A walk around the garden on Boxing Day

Above: Named after rosarian Susan Irvine's blue-stone house and first magnificent rose garden is the rugosa 'Bleak House'. It's a lovely, cheery little bloom, but unfortunately sometimes ages in an ugly manner, hanging on the bush like soggy brown tissue paper. The foliage is incredibly healthly, and like all of the rugosas that I have experienced, Bleak House is very tolerant of any climatic conditions thrown at it.

Above: This fence line runs west-east on the western side of our house, and so is exposed to scorching afternoon summer sun and hot winds. I have planted a variety of big roses along the fence, and after years of being eaten by calves in the paddock next door they have all achieved a good shrub size. The big roses seen flowering here behind the garden statue are Mrs B.R Cant and Marie Van Houtte.

Above: One of my rugosa seedlings that is suckering away merrily in a very tough spot in the garden.

Another seedling rugosa.

Above: David Austin's very free-flowering Sceptre d'Isle.

Above: The hybrid rugosa Sarah Van Fleet. So many people just adore this rose- I am often asked to include one in my yearly rose order for friends who have made a bee line for her in our garden. She is such a clear pink, and a beautifully shaped shrub that is almost completely covered with blooms when in full flower.

Repeat flowering on Fruhlingsduft

Above: A characteristic of Fruligsduft that I love is its habit of dropping its petals cleanly to reveal the lovely maroon stamens.

Above: the beautiful red thorns on new growth coming from Fruhlingsduft.

The wonderfully cool, rainy weather has had an extra bonus here at 'Eurimbla' with the repeat flush on the mainly-Spring flowering Fruhlingsduft. I usually only get one huge Spring flowering with this rose, and occasional spot flowers through the season, but this bonus late-December flush is quite a good one.

The Garden After 30-plus mls of Rain

Above: David Austin's beautiful honeycomb-icecream fragranced 'Troilus'

Above: A small plant of Sarah Van Fleet drooped as its blooms filled with water after the downpour.

Above: The single and semi-double roses like the hybrid musk Eva don't miss a beat in the rain, no matter how heavy.

Above: The crisp, clear pink of John Claire.

Above and below: The lovely tea rose Marie Van Houtte.

Above: One of my top five tea roses, General Schablikine.

Above: In the area where this rose grows I once planted two yellow David Austin roses- Yellow Button and Symphony. Only one of these two roses now remains, but which one??? As can be seen from the photo, it is amazingly free-flowering, and the blooms display all shades of yellow from the almost white to deep yellow.

Above: The scrumptious tea rose Isabella Sprunt...love the name, adore the rose!

I displayed my amazing weather prediction skills last weekend when just after I declared "I don't think we'll get any rain out of this change...it just doesn't feel like it", the heavens opened and we received over 30ml of rain in less than 30 minutes.

I love walking around the garden after rain...everything is so sparkling and fresh, and even the roses that have 'filled and tipped' are beautiful to behold.

More of Octavus Weld

These top two photos are of my second Octavus Weld rose. This one has been in the ground for only a year and is on its own roots, as opposed to the original Octavus that is a grafted plant.

This photos depicts the width and height of the 12 year old Octavus Weld...you can see that it stretches from one side of the photo to the other. The red rose on his right is Princess De Saigon.

Tea rose 'Octavus Weld'

This is one of my all-time top five Tea roses...the stunning Octavus Weld. It is a 'found' rose, meaning that the original name by which it was released is not certain, and until evidence has been found to positively verify its 'true' name it is sold under the name of the man whose grave it was growing near in Blakiston Cemtery in South Australia.

The photos above were taken of my oldest specimen of Octavus (often incorrectly referred to as 'Octavius'). He was planted at 'Eurimbla' in 1998-99, and in the 12 years since has grown to be a huge shrub. I am hopeless at estimating height and width on a big rose, but he would have to be more than 3m tall and even wider. His trunk is like a small tree, and at one stage actually split and continued to growth in another direction without missing a beat or suffering any die back.

Octavus flowers continually in big flushes from Spring through summer and into autumn, and even spot flowers during the winter months. His scent is typically strong tea- divine-and he is amazingly healthy. I have planted another specimen of Octavus Weld in another part of the garden, this time on its own roots to observe any difference in habit and/or vigour between it and my grafted plant. I also have another one in a pot that I purchased bare-rooted this past winter....I'm just biding my time to suss out a prime position for it. I'd better not 'bide' too long, however, as most things in pots that rely on me for water and nourishment usually end up crispy and brown.

Just out of interest, the following information about the human Octavus Weld, as opposed to the rose that bears his name, was found on a genealogical site about the Weld family:

"OCTAVUS WELD B.A. M.D. Octavus the ninth (eighth surviving) child of Joseph Weld and Elizabeth Eleanor Weekes was born on June 11, 1834 at Childe Okeford, Dorset, and died on Oct. 28, 1901 at Mt. Barker near Adelaide, South Australia.

At the age of eighteen he emigrated to Canada to live with his older brother William who, at that time, was a farmer in Delaware,Ontario. He entered Trinity College University in 1852 and graduated B.A. in 1855. Octavus began his Medical studies in Milton, Ontario, and continued at the University of Pennsylvania from 1858 -1859 and then at the University of New York from 1859-1860 from where he was awarded his M.D. His clinical studies all took place at the Bellevue Hospital New York.

To finance his years of study Octavus taught and tutored students in Mathematics and Languages. In 1860 he returned to England from where he accepted a position as ship's surgeon on the vessel "Irene" and sailed forAdelaide, South Australia, settling at Nairne. On December 20, 1861, he married Ann Johnstone, at Blakiston, Sth.Australia.

Ann was born in 1829, at Utkinton, in the parish of Tarporley, Cheshire, (from where the Weld family originated) the daughter of Mary Paterson and Henry Johnstone, a Scottish couple who had emigrated to Delaware, Ontario, Canada. Canon Andrews officiated at the Blakiston Church. Ann was the youngest of the three sisters, Agnes, Jane and Ann who married the three Weld brothers, William, Stephen and Octavus.

After living at Nairne for about eleven years the family moved to Mount Barker in the early 1870s where the youngest daughter was born and where they remained until after the Doctor's death. Octavus was an enthusiast in his profession and in the early days, having a very wide circuit, he was always ready to undertake the longest and most trying journey in order to alleviate the sufferings of his patients. The roads in the South in the sixties were not the best and in obeying the call of duty he had frequently to undertake tedious trips to Callington, Murray Bridge, Stirling and other neighbouring centres. Dr. Weld was an ideal townsman and was deservedly popular where ever he went. All affairs which would benefit the town had his ardent and active support, financially and otherwise, while he never failed to assist, though in an unostentatious manner, any case of need which came to his notice. A staunch churchman, he was a trustee of the Blakiston Church and a valued member of Christ Church, Mount Barker. The doctor also took a keen interest in the local auxiliary of the British and foreign Bible Society, having been at one time the treasurer and at the time of his death he was the president.

Octavus was also a liberal supporter of the institute, of which he had been an energetic committeeman, vice-president, and president, and in 1893-4 the Mount Barker Model Parliament honoured him with the position of Governor.

Being passionately fond of flowers, it was only natural that he should have a practical interest in the Agricultural and Floricultural Societies, with the former of which he had, for a long period, been officially connected as a committee member, later becoming a vice-president and at the time of his death he was the president of the Floricultural Society. He took a great interest in his garden and some of his choice blooms had carried off many prizes at the various shows. The dairying industry, too, received his support, and he was an inaugural supplier to the Mount Barker Factory. In his younger days Octavus was an enthusiastic cricketer and a fine shot, and before a recreation ground was established the cricket and football games were granted free use of what was known for many years as "Dr. Weld's paddock". He set a good example by attending many games and took peculiar delight in providing refreshments to the visiting teams who showed their appreciation of his kindness in no uncertain way. In a similar respect the doctor was a true friend to the local school children, for scarcely ever was a gala day without the little ones being hospitably treated at his expense.

Chess and the reading of what he called "elevating literature"where his favourite leisure activities.In 1858 he was initiated into the Masonic Lodge in Canada and was also involved in the Oddfellowes and Forresters Lodges at Nairne. The family travelled widely in Victoria and New South Wales, within Australia, and visited the doctor's brother, Dr. John Edward Weld and his family at Oxford, New Zealand, on many occasions. During the 1890's Octavus twice indulged in a tour round the world.

Dr. Weld died on Oct. 28, 1901 at Mount Barker and as a mark of respect flags were flown at half-mast throughout the district. Ann died three years later on Oct. 28, 1904. Octavus and Ann had four daughters:Theodosia b.Oct. 15,1862 at Nairne; Annie b.Dec. 16,1865 at Nairne d. 1948; Mary Eleanor b.March 8,1870 at Nairne; Elizabeth Eleanor b.Sept. 6,1874 at Mt.Barker d.Jun.14,1969."

- from the Rootsweb page of Jim Shaw.

It is wonderful that such a beautiful rose was named after such a worthy man.

Botrytis (Grey Mould) on Kew Rambler

It was several years after I first started growing roses that I realised that the little pink-edged circles that occasionally covered my rose blooms were symptoms of a disease called "Grey Mould". Or, more scientifically, "Botrytis cineria". When climatic conditions are cool and wet, chances of seeing this disease manifest itself in the garden increase greatly. At the moment we are having one of the coolest starts to summer in years, and have had very good rainfall.....bingo! One spotty Kew Rambler. There is no sign of it to any great extent in any of the other roses- perhaps a ring here, a pink spot there- but Kew Rambler has been badly effected. It is still lovely, though, and I would rather live with a few spoiled blooms than bring out the big guns of the chemical world.

What's blooming in December.

Above: David Austin's "John Clare". This rose is one of the most prolific bloomers of the Austin group, and one of my favourites. The colour is darker than in this photo..I was taking it with the sun shining directly behind the bloom. He has a nice shrubby habit, and his height and width depends on the position. This one jostles for space with the hybrid musks Eva and Kathleen, and so has grown quite tall. Another has plenty of space to spread, so he has grown wider than his height...about 1.5m x 2 m. The fragrance isn't too overwhelming...mild and sweet would probably be the most apt description.

My fave...good old speccy Cymbeline! After a big Spring flush, it is already gearing up for a big Summer show.

Above: 'Scepter'd Isle', another of the glorious myrrh-scented Austin roses. The blooms are large and very pretty, especially the way the yellow stamens are visible in the rose's centre. It develops into quite a largish shrub- about 2m x 1.5 m in this garden.

Above: The twisty unique blooms of General Gallieni, a fabulous old Tea rose that flowers continuously throughout the year, even providing a few blooms through Winter. He is a rose that really marches to the beat of his own drum (like my favourite type of people)...every bloom seems to be different, and like all tea roses the colour can vary very much in response to the amount of sunlight that it receives. This bloom is from a plant that is in a very shady position, and the blooms on it are generally deeper in colour and contrast to the blooms of those General Gallienis that grow in more sunny aspects.

Kew Rambler- what a brilliant rose! It starts flowering well after the other ramblers finish (with the exception of Francis E Lester, who is still putting up a show), and once it starts it just goes and goes and goes. Because of all the rain we have had over the past few weeks, botrytis has reared its spotty head in the garden, including on Kew Rambler. It doesn't really bother me, so I never spray for it. The only symptoms roses ever seem to display here are the little deep pink circles on the petals, which are not too detracting from the overall appearance.

Above: This rose is a cracker...I just love it! It is David Austin's Brother Cadfael, and its scent and bloom formation are gorgeous. The blooms are big and full of petals and cupped like a chalice, perfect for a pointy nose like mine to burrow into and get to the centre of the fragrance. They totally smother the bush, and the repeat is excellent if snap deadheading is conducted. This particular Brother Cadfael was only planted this last Summer, in January or February, and so is only about a metre high so far. I have another more established plant, and it has developed into a shrub about 2m x 1.5 m.

Above: David Austin's Eglantyne...an excellent 'workhorse' of the rose world, this rose puts out its pretty soft pink blooms continuously from Spring to Autumn, and grows into a largish shrub of about 2m x 2m. Like all Austins, it has a wonderful perfume (with, of course, the exception of 'The Reeve', which I still think smells of cat pee).

Above: David Austin's Tea Clipper. I have never grown this rose before, and have only had it in the garden since January 2011, so I can't as yet comment on its habit, but I can say that the blooms are lovely. Yesterday, when this photo was taken, this bloom was displaying the unusual effect of one half being decidedly lighter than the other..the bottom was an apricot, and the top a buff-gold. I have seen tea roses do this, but not an Austin.

Above: There always seems to be a hybrid musk blooming somewhere in the garden, no matter what the time of year. This is Francesca's second flowering of the season. She flowers in profusion earlier than the other hybrid musks, and has a quick turn around before she's putting on a show again. I have mentioned before that Francesca tends to drop her leaves and look a bit ratty after the first big bloom of Spring, but this is not a problem with subsequent flowerings.

A brief respite from roses...balloons over the Valley

"Eurimbla" is only 23 km from Canowindra (or 25 depending on which of the two roads you take!), and this year saw the town hosting a ballooning championship that drew balloonists from all over the world. My husband Craig took these photos of the balloons over the valley looking north towards Canowindra.

Kate's Rose

Kate's Rose is an Australian rose bred by Kate Cox and released in 1988. Pictured above with an unknown species rose, she is an utter delight in the garden, and I would love to source some more plants to add to the one sole specimen that I have.

She is a polyantha, being a seedling from the rose baby Faurax. I had the privilege of meeting Kate and her husband, rose expert Peter Cox, some years ago, and felt totally star-struck as I held out Peter's fabulous book "Australian Roses" for him to autograph. Nerdy, I know.....

To use the description of Kate's Rose written by Peter himself in his book:

"KATE'S ROSE-1988. Seedling of Baby Faurax. Polyantha bush rose. Semi-double, no fragrance, purplish pink cupped flowers on clusters, fully recurrent. Light to mid green foliage. Few prickles. Flower- 15 petals, 25mm, 5 to 26. Small bush: 0.5 x 0.75m."

Planted in a garden where roses fend for themselves and the golden rule for success is "Survival Of The Fittest", Kate's Rose has thrived. She has never been pruned or sprayed or fed or even mulched, yet she flowers her head off and NEVER gets hit with black spot. Her foliage is always fresh and healthy, and all this whilst having to cope with own-root species roses that are creeping their way out of the section that was designated 'the wild garden'. The big pink rose in the photo above is one such pushy neighbour.

I think what I love most about Kate's Rose is the cuteness of her little cupped flowers...they really are just so sweet. She is definitely a rose that I would place in my imaginary "What roses would I save in a fire/flood/tornado?" scenario.

Constance Spry

The beautiful Constance Spry is famous in the world of David Austin roses as being his first commercial release, way back in the olden days of 1961, the year before I was born. She is once-flowering, but the display is long and lovely, and her myrrh scent is just glorious.

Her canes are long and arching, and although she is often grown as a climber she is a fine free-standing and self-supporting shrub rose. I have her in two spots in the garden, and she grows unsupported in both.

The blooms are so gorgeous-cupped clear pink and large- and hold their form well. As a shrub Constance Spry builds up to about 2 x 2 metres, but as a supported climber she can reach at least twice this size.

Because she is very resistant to black spot and other rose nasties, Constance is still a handsome garden shrub even when not in bloom.

Guessing game...what rose is this?????

I have a number of mystery roses in the garden, and they came to have this status bestowed upon them in a variety of different ways...mislabelled roses from the nursery of origin; lost labels after planting and before I could note their identity and position in my map book of the garden; me just being too slack to record their details in the map book to begin with, and finally roses appearing where I have absolutely no memory of ever having planted anything in that particular spot.

The rose above is from the latter school of origin. I have no idea how long it has been in the garden, and I certainly have no memory of having either ordered a rose that fits its description or of having put any rose in that position. It is growing almost at the base of a Felicia, and I most probably thought it was yet another errant Dr. Huey, if I in fact had noticed it at all.

I was walking around the garden this Spring with my friend Linda when I spied the red from amongst the powder pink of Felicia. Upon cursing another outbreak of Dr. Huey, Linda replied that no, it wasn't the Doctor. I stopped and had a proper look, and could see immediately that it wasn't old Huey. The leaves were totally different, the flower form didn't match and the colour wasn't even as 'in-your-face' red. There was also quite a pretty splash of white around the centre boss of stamens. In short, it was nothing like Dr. Huey, and I felt guilty for proclaiming him guilty before conducting even the most basic of investigations.
The mystery rose has long arching branches , and I am not yet sure if it repeat flowers. It is earmarked for surveillance over the summer and autumn seasons, and I will report back next winter.

Judith Pfeiffer's Rose Catalogue

Whilst looking for an old Hedgerow Nursery catalogue recently(unsuccessfully, I might add), I came across an old dog-eared catalogue entitled "A Book Of Roses". It was written by a lady named Judith Pfeiffer of Cloyne Nursery near Cooma, NSW, and in my early rose years it served as my rose 'bible'. Judith's rose descriptions were perfect...before the internet it was quite difficult to find accurate details regarding how any particular rose variety performed under Australian conditions. There were plenty of English or American rose books to be found, but my Australian rose book library hadn't started at that time, and finding Judith's beautifully written catalogue was a Godsend to a new rose gardener just starting out.

One of the most helpful sections of "A Book Of Roses" was a section at the back entitled "Roses For Difficult Positions". I am reproducing it here in my blog in the hope that it may guide other budding rosarians as it helped me so many years ago. Without further ado, here it is.....

"ROSES FOR DIFFICULT POSITIONS.

SHADE No roses will thrive in heavy shade of large trees, but many will perform well in partial shade. Of these, perhaps, the most tolerant as a class would be the Albas, closely followed by the Hybrid Musks, Rugosas and some Species Roses. The more robust of the Modern Shrubs, for example Lavender Lassie, Shropshire Lass, Fruhlingsgold and Fruhlingsmorgen will also give a good showing in partial shade.
For shady walls, with a southern aspect, Mermaid and Zephrine Drouhin will both flourish and flower very well, as will the tall Hybrid Musks Buff Beauty, Pax and Penelope. I am amazed at how much shade all these roses will take.

SANDY SOIL AND SEA AIR: The Rugosas should be your first choice for these conditions. They will grow on the sandy shores of Cape Cod and on the eastern shores of Japan, which is their original habitat. The true 'rugosa' is one of the hardiest and most disease resistant types which we possess. They will tolerate warm humid conditions as well as severe frosts.

ALKALINE SOILS: Roses do not like too much lime, but this problem can be overcome. they prefer a soil that is neutral or very slightly acid, so if your problem is alkalinity, and the foliage of the roses turns pale yellow-green, dig large quantities of humus into your soil, in the form of either compost, peat or horse or cow manure. Not sheep or fowl manure as this will add to the alkalinity. Heavy soils often lack phosphates. Sulphate of Potash is a good source of potash. Blood and Bone is an excellent natural source of phosphates.

ROSES FOR HEDGES, WINDBREAKS AND SCREENS.
I feel, in Australia, that roses are not used nearly enough for these very important elements in our gardens.
A great deal of thought and care is necessary to find the perfect rose for your needs, but if all factors are taken into consideration, your rose hedge or screen can be the highlight of your garden, and need not create a lot of extra work.

Of major importance is the height. Firstly we will consider the low dividing hedge within the garden. In my garden I have four such hedges, all very different in character, and all stunning in their own way. There is no doubt that when one makes a strong statement with one rose, the effect is brilliant.

Of major importance when choosing a rose for this purpose is its foliage. No matter how beautiful the flowers, the effect is straggly, unless the foliage is luxuriant and healthy, and equally important is the growth habit of the plant. It needs to be bushy and branchy from the ground. Tall spindly growth will never make a hedge.

Near the entrance of the nursery against a low stone wall I have planted 'Stanwell Perpetual'. This rose has pretty soft ferny foliage which seems to be almost disease free. Customers say the air is heavy with the fragrance of the soft pink flowers before they open the gate. The growth habit is fairly lax which suits the position as it cascades over the low wall. The roses are planted .75m apart to make a dense hedge.

I had a fairly large glass house that needed softening, but not shading, and so for this purpose I chose the soft, fluffy Ballerina, whose masses of pink and white single flowers, which appear continually in great clusters, have done the trick. This hedge I will keep to .90 m. I again planted the bushes .75 m apart. In front of this hedge I planted the Hybrid Dianthus 'Haytor's White'. It also flowers continually and the soft grey foliage is a great foil for the pink and white effect.

The third hedge is along a fence and here I have planted my much-loved 'Felicia'. A Hybrid Musk with very healthy foliage and clusters of large, very fragrant, pink double flowers, flowering throughout late Spring, Summer and Autumn. It grows to 1.2X 1.2 m, but can be kept to 1m if you so desire.

The last low growing hedge in my garden is one I have along the verandah where there is no guard rail or wall, so that when one sits on this much-used verandah, the roses are very much part of the scene. Here we planted the ever flowering Iceburg, with its beautiful shiny dark green foliage, a perfect foil for the creamy-white flowers. It has to be one of the most generous roses ever created. Planted about .90 m apart.

Hedges from 1.5-7m: In this range we look at proper barrier hedges for privacy, or hedges to be used in Canberra instead of a front fence, or to camouflage the ugly fences around swimming pools. Or to be used as windbreaks.
For this purpose one would have to first of all suggest the original Rugosa roses. They have wonderful dense growth from the ground up. the foliage is beautiful, tough and disease resistant as well as colouring brilliantly in autumn. The flowers are continuous and sweetly scented and as the final bonus, large round, bright red or orange hips. A truly impenetrable and fragrant hedge needing little more care than privet. Best varieties would be R. Rugosa Alba; Blanc Double de Coubert; Frau Dagmar Hastrup; R. Rugosa Rubra; R. Rugosa Typica; Scabrosa; Rosarie de L'Hay or Schneezwerg.

Very beautiful and very fragrant hedges can also be made with the hybrid musk roses. Use either one variety or mix two or three complementing varieties which grow to the same height. I have seen wonderful hedges made from Penelope, Felicia and Autumn Delight. I have also seen an enviable hedge of just Cornelia alone. These hedges will be flowering the first year and in that time will grow to 1m in height. The same may be said for the rugosas.

WINDBREAKS: For very large, tall screens and windbreaks, the Species roses cannot be beaten. They have great vigour and strength, need very little watering, are very free from disease and will reach amazing heights in a few years. There is no quicker way of getting a 20 ft high windbreak, and the only support they will need are some treated poles and 2 or 3 wires. Suitable varieties are Mermaid; R. Bracteata,; R. Eglanteria(Sweet Briar); R. Multiflora and its hybrids, to name a few.

ROSES FOR GROWING INTO TREES, SMOTHERING UNSIGHTLY FEATURES.
Alberic Barbier
R. Filipes Kiftsgate
Francis E. Lester
Clg. Cecile Brunner
Wedding Day
Banksia Lutea

ROSES FOR GROUND-COVER- VERY LOW GROWING GOOD FOR BANKS
Max Graf
Nozomi
Snow carpet
R. Wichuriana Hybrids
Felicite et Perpetue
Raubritter

12 OLD FASHIONED ROSE BUSHES SELECTED FOR THEIR CONTINUITY OF FLOWER.
Buff Beauty
Ballerina
Boule de Neige
Charmian
Dame Edith Helen
Charles Austin
Monsieur Tillier
Moonsprite
Penelope
Stanwell Perpetual
Souvenir de St. Ann
Seafoam

12 CLIMBERS SELECTED FOR THEIR CONTINUITY OF FLOWER
Altissimo
Buff Beauty
Blossomtime
Clair Matin
Crepuscule
Desprez a Fleur Jaune
Iceberg
Mermaid
Mme Abel Chatenay
New Dawn
Souvenir de la Malmaison
Titian

10 OLD FASHIONED BUSH ROSES CHOSEN FOR THEIR FRAGRANCE.
Alba Maxima
Celeste
Charles de Mills
Common Pink Moss
Gloire de Ducher
Mme Ernst Calvat
Mme Isaac Perrier
Mme Legras de St. germaine
Mme Pierre Oger
Mme Hardy
Roserie de :'Hay

EVERGREEN CLIMBERS
Mermaid
Wedding Day
Alberic Barbier


12 ROSES SELECTED FOR ALL ROUND PERFORMANCE- continuous flowering, good foliage, fragrance.
Charmian
Chaucer
Duchess de Brabant
George Arends
Gruss en Achen
Hero
Lady Mary Fitzwilliam
La Reine
Mme Caroline Testout
Mme Lauriol de Barney
Compte de Chambord
Mme Ernst Calvat

-Taken from "A Book Of Roses" by Judith Pfeiffer of Cloyne Nursery, Cooma. Obtained by me in February, 1995.

My tastes don't necessarily match those of Judith's, but then I have "weird" likes and dislikes in roses. For example, I am one of the few people I know who really doesn't take to Crepuscule, Albertine or even Mme Alfred Carriere or Lamarque. A list of favourite roses would never contain any of the Wichuriana ramblers- I am definitely a multiflora girl. Wichurianas have those creepy long, long arms that wind around everything, and horrid thorns, and I don't even like their blooms very much.
On the farm here there used to be an old Dorothy Perkins rose that climbed up an old wooden tankstand. Even when the tankstand was gone, Dorothy skulked around everywhere poking her nose in where it wasn't wanted. She was a magnet to powdery mildew, and I thought of her as being like a mean old spinster woman with a black, cold heart...needless to say, no tears were shed when she shuffled off the mortal coil.