hi rivercat~
I have a 'New Dawn' with northern exposure that gets a bit shady. Some people don't like it because it's really thorny. I don't mind, it grows beautifully here. Give it good support. It's a monster, mine snapped the cheesy PVC arbor it was on during the Dec. Windstorm. Now it has a big cedar arbor. It has about a trillion blooms getting ready to pop. Blooms all summer. It is on the hardier side too. The color is a really pretty icy pink. I like it so much I just ordered it's sport, 'Awakening' which may work for you too. It's a double version of New Dawn. Don't notice much fragrance though.

Another good shade one that I really like is 'Gruss an Aachen.' It's not a climber though. I just ordered 'Pink Gruss' when I ordered 'Awakening.'

Here's a pic from last year.

Hi Pacnwgrdngirl -- Thanks so much. I've been looking at New Dawn and yours is just gorgeous with the clematis! Wanted something a deeper pink but maybe adding color with the clematis is an easier way to go?

My Zepherine Drouhin is on the west below a deck and not in the shade once it gets up to the deck railing. It is a terrific rose, 10yo, first and last to bloom in my garden and always with some flowers. It is presently covered with flowers. It does get BS but I don't spray and it overcomes it by summer and keeps blooming anyway. It is hot rose pink and fades somewhat so there are different shades on the bush at once. It is also thornless.

My Awakening has been a disappointment, very slow to grow. It hasn't yet gotten up to the railing where it will get more light but will do better when it does. It is at 4' at 4yo and does have more flower buds coming along this year.

That's too bad about Awakening hemnancy. I was so psyched up for it. Mine will be in full sun. Hopefully that will make a difference. I just planted Zepherine Drouhin this year. She's sending out lots of long canes and growing like mad. Can't wait for her fragrance and blooms someday. Does she bloom all summer for you, or just Spring and Fall? (I know she takes awhile to establish.)

ZD has a huge display on now, completely covered. When those are gone she will have made some more buds and seems never to be without at least a few blooms for me. Most of my roses start slow in comparison, though Marie Pavie is loaded with buds that are now starting to bloom. Reve d'Or starts with a few but seems to be growing a lot of new flowering side branches on last year's long canes so I assume he will be covered with blooms at some point. Champney's Pink Cluster is also covered with bloom now.

Hi Hemnancy -- Just planted two ZD a couple of weeks ago and they're sending out new growth AND blooming! Thrilled doesn't begin to describe my feelings about this rose :-).

Pacnwgrdngirl -- Just picked up a couple of ND and clematis to plant with them. They seem to have settled in and blooms are already opening. Thanks so much for the suggestion.

Cat

That's cool rivercat! I really like my ND & clematis together. People always ooh and ahh them. I peeked at my ZD that was just planted bareroot this year and she is growing like crazy and she's got some blooms already too! I think I'm also going to like her a lot. (She's on an arbor next to Graham Thomas and I think the two colors will look so pretty together!)

hemnancy ~ I got a four pack of bands from Vintage and guess what one of the others were? Marie Pavie. We for sure like the same roses! :o) The other was the rugosa
Roseraie de l'Hay. I'm going to put her next to the driveway to dress up the front a little.

pacnwgardngirl- I got a couple of yellow rugosas this year, Agnes in a tiny band and Topaz Jewel in a 3 gallon grafted nursery pot, already blooming, since I read that deer don't eat rugosas and I'm tired of fighting. My Gallicas are blooming now, Tuscany Superb, Rosa Mundi, Belle de Crecy and one that was supposed to be James Mason, a bright red, but is white with a little bit of magenta on the outer petals. They have such nice flat blooms with so many petals.:-) The rose Sea Foam resembles them a lot, but keeps blooming.