I want to plant a rose to climb on the roof. Floriferous. Fitting in with the yellow and white rose color scheme. Crepuscle? yes perhaps but this place is rapidly become crepuscle palace and she can be a bit ?? leggy- Mme Alfred Carriere?? I am not sure how she grows and how dense she is. ?Devonesis climbing - how dense is she? Perfume would be divine. Or perhaps a mix of Devonesis and Alfred.

Or maybe something else? Yellow would be fine as long as it tones with the gold colour of the 6 Graham Thomas already nearby. So not Gold Bunny.

This cabana has walls of normal height but if you walk around the side, it is lower than the lawns because of the slope of the land and the excavation that has been done. So I do not want something leggy. My vision is something clinging to the roof and dense - like the amazing photo of David Rushton's garden with Bloomfield Abundance totally taken over the roof but on a much much much smaller scale. And not red of course.

Any ideas you wonderful people?

Great ideas. Sombreil is SO thorny - had to remove her from around the pool. I have Graham Thomas on the other side and love him/her but that is not going to be large enough. The roof is 4 m x 4 m and I could plant the rose at roof level so it only has to spread out or I could plant it lower and let it climb up.

What I really want is something like Noizumi which is dense and clinging wihtout big loose canes but large enough to cover a roof. The image in my mind is a smaller version of the dense roof cover by (red) Bloomfield Abundance in a photo said to be in David Rushton's garden. I guess I am more interested in the growth habit of the rose, which is critical that it is not with large floppy canes but spreads out well and is pretty evergreen, well almost, and has small fragrant white, cream, or yellow flowers.

Not asking much really!

Would probably depend on the colour of the roof/cabana and if you need a remontant rose or not. I like the thought of Deryn's suggestion Cl Lady Hillingdon aften having seen one over a stairway at the Flemington Racecourse. Would look great with G/Thomas nearby. A dusty mauve/violet coloured Veilchenblau would look good in there as well. Buff Beauty or even Phyllis Bide which has exceptional coverage right to the ground (I personally love this rose). I've mixed all of these before with great success. One I have never tried but like the look of is Cl Adelaide D'Orleans and it apparently can retain it's foliage over winter more than others - similar to Crepescule. You may find someone on this forum who's grown it and can tell you about it's local characteristics.
Anyway good luck in your choices.

Garry

I will have an archway of Cl Lady Hillingdon nearby also.

some of the suggestions are great - I especially liked Garry's idea of Buff Beauty or Phyllis Bide.
I am looking out my window at the ferral rose garden and had another idea. What about climbing Softie? She is normally shown as small - to about 1.5m, but mine has grown to the top of a pine pole (about 3m)and I once saw one that was about three times the size!! She is constantly in flower with sweet lemon blooms which are fully double and fade to white. Not that I can actually see her - Lamarque has smothered her! I'll atempt a rescue mission on the weekend. Softee is a climbing minature and so could be planted on the side of the structure so she could almost 'sit' on the roof. Softee s thornless!! and does not have 'canes'. Her growth habit is like an everyflowering rambler - which is what that think you are asking for. Another climbing miniature I have read about is Golden Garden.
Though she has canes 'Penelope' the hybrid musk is a perfect colour and has the advantage of lovely hips in autumn/winter - her growth is similar to Buff Beauty.
Cheers Deryn

I have a Penelope to move somewhere. Maybe what I should do is plant a few such as Penelop and Phyllis Bide as a "ground/ roof cover" planted at the top of the retaining wall so it can carpet out over the roof. And then see what I like the best next summer and move the ones that are not number one in that position?

Lamarque was also considered but mine stopped flowering a few weeks ago unlike a lot of other roses here. And he is a bit leggy. I really want a compact growth habit so I can shear with the hedge clippers to the roof shape every few weeks.

Keva, I imagine you know from experience growing roses near a pool just how many leaves they shed during the year - especially in autumn?

I'd opt for a mix - say Kathleen Harrop which is vigorous and thornless and a Devoniensis which smells great. The combination of pinks and whites would look great too.

Yes, you'll get leaves in the pool - but then again, as we've said before, you'll get leaves and grass and everything else in that position anyway. Why not add rose petals and leaves?

Cheers
Barb

I have decided with all of your help - I ordered 2 "Softie" (only could find it at Thomas) as per Deryn's advice and will plant these on the 2 uprights. I also ordered a Phyllis Bide and will try this and a Seafoam that I will move growing as a "ground/ roof cover' from the level of the roof. After a year of looking at all of them, I will keep the one(s) that work the best in that position and move the others somewhere else. Seems the best way to go.

Thanks everyone. Loved the thought of the banksia but so vigorous it scared me a bit.

Re leaves in the pool, as Barb says, here in the country one gets so many things in the pool from frogs to wild ducks, that a few leaves are no great problem and I cover it at night anyway so can just sweep them off if there are too many for the creepy crawly to chew up. I have planted a Manchurian Pear and a Linden (~oak) to get shade around this pool, and a lot of yellow and white roses near it, so leaves will just be there at times. I just clean out the filter fairly often.