DE will not flop. It is very self supporting.

Well look at that! Thanks Sheila. I have to rethink this.

These two were left alone without pruning, Katya.

I also thank you, Sheila. I recently planted one on my "wild" hill in the hopes that it would form a large bush. Yours is the ultimate!!!

That's hilarious, mad. It's often referred to as a climber and I've wondered how that worked from the little I know of it.

mad_gallica thats a small tree. beautiful picture. how is it grown as a climber then? thats what I actually want to do

I don't think it is Katya. It just grows as a large bush. You really would not want to try to subdue it. It would win.

Mine grows as a very large, self supporting shrub on the N side of the house next to a brick wall. I think it would be difficult to confine to a trellis.

Oh my goodness. I just found this thread. I have to divert a walkway because there's no diverting DE. I once wedged a section of old picket fencing up against it to hold it back, but it is now buried somewhere deep inside the bush. It's never fed and rarely watered. It's about 6' tall and 8' wide. And, this is z5 where nothing gets very big.

Yes it’s such a big and mean beautiful rose !! Mine was such a fav in tn . The bees loved it !! The fragrance was addictive . Then it got rrd and was such a beast to dig out . I vowed never to plant another but I look on fondly at these pics !! It’s a wonderful rose otherwise.

Darlow’s Enigma is a definitely a rose that needs space. I have two babies that are on their 2nd year and taking plants of space already. They blooms and bloom and are already making tons of hips since I haven’t deadhead them. They are very self supporting. I wouldn’t try to contain it.

How to support Darlow’s Enigma on a trellis?

is not an enigma, after all.

Thanks everyone! And I planted 13 of these?? HR really did not give any indication that DE would get that big and unmanageable because of its stiffness, thorns and size. I just dont want to throw away all these buses. Have to figure out how I can use them. Any idea friends just how much shade it can take and still bloom? I have a feeling its going to be frustrating where I want to use it.

Mine is blooming with 3 to 4 hours of direct sun and then filtered light. I hope you can figure something out. This is a great rose it seems you just don’t have the space where you planted it.

Katya, this is where HMF roses can help you see photos of roses you want to order and get the accurate picture. For DE, the description has the wrong width, but the photos are accurate.

Thanks so much dianela. The spot will then work fine sunlight wise. Planting the shrubs about 2-1/2 feet from the edge will be fine right? It wont spill into the neighbors yard?

Thank you Sheila, I am getting in the habit of looking up HMF. Nothing beats a conversation here though...

No, 2 1/2 ft won't work unless the neighbor also likes roses. Realistically, 5 to 6 ft from the edge can be managed by keeping on top of the pruning.

Thanks! mad_gallica

I totally agree with Mad Gallica here 2 1/2 feet will get them all in your neighbor’s business (I would love it if I was your neighbor lol). Your real neighbor may not. 5 to 6 feet minimum

Thank you dianela! I will remember that. Cant wait till my DEs finally get big and I get to see them grown up.

You got fined? Wow

I never pay any attention to the sizes (height or width) stated for a rose on HMF. I gave up doing that after I got several roses, all of grew to be 2 to 3 times bigger than what HMF stated they would be. I agree with Sheila. I do look at all of the photos on HMF, hoping there will be some of the entire bush, instead of just one or a few blooms. When I find one of the entire bush, hopefully in a warm climate like mine, I can get a better idea of how big it really gets in a warm climate.

Jackie