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North Facing Wall

M FentM Fent Posts: 166
in Plants

I've planted a Madame Alfred Carriere rose with the intention of training it to cover a north facing wall as it keeps getting mentioned as being good in shade. Can somebody who actually grows miss Carriere on a north facing wall give me a 'review'/account of how well she performs in this condition? Does she flower well or just the odd flower in a mass of green? Is her scent as good as they say? Photos welcome!!

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 82,724

    I grew Mme Alfred Carriere in a shady north facing back yard some years ago. It flowered well, given good attention,training horizontally as much as possible and mulching in the autumn and feeding in the spring. I found the leaves to be susceptible to sawfly but it was easy to control this by hand-picking them off 

    the perfume is lovely, especially when blooms are cut and brought indoors, and if sitting out on a warm summer evening. 

    Last edited: 20 September 2016 08:54:10

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • M FentM Fent Posts: 166

    So good TLC will do the world of good for her?

    I get confused when website's suggest she will grow well on a north facing wall but then mentions that it will need at least 4 hours direct sun; a north facing wall will get no direct sun for much of the year with a few moments at sunrise/sunset in high summer.

    I will see how she fairs, as to have the scented blooms will be so nice near the kitchen/bedroom windows.

    Thanks Dovefromabove for your reply.

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 28,794

    My north facing wall gets sun before 9am and after 3 pm between the March and September equinoxes which is when a rose will need it.  I had Guinée and New Dawn growing perfectly well till cut down by a freak -32C frost.  Since then I've planted a smaller Falstaff with a thick mulch of bark to protect the roots and we haven't been so cold.  It seems happy enough.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • M FentM Fent Posts: 166

    Wow that is cold. So long as im not wasting precious time trying to grow something that wont be happy with its conditions. 

  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    Mine grows on. North wall. Covered in flowers every year. It does have a tendency to drooping at times as they are very vigorous despite training but I don't mind as the drooping effect just means the flowers are more easily seen and sniffed. Lovely scent. One of my clients has one on a west facing wall which does a similar thing but hers suffers from powdery mildew but that's really down to the way it was planted into a cobbled area with a drain close by so it doesn't get the water it needs. Mine doesn't seem to suffer from sawfly, they seem to prefer the ramblers I have or my shrub roses. Personally I wouldn't be without it. 

  • M FentM Fent Posts: 166

    Thanks Dave. Does your wall get much direct sun? 

    I cant wait to smell its first flower

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