I love the colors on your Bleu Magenta, Lavender!

Awesome is the only word I can think of to describe that, Jeri!

Sure: Aurelia Liffa, Easlea's Golden Rambler, Paul Noel, Veilchenblau, Violette, White Dorothy, Chevy Chase, Edmond Proust, I.X.L., Mary Wallace, Twilight Mist.

I love Veilchenblau, Lavender Lass. If I had open land and lots of sun, I'd build split rail fences and plant ramblers everywhere along the fence line. I love what Connie's done with her fences and ramblers.

That is a gorgeous plant, Jeri. wowza!

I've never seen IXL grown as a Rambler, but I bet it's a knockout.

Jeri

Are you ready to own an IXL, Jeri? If so, I have one for you. It IS spectacular! I had one in the Newhall garden I grew to use as a standard, but kept the top sheared so it was full and grown as a once flowering tree rose. Gorgeous! The flowers are quite violet and large and it should flower for a pretty long period out where you are.

Purple Skyliner is descended from the multiflora violet ramblers and repeats its bloom. It's perfectly healthy here in Encino. I also grow Mel's Heritage, 0-47-19 and a number of my own rambler seedlings out of 0-47-19 with various pollen parents such as Pride of Oakland and, I think, Mutabilis. The slugs got the tag, but it looks right and I did put a lot of Mutabilis pollen on that plant. Kim

Jeri, I can't brag about (or decry) my IXL at this point. Originally she got planted in a dry not very well irrigated spot and left to fend for herself. Last year she got dug and replanted in a better site (and in a gopher basket) and I am hoping to see her strut her stuff starting next spring. After that I'm led to believe she may get quite huge, but that is okay with me. I let the roses tumble among each other at their pleasure, and IXL is in a place where she can claim a fair amount of territory before she gets annoying.

I grow many Ramblers. I'm on a mission to collect as many as I can. I don't know about zone 4. I imagine Russeliana would grow there. It's been such an easy rose for me. Some ramblers produce a lot of dead wood. This can mean work depending on where they are planted. I like the idea of climbers in trees until the tree falls which has happened to me a few times. I recently spent hours untangling a Newport Fairy from a downed apricot. This was not fun. One can see from Jeri's photo how wonderfully special they can be though.

I love ramblers------If you have the room or a good tree they put on a wonderful show---two of my favorites-

Paul's Himalayan Musk

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Albertine
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Florence

Like mendocino_rose above, I grow as many ramblers as I can ... she's WAY ahead of me, tho. :)

My favorites are most of the Wichurana ramblers, like Alberic Barbier, Leontine Gervais, Paul Transon, Aviateur Bleriot, and American Pillar (which is happily scaling a Virginia Cedar tree). I have come to appreciate the Hybrid Setigera ramblers, with 'Arcata Pink Globe' and Baltimore Belle at the top of my list.

Many other ramblers are a mixed bag here in BS country. Most of the ones I have that were developed by Geschwind are prone to BS defoliation, and I plan to cull them when I get the time next year. An exception is Geschwind's Nordlandrose and 'Himmelsauge', which is lovely ... very similar to Russelliana, which I love.

I have Veilchenblau and Tausendschoen in pots right now, and they will be my next roses to be sent up a tree ... together, to mingle in the treetop.

I experimenting with planting ramblers in less-than-ideal situations, since they are so vigorous and disease resistant when sited properly. One such experiment is with 'Auguste Roussel' planted between two black walnut trees along my Rambler Fence, in a spot that gets dappled sunshine and light shade, and no direct sun. This rose has done beautifully, growing modestly and blooming very well last spring. I'm calling this experiment a success.

Everyone who has a good-sized vertical spot, or a length of fence, has the room to grow at least one rambler.

Connie

Here is a link that might be useful: search 'Ramblers' and see lots of blog posts with photos.

I should have posted photos yesterday. I was too rushed. This is my favorite rambler shot: Paul's Himalayan growing on White Bear our old motor home that we were too fond of to take to the junk yard.
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Twilight Mist on an arbor.
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Cherries Jubilee
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Climbing Cecile Brunner on an oak. It's climbing polyantha, but it certainly rambles.
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If you have room many ramblers can be grown freestanding. I have a field dedicated to freestanding ramblers.

I have several varieties, but they have not all been identified yet. I am an OG/Rambler Rose rescuer.
My favorite is my beloved Ispahan. She has everything a rose should have. Dreamy cabbage blooms, a strong Myrrh fragrance, very hardy, insect free, and virtually no thorns. The canes are small and very flexible. She blooms non-stop anywhere from 4-6 weeks in mid-spring. My whole place is filled with her fragrance. Pure heaven.
There are others, but Ispahan is my sweetheart.

Rosa, Ispahan and Pink Peonies - May 2010
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Close-up
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I love everyone's roses! You each and everyone have gorgeous roses growing in heavenly gardens. So Beautimous!

Gotta have a Bleu Magenta! Wow! Where did you get her?

~Annie

I love Mendocino Rose's collection of field ramblers, and of course the enormous rose draped over the camper.

In my own more modest space I grow only a few ramblers. Inspired by Lloyd Chapman's webpage I planted half a dozen of the purple multiflora ramblers some years ago -- Donau!, Bleu Magenta, Veilchenblau, and one or two others. With one exception they were all seriously chlorotic, and all heavily mildewed. The only one that did well for me was Violette, which I kept and still grow today. I do like Violette very much and am growing it as a mound.

Other than that I have Rambling Rector, Chevy Chase, Baltimore Belle, and Trier. Despite being a multiflora rambler, Trier is reasonably healthy. Oh yes, and a yellow Lady Banks. I guess I would consider that a rambler, too.

My other climbers pretty much all repeat.

Rosefolly

Here is a link that might be useful: Purple Multiflora Ramblers

Thank you for all the wonderful pictures and ideas :)

Annie- Your Ispahan is beautiful! I had a couple, but the deer kept chewing on them, so I gave them to my mom. I didn't think about growing them 'up' so I may have to try another one, in a protected corner. My Bleu Magenta is from Rogue Valley Roses and it's already bloomed with the different colors! RVR says it can often take about three years to get more than pink and mine was only its second year. Of course, since it only blooms on old wood, the flowers were all on the bottom 10" of the plant. LOL

I love this rose, but it's the one by the corner of the porch that has to be replaced. The rose didn't get damaged, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they can pull the porch back and maybe remove it without hurting my rose. I don't know if I can dig it out, since we've had so much cold weather. I'll find out in the next week or so...when we get the insurance check.

(A truck hit out house, after hitting both our vehicles.) Here's my little Bleu Magenta...before and after. See how the railing of the porch moved past the green trim and up against the window. {{gwi:324261}}From Truck hitting my house
{{gwi:324262}}From Truck hitting my house

Lavender Lass, did you ever decide what kind of barrier to put up to keep trucks and cars from entering your garden?

Rosefolly

Ramblers are my favorite "group" of roses. I will confess that I am a hoarder of these roses. I am especially fond of the wichuriana ramblers (more specifically, those bred by Barbier). They do exceedingly well for me without any type of chemical support. I also grow a significant number of the multiflora ramblers.

Having roses repeat is not an issue for me, so this opens up many possiblities.

Robert

Pam----I was hoping you would post that picture of PHM crawling all over your camper----

I also love Twilight Mist-----I think that picture is the one that inspired me to paint again after a long period of not painting----

Love Ramblers--------

Twilight Mist is such a beautiful unusual color for a rambler. The Paul's has become an even bigger mound on top of the motor home. There's nothing like a rambler in full bloom.

I grow a couple, but they are young and small, so I haven't seen thier full potential yet! My oldest is Bleu Magenta (ironically) I purcahsed it from RVR as a tiny little band and I remember in its first year I got one bloom, but it shot out canes close to 8 feet long by fall! Its a vigorous rose!

I've also added Super Dorothy, Violette, Ghislaine de F�ligonde (very healthy and vigorous too), Edmond Proust, and I have Alb�ric Barbier arriving from Connie this week sometime :) I can't wait until these show off what they can do!
~Tammy

Tammy- Are you Tammy from the Potager forum? Just wondering, since I haven't seen her for a while.

Rosefolly- Still thinking about ideas, to see if we can find something that will work and be affordable. I'm leaning towards some kind of supports (like railroad ties) with chains swagged between...and maybe roses growing along the chains. That would be so pretty, if I can keep the deer away from them :)

No, I'm not the same one Lavender. I just hang out here :)

My Swedish climate is a little too hard on ramblers so I have to select varieties and place them very carefully. I've lost several multifloras over the years and my Veilchenblau freezes regularly and blooms only at soil level.

Most of the Geschwind ramblers do well, the multifloras Caroline Bank, Futtacker Schlingrose, Geschwinds Nordlandrose, Geschwinds Orden, and Gilda. Setigeras that thrive are Erinnerung an Brod, Aurelia Liffa, Corporal Johann Nagy, Himmelsauge (a rugosa cross), Jean Lafitte and Long John Silver, the latter two by Horvath. My wichuranas lived for many years but the winter of 2009 killed American Beauty Cl. and American Pillar. Fragezeichen and New Dawn survived but only just. My two moschata climbers live but one doesn't ramble, Ghislaine de Feligonde. It flowers well on a neat shrub. Secret Garden Musk Climber throws out enormously long shoots that freeze but this autumn I have bent them to the ground in the hope that I'll see some flowers again as in its first year. Perennial Blue and Valdemar are too young to comment on.

My favourite ramblers are the helenaes, Lykkefund and Hybrida, the latter a chance seedling from Denmark. They are everybody's favourite ramblers in the colder parts of Scandinavia. Much more beautiful than the ubiquitous and bone hardy but dull beggeriana Polstjärnan. We keep it only because it is reliable as a cover for structures.

I think the classification of ramblers and climbers is difficult. A few of the Geschwinds are a little too stiff to qualify as ramblers in my opinion but they are in the right classes. The alba Chloris became a climber very early and the shrub rose Raubritter has begun to ramble into a cornelian cherry without help from me. Roses of many classes will do that given the opportunity of a wall or structure.

mariannese's mention of Setigera ramblers is an important one. Very few hybridizers bothered to work with Rosa setigera, and there are precious few hybrids still in existance. After concentrating on collecting Wichurana ramblers, last year, at the urging of some rose friends, I turned my attention to the Setigeras.

Himmelsauge and Erinnerung an Brod do very well for me ... Himmelsauge especially. Arcata Pink Globe is a superstar. Last year, I added 'Queen of the Prairies' and an unknown found Setigera that was given to me by a friend. I don't have Baltimore Belle yet, because I've been concentrating on the ones that are harder to come by, but I know that it does exceptionally well in my climate and I expect to add it this coming year.

It sounds as if I should add Long John Silver and Jean Lafitte to my collection. HMF lists Rogue Valley as a supplier, and they appear to have it available, so this is incentive for me to put my wish list into an actual order and get it done.

Jean Lafitte seems to be a problem, as there is no US source listed. Sounds like I'll be doing some virtual 'knocking on doors' asking for cuttings. Anyone grow this rose or know someone who does?

Connie

Connie, I bet Anne Belovich with her huge rambler collection has Jean Lafitte. Long John Silver is beautiful, really worthwhile. Mine is still growing but I've seen the giant at the Vintage home garden.

I am sure an American bred rose like Jean Lafitte must be available somewhere in the US. I imported mine from Germany after having seen it at Sangerhausen. It stood out among hundreds of ramblers and climbers there.

Doubloons is a yellow setigera by Horvath that I don't have, oddly, because it is one that is easily available in Sweden. I think it would look stunning with one of the darker of the Geschwinds, or a dark blue clematis but perhaps the contrast would be too strong?

I had Baltimore Belle once but didn't take proper care of the very small rooted cutting. I should have kept it in a pot over its first winter.

Thanks, Tammy :)

Hi,
I had never heard of the term rambler until this week....I've seen the wild growing habit roses that looked like them but never knew what they were called. I would LOVE to have any of them in my garden. Where can I purchase ramblers? Thanks for being patient with this novice. lol

Guadalupe Volunteer!!!! Dream come true! Forty feet, with some fifty-foot canes!!!! And to think it just HAPPENED! Obviously, there is a higher power smiling upon the volunteers and their rose garden.

I grow Polstjarnan. As my Swedish friend above states, it is both bone-hardy and dull. It's healthy, hearty, scary and makes whether or not I have painted my shed a moot point... but the flowers are not very exciting.

I have only one, 'Chevy Chase'. When I moved to the South, I planted it in honor of the hometown I'd just been obliged to abandon (and the birthplace of this rambler), Chevy Chase, MD. It's happy here growing along its split rail fence -- and I'm always delighted when it begins its long period of cherry red bloom each spring.

I purchased mine from Roses Unlimited back in the late 90's. They no longer offer it. I think I got the very last one they had in stock.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Chevy Chase'

Who dug this up??? Honestly, just when I thought I could take a break from figuring out what to order from where, and how am I going to get it all planted, RAMBLERS!! And, I have the perfect cedar trees for them!! And I already have some wild ones in the woods.

Nancy

I think you need to look at mail order nurseries for most ramblers although I have read that HD sells Lady Banks rose which is one of the most beautiful roses to me. I have "Felicite et Perpetue" which produces huge clusters of pinkish white ponpoms in May and June. It is also evergreen in my zone 9b garden except this year when it got unseasonably cold. The leaves turned a vivid orange-red. It is carefree but aphids love it--so do I!

Anne

Jeri, Do you know where I can find a Guadalupe Volunteer?? :-) Love this rambler!!

Jeri, is that Jill Perry in your first photo?

..what is I.X.L. please? thank you...

edit....aah ok....checked on HMF...used as a stock...nice looking rose...