I live in southernbig canes big Md. and have about 350 roses. Cut your
climbers back in the early spring, Make sure that it`s been cold enough
for them to go dormant or they will suffer die-back. Yellow roses are
hardy but they are also fragrant and draw beetles. Don`t be afraid to
cut them, leave 3 to 4 big canesand cut them down to about 18 inches in
early spring, they will love you for it. My favorite climber is
'Joseph`s Coat". Remember, roses love water but don`t like wet feet.
Fertilize every 6 weeks with 10-10-10 and you`ll be fine.
Eggs Zachtly wrote:
mm said:

I have a big beautiful rose bush on one side of my fence gate. I
dont' tend it but it just gets bigger.

I wanted to buy a yellow rose for the right side, from Miller
Nurseries. I've tried before in that part of my yard, bought locally,
and they just die. Lots of clay in the soil might be part of the
problme.

Drainage is probably a part of the problem. Have you had the soil tested?


I live on the uphill side of Baltimore, on the border between zones 6
and 7, maybe on the 6 side.

Is yellow a fragile kind of rose?

Yellow is another color of a rose. Nothing more. =)

Golden Showers or Graham Thomas?

Golden Showers, I've not heard of (roses aren't my "thing"). Graham Thomas
is a fairly new cultivar (1980's), but I've seen a couple specimens. One
was very nice, about 4-5' tall, and full of blooms. The other looked like
it was struggling. Both plants were the same age, but in different beds, so
soil differences may come into play. It didn't look diseased, just slower.
That's pretty much why they aren't my "thing". I've found roses, while
tough plants, they're too damn finicky for me.


If I buy a climbing rose, will it over the years damage my unfinished
wooden picket fence?

Depends on the rose. How's the one on the other side holding up?


Would it in your opinion clash with the free-standing rose bush on the
other side?

That's a matter of taste. Yours, not mine. You're the one that's gotta look
at them. =)


"Roses shoudl be mulched 6" in mild climates, up to 12 in severe
climates". I gues baltimroe is somewhere in between? I don't think
I've ever seen anything with say 8 inches of mulch. Am I just blind?

Yup. It says "up to" 12 inches, according to your reference.

--
Eggs

-Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist
change places.