English Climbing Roses

Many English Roses perform well as climbing roses in the garden because of the rambler or climbing roses in their ancestry. David Austin in his book The English Roses states, ‚”We often have what appears to be a good shrub and, in the course of time, it turns out to be an even better climber.”

Several of the English Musk Hybrids have thin, flexible canes that can easily be tied to a fence or trellis to be used as a climbing rose. There are several other English Roses from other categories that also are used easily to climb a trellis, arch, pillar, fence or wall.

Remember that most of these climbing roses will easily form medium to large shrubs if not encouraged to climb so gardeners can use these English Roses in a wide variety of garden situations. It is also easier to grow a rose on the shady side of the house if you allow it to climb and reach into the sunlight while keeping the roots shaded.

‘Benjamin Britton’ – This climber produces bright colored roses in salmon-pink tones with a strong fruity fragrance that is lovely along a patio or porch. Use ‘Benjamin Britton’ to add bright energy to the garden by combining with softer shaded roses or flowering plants. The rose will grow 8-10′ depending on the climate.

‘A Shropshire Lad’ – This rose is part of the Leander Group and has cheeky, pink flowers that are set off nicely against glossy, green leaves. The cup-shaped roses have a fruity, tea rose fragrance and should be planted along a pathway or sitting area where the scent can be enjoyed. A Shropshire Lad doesn’t have many thorns making it great for high traffic garden areas.

‘Malvern Hills’ – This rose is a true climbing rose and won’t hold a good shrub growth habit without the support of a fence or trellis so many consider Malvern Hills a true repeat-flowering rambler rose. Attractive slender foliage, arching growth habit and trailing sprays of pale yellow roses make this a beautiful addition to rose garden or entry planters.

‘Snow Goose’ – Another rambling rose, the Snow Goose is sometimes used as a flowering ground cover with small, white roses covering the bush throughout the summer. This climbing rose is a very hardy and disease-resistant bush that has a sweet, musk scent that would be a good addition to a fragrance garden.

‘The Generous Gardener’ – This rose is a Climbing English Musk and has shallow, cup-shaped flowers that are blush pink in color and have an Old Rose or musk fragrance. As with many Musk roses the foliage has a more gray-green coloring. Use The Generous Gardener as a large shrub for the back of a border or a large climber that will reach about 12′ in length.