Question

rose   QUESTION: Hello, last year I bought and planted the rose you hopefully can  see in the picture.  I dont know the name of it, but it is not the kind of rose I really wanted.  Would you be so kind as to give me names of short climbing roses which actually look like a rose.  The one I have looks like a rose until it opens fully.  Also I find this type very messy, as it looses its petals quite quickly. It would be nice to have a scented one too, no color preference, although the hydrangea planted around it are pink.    I live in  Gananoque (SE Ontario) Canada. Thank you.

ANSWER: The older climbers are really tall and can keep going if treated well so nowadays the breeders are introducing climbers that don't grow not very tall. They realize that gardeners just want a more contained climber that will look nice on an archway or a trellis. Plus with the shorter climbers you also get more blooms. However when it comes to fragrance, not many have a strong scent. Here is a list from an excellent rose nursery in your area called Palatine Roses which will do well for you.
http://www.palatineroses.com/search/?gs=Climber
Aloha is a shaded rose pink with a fragrance
Dizzy Heights is a deep red that also stays shorter.
Dublin Bay is a bright red
Ilse Krohn Superior a good white
Rosanna is a soft coral pink
Salita is a rich orange
If you want a climber to stay reasonable short, then don't be too generous with the fertilizer. Most rose books tell you to fertilizer roses too much and this will encourage rampant growth at the expense of flowers. It is flowers that you want, not green growth. A generous couple of handfuls of rose fertilizer scattered all around the base is all that is needed. In your area if you fertilize after the end of June, you will probably get dieback so the secret to getting them through winter is to make sure the canes have hardened off before winter sets in.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Are all roses messy or just the type I have? It seems the flower only lasts a day or so before the petals fall off.

Answer
Flowers need water plus fertilizer to look good. When a rose is first planted, it uses up all it's energy to make new canes and leaves. Because making a flower takes the most energy for the plant, many times in the first year, the bloom will not be as it should and will not last long. But not getting enough water will also cause a rose bloom to not be as double as it should be and will droop and fall apart. Just make sure you know that the water has gone down to at least 8 inches deep .Many times when a person waters, it looks like the rose got a lot but the water didn't go down far enough.