Popular ones for this area include 'Dublin Bay', 'Don Juan', 'Altissimo' and 'Dortmund'. The last two are singles. 'Red Eden' is a nice choice for an old fashioned look but is a pinker red rather than a red red :-) And personally, I'd avoid 'Blaze' like the plague! It offers puny flowers and is disease-ridden in this climate.

My personal favorite from this list is 'Altissimo' - produces a profusion of blossoms over a long season from a very early age that are a striking, deep red, has a light spicy fragrance and is very disease resistant.

If you are a Jimmy Page fan, there is also 'Stairway to Heaven'. I planted one late last year and am excited to see what it becomes in it's sophomore year :-)

'Stairway to Heaven' was the song my husband and I danced our first dance to at our wedding. ;) Confused all the adult relatives but our peers loved it.

I have Climbing Crimsom Glory, an oldish rose that has nodding, incredibly fragrant fully double blooms. Mine is relatively young, and had a decent fall rebloom last season. (A lot of references refer to it as having no rebloom - the Vintage catalogue refutes this and offers a virus indexed clone) I plant more than one rose together - you could do this with a newer cultivar that blooms more through the summer.
Other old varieties to check out are Cl. Etoile de Hollande and Bardou Job.

Here is a link that might be useful: vintage roses

I just planted Stairway to Heaven! Read lots of good things about it. Got it at Lowe's about a week ago 1/2 off. Let us know boxofrox how it does as a second year.

My first date with my husband was at the SF Planetarium to see the Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd Laser Show. Cool first date!

I have a Dublin Bay which is about 4 years old. It is a beautiful dark velvet red. It blooms early and then continues to bloom until November. It is easy to take care of, not too vigorous a grower, and is disease free in my yard in Kirkland. It is on an arbor with a Jackmanii clematis. The two are spectacular when blooming together.

Although it gets colder there than down here if you are near Bellingham (or anywhere else up there west of the mountains) you are still in Zone 8.

'Don Juan' at a house near here froze in 1990. Many fancy hybrid tea types like this are only hardy to about 10F. Richly colored and scented 'Climbing Etoile de Hollande' is rather common on properties down here but not common in nurseries, you would probably have to search through mailorder rose specialist listings or grow your own from cuttings taken off a found plant. Also do not know how hardy it is, do know of one on abandoned property as far north as Stanwood but that isn't even as far up as Skagit County - at least not quite.

Here is a link that might be useful: Washington USDA Zone Map

Dublin Bay is a long-lasting flower, strikingly beautiful, and a brilliant red but has been a very slow grower and stingy with blooms so far. If it ever takes off it will be sensational.

I have a cedar/copper fence/trellis that separates my front yard from my rock garden and pond. On the front side, I have this 'Stairway to Heaven', a 'Scent from Above', and a 'Lyda Rose'. On the back pond side, I have an 'America', an 'Outrageous', a 'Sunset Celebration',a small older rose I have no idea what is that is colored a lot like 'Joseph's Coat', a Mandevilla 'Alice Dupont' and a 'Wyoming' Canna. Down the fence a bit I also have a young 'Darlowes Enigma'so I'm hoping year two lives up to my expectations. Year one on climbers requires a lot of patience :-)

Thanks a million to all of you who responded to my question about "Red Climbing Rose". I'll be hurrying to the nursery tomorrow!! (:

I have a red Eden, and live on Vashon Island. Unfortunately its flowers never fully open up and usually turn brown. I'm disappointed in its performance. It gets full sun and regular watering. I will likely pull it out this fall and replace it with a more robust choice.

I have hesitated to get any of the Edens because of this issue. They seem to have a real problem with balling. My Stairway to Heaven is a gorgeous, vigorous thing that has gone crazy this first year. With gorgeous ruffly, large crimson blooms. I highly recommend it!