I think Awakening would look great. Albertine is fabulous but has less rebloom.

Robin I also live near Seattle and while not a rambler, Raspberry Cream Twirl would look great there, especially with Tess. It’s very vigorous and healthy in my no spray organic yard

Thank you for the thoughs! Love the idea of the Raspberry - I may well have room for that. And I suppose I could encourage Tess up and over that stump if I tried hard enough. I'd forgotten about Awakening - it's a sport of New Dawn or related, isn't that right? I'll look that up. :)

Raspberry Cream Twirl will cover that stump!

Oh I didn't know it got that big! That makes it a great choice! Thanks :)

Here are Awakening and Albertine.

They would arch gracefully over the stump.

Awakening

Albertine.

Awakening is the double sport of New Dawn... very vigorous and lovely. RCT is also beautiful. There are so many choices depending on flower form and scent preferences. This is the dilemma and why I grow 60+ climbers. LOL! Mels Heritage and Malvern Hills are two others if you like smaller flowers. They seem to rebloom well for me even while young. I like blending the reds, but also think a paler colour would show up nicely in front of the deep evergreen backdrop.

I was thinking of that 1 also Sheila, but I thought I'd give someone else a chance for suggestions and not hog Comments as i can easily do!! 😄 bble Bath does really well here inn a less than perfect spot. I imagine Mmme Alfred Carriere would also cover that stump completely.

Oh thank you all for the lovely pictures! Mel's Heritage seems like a strong contender. I've been trying to find out if it does alright in the PNW. I've also been looking at Alister Stella Gray in that yellow category. I don't have any strong color preferences at this point. At one point I wanted Jacob's Coat for that spot but not sure it would climb as well as a rambler or look right with Tess (who used to be on a fence and had to be moved). I've thought maybe Rural England Rose for a cottagey look. I guess if I like them all it means I'll be happy with whatever goes there. ;)

Edited to add: I forgot to mention Seven Sisters... I like the mystery associated with that one and just found one for sale. I'd be curious to know if anyone has any thoughts on that as well.

Best to get comments from your area, but in lieu of that Ill say that Mels Heritage is healthy here in terms of BS, my greatest health foe. He alread shows signs of filling out my metal fence. He has tiny thorns like a cats claw...very sharp, but short and well spaced. He does NEED dead heading here for reliable rebloom. If you dont require great rebloom I would like to suggest Ceske Praci Cest. Ill see if I can post some pics of this graceful, charming beauty. Little scent, however.

Robin, I don't know about your particular climate, but Mel's Heritage was bred in Oregon. You might reach out to the breeder, Paul Barden, and he can give you specifics on his conditions. But Mel's Heritage seems to do great anywhere it is hardy. It's a superb rose in every way.

EDIT: without telling exactly where Paul lives, he's in central western Oregon, if that helps you with climate info.

Another favorite would be veilchenblau. How I love that rose!I couldn't find a full rambling picture, but I absolutely love it! Thornless!

I quite like the purple hybrid multiflora ramblers, of which Violette is my favorite. Another popular one is Veilchenblau. However, they will not thrive in alkaline soil which unfortunately is what I have. If your soil is neutral or acidic, they should thrive for you. I also love Rambling Rector (white), but unfortunately it is way too big for that site.

Going beyond ramblers, Mel's Heritage might work and it drapes nicely. One of the hybrid musks might be a good idea as well. My personal favorite HM is Buff Beauty. It eventually develops into a good repeat bloomer, though that happens over several years.

Make sure you think this through. I don't know exactly how big the circle is, but a 'moderate' sized rambler has 15-20 ft canes. Are you looking for a rose that will go over the stump, through the circle on the other side, and into the lawn? Figure out what your vision is for this, then look for an appropriately sized rose. Given that there are other roses planted in the circle, I'd guess you are really looking for only 6-8 feet - just up the stump. That's not very big.

Does anyone remember Lafter?

Violette is great. So is Bleu Magenta.

What mad_gallica said about size. A real old traditional "rambler" rose will eat that stump, the round bed, and the other roses, and half of your lawn. What you need is a moderate size climbing rose which will just cover the stump. These abound, but I would stop using the word "rambler", and start thinking of a shorter climbing rose. The good news is that most of them repeat!

Jackie

I have Mel’s Heritage here but I think it’s too big for that spot with companions. I think Mel by himself would fill that whole area within five years

RaspRaspberry can cover that trunk in no time and she is almost thornless and healthy no spray in all day sun ( It gets a bit of blackspot in only morning sun with eastern exposure) I have one in all day sun perfectly clean. My arch is 10 feet tall and 7 feet wide and two raspberries covered it in 3 years. They require pruning twice a year to stay well contained, but it is easier to contain than a rambler. it is a strong bloomer from May until frost here) it is probably one of the best choices for your project unless your trunk is much bigger than it looks in your picture.

2nd year own root baby

Awakening is super healthy even in part sun. Nasty thorns and not great rebloom here but gorgeous

Peggy martin is a beast (2nd year baby) she will cover your stomp and eat your house while looking great and healthy

Mel’s heritage would definetely smother that trunk and anything within 20 feet of it. wonderful health and excellent rebloom (my absolute favorite)

It is lovely to deal with low thorn climbers. Ive tried to intersperse them with the thorny ones to help with pruning.

Agree Vapor. I don’t normally pay attention to weather a rose is too thorny or not. I just accept that roses have thorns and deal with it (my husband asks if I have been in a cat fight after days of pruning) or makes sporotrix jokes. I do however always enjoy pruning Raspberry and training her because she is just soo nice to work with with her smooth flexible canes.

'Mel's Heritage' is immune to Blackspot (and mildew) here in the PNW, in my experience.

I also grow 'Awakening' here in Corvallis, OR, and I like it a lot, but as others have said, rebloom is quite poor. Its not a rose I'd place where its going to be the center of attention.

Paul Mel’s heritage is perfection. It grows fast, it is immune to blackspot and the reblooms is excellent even in this heat. I find myself wanting to replace all manner of climbers with Mel’s heritage, because I can’t find a flaw. Thank you for such a wonderful rose.

One of mine just last week. It already had a great spring flush

Thank you @dianela7analabama for that. I'm thrilled that so many people find it such a good rose!

Someone recently said (not verbatim) "You think you want to grow 'Cecile Brunner', but you don't - what you really want is 'Mel's Heritage'!"

If the wall block is 4" tall, then I would guess the stump is maybe 7' tall. I think a rambler is too much. I would pick something with maybe canes up to 8'. Which, based on my experience means the canes will really get up to 12' long.

'Mel's Heritage' is typically 8 feet tall, rarely more.

Unless you're in Lisa's garden. Daniela, how tall is your piller with Mel?

I'm very grateful for this discussion or I may have made a big (truly big) mistake here! The stump is a good 2-3 feet taller than I am and I'm 5'7" so I'd say it's about 8 feet. The stones are 2-4 feet above ground depending on which side of the circle you look at. I think after this discussion I'd really like to put Mel's Heritage here if you all think it might be contained to the circle.

I'm a rose person but my husband is a lawn person and has lawn revamping plans for this summer that I don't want to interrupt by a rose takeover. :)

Robin your project will look beautiful. I think you can keep whatever rose you truly want contained to that circle, the question is: Are you willing to prune regularly to keep it inside if needed?

My first picture of Me'ls shows the rose growing on a 14 feet tall 4x4. I think it has 2 feet underground so 12 on top. It gets a yearly pruning to keep it like that. I know Paul mentioned it rarely gets over 8 feet tall there, but here it got to 12 feet tall in 3 years and kept on growing. I don't mind it at all, I just prune whatever I don't want and it does not mind at all. It is a magnificent rose and you will love it.

Another vote for Mel - Paul really created a masterpiece with that one! So beautiful, so eager to bloom, so healthy, and HARDY in zone 6, yay! But I do also think a purple would look gorgeous with Tess, and I like the idea of the contrast of small flowers with Tess's large ones. I grow and love Violette, Veilchenblau, and Blue Magenta, but if you wanted repeat bloom, do check out Purple Skyliner. It's a little hard to find, but if you can, it's a great, great, beautiful purple rose, and reblooms quite well.

I was going to suggest PurpleSkyliner also! I llove this rose and both of mine are bloom machines even while small. Another one that I finally got this year is Perennial Blue. FreedomGardens carries both of these from time to time or will custom propagate. Pink Surprise is another fave, but am unsure if it would grow large enough. Soo many roses!

I has never heard of Purple Skyliner or Pink Surprise - I’m researching them now!

A couple I’m curious about are Belle Portugaise - this seems like maybe it prefers California but says its hardy to 8b. Any thoughts? Also looking at Dreaming Spires and windeeinf how the yellow woukd look with Tess’s bluish red…

I have Dreaming Spires and Pink Surprise. Dreaming Spires is a winner here and more upright than some others discussed.

Pink Surprise is a monster here. Very prickly. Would be a great barrier rose.

Belle Portugaise would be beautiful but I think it needs more heat than I have and I have a lot.

Robin - As Sheila says, Belle Portugaise (which is, I believe, a first generation rosa gigantea hybrid) likes a lot of sun and heat. I had one here (zone 9 when I planted it), and it grew 15 feet tall straight up before it started blooming (warning it took FIVE YEARS before it started blooming), and ended up taller. It is a once bloomer, and after it had attained the height it thought was proper, it bloomed every year. When it bloomed, it attracted my neighbors, who came to OOH and AH at it (although we all got cricks in our necks looking up at it - 100% of the blooms were in the top 2-3 feet). It was growing on a Southern exposure of my house, so really the hottest place on our property. We had to take it down b/c our town's Fire Dept has new regulations - NO plants touching the house. I rooted a cutting, and it grew happily in a huge pot in full sun for 4 years (no blooms), and just this Spring put out its first climbing canes, with blooms! We have now planted it in another part of the garden, and is taking off well, and I am hoping it will be happy on the large & tall Kinsman Pergola Arbor we bought for it . So, probably too tall of a climber for your stump, but it is a fabulous rose.

If I lived in Seattle, I would still try to grow it, but I would plant it in the hottest possible place in the garden, and be PATIENT and wait for it to bloom. Years ago I foolishly planted a rooted cutting at the bottom of an 80 foot tall (and 60 foot wide) scarlet oak tree. It lived and bloomed, but was a miniature - got about 3 feet tall, and the blooms were half sized. Not recommending that, but it does show that even in a zone 8 climate, it would probably grow and bloom (eventually).

This pic is about 1/4 of the top 1/5th of my old one:

I know you're asking about roses but if it were me I'd be strongly considering a clematis to pair with it as well. That spot has so much potential to be incredible, I'm a bit envious!

does Above and Beyond count as a rambler?