Ingrid, I bought some cedar to make my own trellis. I did look into most on Google. I am sure more will chime in.

jin

I think you should pick the rose first, then decide on which type of support depending on the rose's climbing habit, size, color, etc. Wood might stay cooler than metal where you are.

sultry, that's a very good point about wood being cooler. I don't really need for the trellis to last for another 50 years.

Cedar is better for outside weather. It is more durable plus it has natural oil that deters bugs and reduced damaged from rot especially rain. That's why horse ranches used them the most. So, I choose cedar for obvious reasons.
jin

Another one is bamboo but I don't have that. The bigger ones you can get it on line. I was debating but you can guess which one I got last yr...you are right !! cedar :)
jin

The vintage iron trellises would look great with your home, Ingrid.

Ah, yes. Cute, fuzzy, hungry little rose annihilators and their grazing ways.

Abe Darby makes a very nice climber in my area. I love Sheila's idea of vintage iron for its classic aesthetics, the way vintage iron would accent your stucco home and the way it would contrast with your pink blooms and integrate with your concrete garden features. But I also wonder about the heat factor mentioned by Sultry and Plumeria. In Portland, metal is fine, but I know your garden is subject to some fierce sun and temps in the summer. If you decide on wood for a trellis or tuteur, you could add iron finals or an iron piece spanning the top. Rose foliage would cover much of the wood, and the iron details would rise above the green. Carol

Ingrid, my trellises are made out of metal and I have had no problem with heat whatsoever. They do fine. My large one is made out of rebar. The smaller one is aluminum. I can touch them when it is 116 degrees outside and I don't get burned and neither do my plants. I like my metal ones as the wind will pass through them and not tear them down. Plus they don't have to be replaced as they will not decay. I have put solar lights on them and they sparkle in the night. I also use them to hang my wind chimes, etc. It adds movement and sound to my garden.

Unfortunately, I don't have the same roses as you so I can't recommend which one would work as a climber. I have my Flamingo Dancer on my big arbor and my Minnie Mouse on the small one. They state Minnie (which I love) is a climber--not really so far in my experience.

Wow, it is 6:30 in the morning and the Monarchs are passing through right now. They are out early working in my garden. Delightful to see.

mustbnuts, your garden sounds magical with fairy lights and monarchs! I looked up Flamingo Dancer and its a beauty. I couldnt find the Minnie Mouse rose though.

Where did you get your solar lights? I used to have solar twinkle lights on my trellis and on a large bird cage hanging from the patio eaves that I used to keep orchids in. The lights were never that bright and didnt last that long. I think I got them off ebay. I need to find some new ones that are more durable. I might have to get the plug in electrical type. I hate to do electric because I want them over the metal gazebo with a fountain in the center..

Ingrid, Maybe a climbing tea rose would like your climate? I know you like the soft pinks. I have a lot of climbing teas. They take a while to get going though.

I also wonder if DA's Spirit of Freedom would do ok for you? It is right up your alley colorwise, lilac-ish pink and doesn't get crazy big. It is also fragrant. K&M carries it grafted on fortuniana. Heirloom, I think, carries it own root. Da will probably have it again next spring on DH. My SoF is on DH and is pretty big even in a pot.

Olivia definitely likes to climb here and blooms constantly. In her third year she is putting out lots of button eyed blooms and is nicely fragrant. The first few years I didn't detect much fragrance.

Evelyn might surprise you and be a climber. I have seen her espaliered on fences. My first one got to 7ft. The 3 Evelyns I just got this spring aready have 5ft canes but I cut them back after they flower since I have no more trellis space left right now lol.

I built several trellises myself with 4x4 posts and smaller cross pieces of wood. Metal is too hot for my climate. I then painted them and they are not perfect but have lasted for years. I then used concrete to secure them in the ground. Not too hard to do. I am not skilled with tools at all. Pretty much just used a chop saw and screwdriver, etc etc. The ones in the nursery are very flimsy. I will try to post a couple pictures. Good luck. I love my trellises and climbing roses.

Not able to post pictures. Unbelievably frustrating!!!

Sorry for continuous posts but I was finally able to post the picture by sizing it down. You have to be an IT specialist to post pictures on this site!!!

I primed and painted the pieces before putting them together and the one above has been in the ground about 5 or 6 years now. The only problem I have found is that after several years the posts in the ground have rotted a little and are loose from the concrete. But that is probably because I didn't secure them very well in the ground. It is easily fixed though but pouring in some additional concrete and straightening them.

Hope this helps!

After having my pergola rot away in one winter I am no longer trusting wood ! I have heard cedar is good but it seems the ones I see at Home Depot aren’t assembled with good staples .. I am sticking to metal . I have had the same metal trellises for as long as I have been gardening and can spray paint them easily when I want a new look . No worries about a big rose breaking apart the wood cross beams etc .. and clematis cling on their own too . Just my two cents ! :)

I vote for metal. If the rose gets big enough and leafy enough it should provide its own shade to protect from metal burn. However, if you choose cedar then I recommend a high quality primer followed by a high quality outdoor paint that will last to protect from our low humidity. I have found that the UV rays and more importantly when the humidity drops to between 5-10% during our Santa Ana winds in the fall, cedar and redwood is pretty much destroyed in ~5 years. Then once the wood is weak the Santa Ana’s will blow it over. My DH has lived here 26 years and has seen quite a few cedar or redwood fences put up and blown down within a 5-10 year timeframe. We have very severe 70 mi/hr winds every year so our conditions might be more extreme than most as we live at almost 2000 feet just below the Angeles National Forest and I think there is some kind of wind funneling effect off the mountains above us.

Many thanks to all of you; you've provided much information and food for thought. High winds don't occur often because of the sheltering effect of the hill, rock formation, large trees and juniper hedge on several sides. I was surprised how much windier it was when I visited the neighbor who lives quite a way above us in a very open area. There are trellises available made of Vinyl/PVC that sound interesting. They have a 20-year guarantee and are a bit pricier but it might be worth the extra money.

We are making ours out of metal fence posts, set 2 feet in concrete (hurricane country) then clad in wood. They look like 4x 4 posts when done.

It’s a little more work, but I don’t want to try to prop these things back up with monster roses all over them. :-)

What a fun thread you started, Ingrid, when you asked a practical question! I'm reading about and nodding at shared frustrations (super crappy box store trellis construction), gathering all kinds of good suggestions for my idea list and virtually touring Mustbenuts incredible garden at the same time. I look forward to reading more replies and hearing about what you decide to install in your own garden. The outcome will mean you're obligated to post more rose photos, of course, so that we can see your climber rising above the bunnies! Carol

Perma, I know what you mean! Also, I'm always worried about whats gonna happen to my climbers if we get a big hurricane rolling through here. I have a lot more climbers to worry about than just roses too lol. I have a "loose" sort of plan that if I know for a fact, that we are going to get hit dead on by a strong 4 or 5, I will just go cut all the climbers that cant be moved, down at the bottom of the trellis, but above the graft line (if they have one). Sounds harsh but the trellis can blow away and the plant will remain. Thats the hope anyways lol.