, the reason for walking into that part of the estate.

Since most people do hedges with things that are just green all year and never bloom, anyone who took the trouble to have a gallica hedge like the one photographed above would be making a nice alternative. The only negative I see is in winter they would not provide as much privacy, but in places where there's a lot of snow, not having leaves is probably an asset.

Still, bboy is right, without being in bloom, it's not a great feature, but then, almost no hedge is.

--Ron

Olga, Lori, Patricia, Ann, Bboy, Jeri, Ron, Scardan, Jon, Catsrose, Dave, Geo and Mad Gallica (and anyone I missed): Thanks for your kind help and the suggestions!

The purpose of the hedge is to help frame my small front yard. I have yews out there right now (so it's not that interesting anyway year-round) with deutzia and salvia in front of them.

I live in an urban city with lots of foot traffic. The yard is bounded by 2 long driveways -- mine and my neighbors, and there's a walkway leading from the sidewalk to my front door, and a path from the driveway to my front door. The drives are narrow and "Keep out" hedging here would be very unneighborly for getting in/out of the car.

I was hoping for a little more privacy so I could maybe put a bench in the yard. But not so much privacy that someone would feel free to take a seat or could try to break in undeterred. We spend most of summer out back, so it would be nice if it's fairly easy to maintain in the summer and pretty in the spring. That's why I thought of gallicas and other OGRs.

That's the truth, and the justification I'm giving my husband. The real, real underlying reason for the hedge, though, is that I'm running out of room for roses and I want to help the Vintage cause, too, so if/when I ever get more room in actual beds, I'll still have a few places to go for roses. If I have to, I'll hedge them along the very back of the back yard, too. Thanks for the Rugosa suggestions -- the thorny security would be appreciated back there.

The ideal height would be about 4-6 feet. Shorter in front, taller on the sides.

I already have Alain Blanchard and Belle de Crecy and suckers and a grafted Tuscany Superb. I have grafted Belle sans Flaterie and Belle Sultan on reserve from Pickering (and though I could switch them over, I'd hate to hurt one nursery to help another). I'll definitely check out Ipsalante, Glorie de France, Beau Narcisse, Jenny Duval, Rosa Mundi and the Apothecary rose and Belle Herminie at Vintage. Since a couple of you mention Charles de Mills as a bully, he will not be welcome. Maybe two or three of the others, though, would mix very well.

That Jacques Cartier hedge sounds glorious... maybe I could try that for the space between the sidewalk and the street for more constant color that people will more immediately see.

Thanks also for gorgeous picture and the inspiration and the idea about the clematis!

Mildew really isn't a problem, except with Leda (who wouldn't be in there) and Belle de Crecy. But I also don't spray for it.

Has anyone found a way to control the suckering? Does lining the hole with landscape fabric work?

Thanks again

Lots of people put in Rhodie or Azalea hedges that are only in bloom for a brief period. I have seen Hydrangea hedges in suburban settings as well and no one thinks a thing about it. What about all the endless privet, Boxwood,Pieris,Photinia, Forsythia,Spiraea, Juniper hedging(I could go on and on) you see everywhere? Ideally you plant something else to draw interest with foliage as a backdrop if you dont have space for "Room" gardening. Gallicas are ideal for that sort of thing-and the show cant be beat.

patricia

Rhododendrons, evergreen azaleas etc. are evergreen. And, unlike a rose enthusiast many property owners are not interested enough in gardening to care if a hedge isn't a feature all of the time. In fact, many hedges are planted because they are cheaper than fences. Much of the demand for bamboo plants here is drive by this fact and not an interest in exotic-looking plants.

We crossed posts...I have used double landscape fabric with good effect- You can also cut inexpensive garbage cans in half(cheaper than the big nursery pots) and set those. eventually you might have to partially lift the plants to clean them out-not a bad job with Gallicas as they seldom have serious thorns. I mostly just try to keep up with the suckers. I garden because I like gardening so I am not looking for a no-labor solution-any excuse to be out there is my motto.

patricia

I forgot to mention that the back row of my rose garden is predominently gallicas, with a rugosa, a centifolia and a damask in there too. A lot of the centifolias/damasks have similar suckering habits to the gallicas. My row includes Belle de Crecy, Alice Vena, Duchess de Montebello, Charles de Mills (a must-have in my opinion, and no more worse a suckerer than the others!), and Tuscany Superb. Next year plan to add Ipsilante. I have other gallicas in other places including Jenny Duval (taller and more suckering than the others), and Rosa Mundi/Apothecary rose.

IME, it's going to be very hard to get far enough down that the roots won't just go under a barrier. Part of that may be my soil conditions - bedrock not too far down covered with heavy, compacted clay with a top foot of amended topsoil. Once roots get beneath the amended layer, they become very difficult to me to deal with. So my current problem is that after tackling the suckers once, and digging and dividing the perennials bordering the roses, the suckers are just coming back, and spreading into even more territory. I thought I could do some controlling by planting companions that could hold their own, but the grasses are the only ones that have really done that job.

And yes, I agree with Lori, there are definitely things on that list that are worse than Charles de Mills.

Thanks very much for the advice on dealing with suckers. I've got clay, but the area where the hedge(s) will be is all amended soil. I think I'm going to try both garbage cans and landscape fabric.

I don't mind the digging out suckers, but I've got perennials blooming all season in addition to once- and repeat-blooming roses. Sometimes, I think I could deadhead and maintain plants almost every day. I love my gardens, but always having to work in them is just not the way I want to live. So I was thinking I could give myself a break in some small ways, like growing more once-bloomers (less deadheading through the season) and by not having to pull as many suckers.

I also don't mind plants that bloom for only a short time. For me, I appreciate and anticipate those plants more than the ones that I'll see for week after week after week. All winter, I look forward to Belle de Crecy, my hyacinths and my lilac bush. Nothing that repeats in my yard even comes close to the joy I feel when I saw those three things blooming. With more once-bloomers there now, and coming soon, it should be a real party!

OK, so if Charles de Mills is getting a bad rap, compared with others on the list, which ones are the definite bullies to stay away from?

Thanks again!

charles de Mills is a bad sucker if grown own root, if you get it grafted from pikering it will stay in bounds. In my opinion it is the most beatiful, even better then Belle de Crecy. Jenny Duval is also a bad sucher (worse then CdM), but it is also available grafted. But of course this will not help Vintage:(
Olga

There are a couple of old Belle Sans Flatterie hedges in my yard. One is in a very shady spot under big trees and is about 5' tall, the other is in full sun and tops out at 4'. My grandmother planted them as rose bushes (probably in the 1950's), but they have evolved by suckering into about 15' long hedges.

We keep them in bounds by mowing the suckers. The hedges don't stand out as specimens except for a couple of weeks in June when they bloom. However, they are no-care here, require no spray, and can survive harsh, very dry summers with just the rainfall. They have been fertilized maybe 4 or 5 times ever. It's also nice that when needed, they can be cut completely back and allowed to renew themselves (unlike trees). One of them is against the house, and gets cut down when the house needs new stucco.

Seeing the gorgeous hedge above, I think I'll do a major pruning next year and try to get them looking like that.