I don't know about cold hardiness, but in anther discussion posters seemed to think the climber was a better bloomer than the bush. With this new format, I don't know if this will bump your post up to the top or not.

..thanks for your reply.... I used the Search facility earlier, so I sort of got some answers to my questions from that.... whilst most were talking about the bush form, others like Olga from zone 6b seems to have had no problem in overwintering it...although the polar vortex last year seems to have finished it off for some people.... occasionally here we can get a brief spell of severe weather, but I think it will be alright, might get a bit of dieback in the worst years...

..scent wise it seems strong for some - like pure Apricot - and less so for others... we shall see.... I'll post a photo from time to time....

...kind regards...

Hi Malorena,

I hesitated to offer any comment here, since I don't have any personal experience with the lovely Lady H, but since answers seem a bit thin on the ground (maybe too many folks still in a state of 'transplant' shock) (LOL at my own little joke), I s'pose I may as well have a go, FWIW...

My impression is that Climbing Lady H generally does well in Britain, compared to other less hardy Teas, assuming one can provide the usual requirements of a nice warm, sunny wall/sheltered spot in the garden - or, of course, a massive Edwardian conservatory with accompanying team of forelock-tugging under-gardeners to manage its fermenting manure heating system... which the original Lady in question may well have had.. (OK, I admit it, I'm jealous....!)

The climber is generally reputed to be a better plant overall than the shrub - which is pretty good anyway. It may take a few years to get going visibly/above ground, as with many big climbers - but should be well worth waiting for!

The distinctive strong fruity/tea scent is a particularly admired feature of this lovely rose, although there are of course, still some people who can't or can only just smell it.

I hope these impressions may be of some help, if only to help confirm what you have already read elsewhere. Good to see you and Florida both safely 'transplanted'...

Comtesse :¬)

PS I'm sure Campanula must know something about this - but she was last heard of ensconced in her sofa, trying to hibernate, while muttering dark oaths about trendy modern misspelt website names....Do please, wake up, Campanula, and come to the rescue here - your inimitable point of view is needed!

I had asked about Climbing Lady H a few months ago. I lost my Lady H when I had some yard work done. I love the blooms, but the bush form seemed a bit stingy on that score and didn't have the best bush form. I was thinking of replacing it with the climbing version. I got very good feedback on it and many said they preferred the climbing version. I will probably get it soon.

As far as hardiness, Lady H was one of the few teas I had that did not suffer greatly with the polar vortex last winter.

Buford....that's just great, thank you for replying....I'm so pleased to hear this that it survived the polar vortex...not that we expect anything like this over here mind.... but it can get chilly where I am now, usually for brief periods....

I do hope you manage to obtain this rose once again..... I hope to post a photo tomorrow of my bare root as I expect it to arrive at that time...

...Comtesse.... great that you replied.... many thanks and good to see you on here again too..

...I've grown this rose before but in a different part of the country with milder conditions where it grew well and quickly, but where I am now it's a bit different....it won't have a wall I'm afraid but be in the open ground...so it will have to take its chances.... I'm looking forward to growing it again...and delighted to read about the scent...I couldn't recall much about it on this aspect... thinking it didn't leave a great impression upon me....so let's see how it goes this time..

...I wonder if its popular in Australia?.... I have family in Brisbane but they don't seem to know of it...

...Rosarian, G.S. Thomas wrote glowingly about it....

..I omitted to check on HMF which should have been a first port of call, and I've found out that this climbing version was discovered in England by rose breeder Elisha J. Hicks, in 1917, who gardened from a little place called Hurst, in Berkshire, just west of London.... that's quite a cold county....

..it seems to grow well in Switzerland too, according to an HMF member.. so I shouldn't have any problems with it here...

I find, one of the most exciting things in life right now....maybe this is sad to some people, but it's receiving roses in the post....of course this is nothing new... but you know what I mean... I feel like a child opening a goody box....

..and I think this one is rather good...

'climbing Lady Hilllingdon' received today...and 5 good thick canes with a really good root system...

...I can't wait to get this in... fortunately today, the weather is perfect for this amusement....

It looks great! Where did you get it from?

hi Buford.... I got this from a nursery in my area... Trevor White Roses.... I don't think they send to the U.S.... they're cheaper, by quite a bit, yet I think as good a quality, sometimes better even, than what I have received from other suppliers, such as Austin's and Beales's.....

...if you know anyone in U.K. who wants roses....I do recommend them, I must say that...

Marlorena, your plant looks excellent, both roots and canes, and it shouldn't take long to see some growth. Much better than starting it from a band, which I did in another garden where it took three years to make a show, although well worth it. I can't ordinarily detect fragrance in too many tea roses except for DdB and its sport, but this one I definitely can enjoy.

...that's good to know Ingrid, thank you....I've been looking at more images from various sources and I like what I see....

I don't know if this helps or not but I grew the Tea rose (non climbing) Lady Hillingdon in my Memphis area garden for several years. She just got better every year, I didn't winter protect her, just put down some mulch and she was fine.

I get a lot of dieback on the shrub form. It seems to suffer here, but not from cold. We don't get cold. However, I have heard that this is one of the most cold tolerant of the tea class.

I just love this rose and have my fingers crossed for both the shrub and the climber. Admire them both.

I have both forms Marlorena, the climber being put in last year and the bush a year older. I did get a single bloom from the bush last summer, which was very nice, well scented, apricot ish as mentioned above, but unfortunately the bush then got squashed when we had some fencing work done, so really I'm counting this as it's first 'proper' year. Mileage may vary of course, because they are very new and because I think my area might be slightly warmer than yours, but I've not had any dieback on mine. Mine came from Trevor too, and I heartily second the recommendation.

..thanks for your comments everyone...

FDUK... I hope they do well for you, it's not often you hear of someone with the shrub form of this rose.... be interesting to see how that one does...

...here is mine so far.... shooting out, so all looking good for the season ahead...

Marlorena, until developers started moving in, this rose was a common sight in older suburban gardens. I have even seen her growing happily in an old abandoned plot. A great survivor here in Melbourne and both forms are still available here. I don't know how she would do in Queensland in the heat and humidity. I can't remember seeing her listed on any catalogues from there

..that's good to know ozmelodye, thanks for your reply... it seems this rose thrives on neglect, as do other Tea roses from what I gather...

Hi Marlorena,

Your grafted bareroot plant looks much more developed than the one I got from Beales' the fall of 2013. That one has grown since to have canes about 3-4 meters long although still very slender. Its growth looks to me to be sort of halfways between a bush and climber with some sorter blooming canes developing together with the long climbing ones. Can't offer any advice on cold hardiness since our climates are different but Beales mentions it's one of the hardier Teas. I got a few blooms last year but I expect lots more this year. I can already see the buds forming after this winter which has been quite chilly for our standards.

..thanks Nik, it sounds as though yours is coming along just fine - a lot to look forward to this season I hope.... I shall be lucky to see a bloom on mine this year, but I long for the scent, from what I hear about it...

I only saw a few blooms last year. I remember I could detect the fruity fragrance but it was light to my nose (as all Tea fragrances tend to be) and its intensity varied a lot depending on time of day and temp.

Took some pictures today, it being beautiful weather and on a bank holiday too! However the photo gremlins are still extant, so will try again later.

Here is my 2? 3 year old Lady Hillingdon. It is next to the driveway so gets pretty warm. She is in full sun..facing west

south west. This is Lady Hillingdon a few weeks ago...

this was taken today..She really has jumped this year in height..Probably will go up over the top of the pergola. She reliably blooms all summer..

I'm in Willamette Valley Oregon.Zone 7.. Lousy red clay soil..I amend some. Hi PH..No special care..we had continual rain this spring and Lady Hillingdon wasn't affected at all. Lots of black spot on other roses from all the rain. Had some snow this winter..not alot but some.

My LH is much less double. Yours looks more like my Teasing Georgia.

Beautiful photos.