Scented roses for a garden arch

Robmarston

I’m looking for suggestions for roses to train up a garden arch. The arch will be over our front entrance gate. It’s a reasonably strong pine, square arch - 180cm wide and 7-8ft high. I’d like something that won’t destroy the arch but will cover it nicely. My main criteria is a strong scent as we’d be walking under it each day. Preferably flowers repeatedly or for a long period. The colour is not important. 

I’ve already got clematis in mind to add to it - broughton star and Elsa spath. 

Ideas greatly appreciated. Photos too would be nice 😊

Pete.8

Something to bear in mind is that climbing/rambling roses throw out long new shoots during the season - that are covered in prickles - and you don't want visitors arriving having been snagged on the roses.
There are 'thornless' roses - e.g.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/roses/climbing/thornless

Athelas

Wollerton Old Hall has a lovely scent (in my opinion — not a traditional rose scent but spicy) and nearly thornless for me

Robmarston

Pete.8 said:

Something to bear in mind is that climbing/rambling roses throw out long new shoots during the season - that are covered in prickles - and you don't want visitors arriving having been snagged on the roses.
There are 'thornless' roses - e.g.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/roses/climbing/thornless

So does that mean you wouldn’t recommend a rose? If not is there something better? I’ve been trawling through loads of websites looking at all kinds of roses which is why I was hoping for recommendations - maybe something someone is used that been successful. Woolerton Old hall looks nice. 

Pete.8

I think a rose on an arch can be a lovely sight and a scented welcome to visitors.
But many climbers and ramblers have serious prickles and it's less of a warm welcome if visitors get scratched or their clothes snagged on entering your garden, so if I was doing it I'd look for a scented thornless rose.
I don't think I'd add clematis to the mix though, it's going to get very tangled and having upto 4 plants on an arch may be a bit too ambitious.

PS - an alternative thought - I used to grow trachelospermum jasminoides (Star Jasmine) on an arch in my front garden.
It has a very strong scent, smothered in flowers, grows quickly, it's evergreen and no prickles.
It's not hardy in all parts of the UK though and needs sun to do well.

Nanny Beach

180cm wide that's 6 who is going to get scraped by roses on that. I have an arch 1mt wide with New Dawn,not a heavy scent but repeat flowers,I carefully bend the stems over so they aren't sticking over where you walk. Just treated ourselves to a Sweet Syrie fairly new scented climber.Compassion short climber 10ft high scent, we have Rambling Rector on an arch a Mt wide, honeysuckle one side, passion flower the other will put a picture. It's an early flowerer. I know a lot of folk don't like it,again it's kept under control,it's happy to have bits chopped off anytime. After I had cropped I clicked rotate on the phone it said "done" obviously isn't!

Nollie

That’s a generous sized arch. I wouldn’t worry too much about visitors being spiked, as you would be growing a rose outside the archway and trained over the top. I think I would grow a late flowering group 3 clematis with a rose as they get chopped down to about 12” every year, then it’s easy enough to pull the dead stems of the clematis out of the rose. As to which rose, the choice is vast, but you could make a shortlist of what takes your fancy by looking at climbers and ramblers on good rose supplier sites such as David Austin and Trevor White, then filtering for very fragrant, low thorn, suitable for a large arch etc. Once you have narrowed it down, then you can come back and ask for people’s experiences of growing those roses. Bear in mind to get good repeat flowering on a repeat flowering rose you have to keep deadheading the spent blooms. I’m not sure how easy that would be, but you will find yourself hauling out the stepladders a lot. For that reason I wouldn’t rule out a once-blooming rose with good health and strong fragrance.

JessicaS

Ive got sweet syrie and its outstanding, very sturdy stems and beautiful scent. Ive had mine a few years now and its prolific too!
Austins lady of shallot and crown princess margaritte have both done well climbing for me too. Ive got highgrove which smells lovely as a climber this year, a lovely red.
I have albertine as well, stunning in full bloom may/ june but its a once flowerer and has absolutley wicked thorns, it whips bites and claws! Messy in rain too, so comes with a caveat

Robmarston

Sweet syrie looks lovely. I like high grove because I am partial to a red rose, but apparently it has little fragrance. I like lady of shallot because I like the painting by whatsisname. I also noticed the generous Gardner. Is that a good one. 

Marlorena

Presumably you want a David Austin rose, as most people do these days, so that it's not worth recommending anything else usually... but rather than The Generous Gardener, I think the rose that suits someone who perhaps does not grow many roses and wants something easy to manage, is 'Mortimer Sackler', which otherwise suits the purposes on an arch of your dimensions..

It grows quickly, soon ascending to 8 or 10 feet, and is trainable across the top.. the foliage is very fine, quite beautiful and health is better than average.. I don't recall seeing any disease issues... the stems are purple, and mostly thornless... the blooms are large, pink and sweetly scented, with continuous bloom form..
No photos, as mine was on an obelisk..

Names and associations can be problematic but if we worry about those, we might as well give up..  

It's best to plant the same rose both sides so they join across the top, to give a professional, uniform effect... best of luck with your roses.. 

If you are growing clematis 'Betty Corning' you should ensure it doesn't swamp your roses ..

Robmarston

@Marlorena Makes no difference to me whether it’s DA or not. What are your thoughts on zepherine Douhin?