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| The Rose Garden | ||||
| 1st June 1997 | ||||
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| Ramblers are one of the nicest families of old roses. Climbing roses tend to be stiff and be rather bare at their base.
Not so ramblers, they readily produce new healthy growth from the base. Rosa Wichuraiana originated in the East and was ignored until late last century when it came to the attention of hybridists
in France and America. An exciting new race of glossy-foliaged ramblers then came into the world. Most hybrids of this family
retain the thin pliable wood that makes them suitable for twining along fences, up pergolas and through a trellis.
In general they flower in spring to early summer with some later repeat. In America the family is known as the Memorial rose,
from a practise of planting it to cover graves. |
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 Many have outstanding fragrance. Albertine is much revered for its fabulous spring fragrance.
Her shapely pink buds with apricot at the base are amongst the most seductively fragrant of all. Always a popular rambler.
In truth, her growth habit is more reminiscent of a climber.Another great roadside rambler is Dorothy Perkins. Unkind writers have chronicled her as "mildewing her way across Europe". True, Dorothy does get late summer mildew but makes up for it with her spectacular clusters of lolly-pink blooms. She can be found all over the country. |
In New Zealand the best-loved may well be Alberic Barbier, a vigorous almost evergreen classic that will easily achieve 6 metres and can be seen decorating the roadsides around Wellington, where it seems to do particularly well.
For years at Paekakariki there was a magnificent display of Alberic festooning a fence by the highway.
Alas it is no more, but you can't keep a good rambler down and it will be back !
Alberic Barbier is a 1900 cross with an old tea rose, Shirley Hibberd and is characterised by dark foliage and soft butter-yellow buds that open to a muddled creamy white. Fragrance is often described as being of apples. |
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 Paul Transon is another classic from the house of Barbier.
Monsieur Barbier gave us dozens of classic ramblers early this century, most with recognisable french names and characteristic health,
vigour and glossy foliage.Paul Transon has all these admirable qualities and even manages to repeat its flowering through the season. Again it is powerfully fragrant. Pink double blooms in clusters |
 New Dawn is american from 1930 and purports to repeat but ours never delivers beyond its generous summer blooming. Fat buds open to a soft blush pink. Leaves are characteristically rounded.
Francois Juranville is sometimes called "a more refined Albertine". Summer-flowering, deep pink and more characteristically Wichuraiana than its cousin. |
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 Francois Poisson is an interesting near-relative of Alberic Barbier. Hugely vigorous, super tough and quite spectacular. Creamy-white flowers later in summer. |
May Queen, another American is seen at its best at Hurworth House in Taranaki where its lilac-pink blooms with darker centres contrast well with the healthy dark green foliage. |
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If you have an unsightly tree stump or a shed that needs covering, then one of these superb healthy ramblers
will do it for you. As a bonus you will get spectacular blooms and fragrance. What else could you ask for ?
Copyright Lloyd Chapman, winter 1997 |
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