On Sun, 08 Dec 2002 17:25:19 +0000, Vera Gade wrote:

Now is the URG-question coming up- at last: Outside my 5 windows I'm
thinking of constructing whitepainted open wooden screens 1 m from the
housefacade for the planting of roses and clematis. Imagine me sitting in
my kitchen or studio and looking out through the flowers rambling with the
sunlight shining through and in contrast with the green thujas! Wow!
Dreams!The substance of gardening.
I have not any experience of this special kind of gardening - up trailing
in trellage in stark sunshine - I with my old shady and bushy garden with
the oldfashioned rosbushes. What am I to grow? What am I to look out for?
Problems? Of course it is milder and damper in England, but I don't know -
the climat is obviosly changing this years, so perhaps I will have
UK-conditions in the future!

Hej Vera,

I hope you have many happy years with your new garden.

I have some experience of rose and clematis up trellis / posts, and have
the following comments.

Rambler type climbing roses are easier to train in than HT climbing roses.
Training in any climbing rose is a work of patience, body armour and
strong gloves!. The more frequently you train the rose in the better and
easier it goes. There is also a fine balance to find between training the
stem in when it is too young, and bending / crushing it accidently, and
when it is too old and to stiff to train where you want it.

Madame Alfred Carriere was the easiest rose out of our batch of climbers
to train - it is very voluminous and prolific in growing stems!

Clematis aren't any bother to train, you just have to be *very* careful if
you ever need to unwind one from where it has grown - it is very easy to
snap. Obviously if it has grown through something else, following the
"correct" pruninh regime is very difficult.

The only other thing is that the climbers romping away tend to end up at
the top of the trellis, leaving the bottom bare - but a nice oppourtunity
for some low growing bushy plants to fill the hole ;-)

Regards,

Sarah