Climbing roses are a fantastic way to adorn walls, fences, and garden structures with their vibrant blooms. With numerous varieties available, it's essential to choose wisely.
Before you plant climbing roses, assess the area you want to enhance. For instance, while 'Clare Austin' and 'Honeymoon' have lovely cream blooms, they may blend into a white wall but pop against a dark fence. Selecting the right rose isn't just about looks; it's crucial for successful growth too. Most roses thrive in temperate climates, but pick cultivars suited for your specific US hardiness zone to withstand seasonal changes.
Whether you wish to brighten a dull fence or infuse your garden with fragrance, ensure your chosen rose fits the environment. Here are some of my top climbing rose picks known for their beauty, scent, and overall impact.
'The Pilgrim' grows 7 to 8 feet tall, perfect for arches or pergolas.
12 Stunning Climbing Roses
Climbing roses provide an opportunity to create a vertical garden, maximizing space with enchanting blooms. If you're seeking rose garden ideas for any yard, these plants are a must-consider.
Roses thrive on sunlight. They'll produce more blooms in full sun, ideally getting 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily, though some can tolerate partial shade.
Best Pink and Red Climbing Roses
1. America
Rosa 'America' showcases unique coral-pink blooms with a golden yellow center.
- Height: 10ft
- Spread: 6ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 6 - zone 9
- Color: Pink flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun; avoid part-shade and plant in free-draining soil.
If your garden features peach and coral shades, then 'America' is the climbing rose for you. Its tightly closed buds bloom into striking flowers that will add drama to your landscape.
This medium climber has flexible stems, making it great for obelisks or pergolas, and it produces flowers from summer through fall. Regular deadheading can encourage blooms late into the season.
Rosa 'America' is available for order online.
2. Compassion
Rosa 'Compassion' features lovely pale pink blooms with a captivating fragrance.
- Height: 10ft
- Spread: 6ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 6 - zone 7
- Color: Pink flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun and rich soil.
For those who appreciate a classic Hybrid Tea Rose, Rosa 'Compassion' is a robust choice, blooming from summer to fall. Its charming pink-apricot flowers offer an old-fashioned allure, making it a strong candidate for your vertical garden.
Introduced in 1973, its upright reddish stems support lush green foliage, making it perfect for growing over arches or doors.
Rosa 'Compassion' is available online.
3. Gertrude Jekyll
Rosa 'Gertrude Jekyll' is a timeless cottage garden rose.
- Height: 8ft
- Spread: 5ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 6 - zone 7
- Color: Pink double flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun and free-draining soil.
Rosa 'Gertrude Jekyll' is one of the most fragrant selections. Its large, double rose-pink blooms have an intense classic rose scent.
This variety reliably flowers in summer and fall. Its manageable height and flexible stems make it great for pillars, walls, and obelisks. Position it in an open area, away from trees and competing roots, to maximize blooming potential.
4. Lady in Red
Rosa 'Lady in Red' offers deep red blooms that will enhance your garden wall.
- Height: 10ft
- Spread: 8ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 4 - zone 9
- Color: Deep red flowers
- Growing requirements: Sunny spot with space to grow.
This striking red rose is a must-have for fragrant gardens. With its lightly scented blooms and vigorous growth, 'Lady in Red' thrives alongside other roses and honeysuckles.
Rosa 'Lady in Red' is available from Amazon.
Best White and Cream Climbing Roses
5. Claire Austin
Rosa 'Claire Austin' is a stunning white climber that will captivate this summer.
- Height: 8ft
- Spread: 5ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 6 - zone 7
- Color: White double flowers
- Growing requirements: Sunny position with space to grow.
This beloved English rose, developed by David Austin, is an excellent repeat-blooming climber of moderate height. If you're seeking impactful white blooms for walls, 'Claire Austin' is perfect.
From summer to fall, it showcases large creamy flowers with a delightful myrrh scent that open from lemon-tinted buds.
Rosa 'Claire Austin' is available from Walmart.
6. New Dawn
Rosa 'New Dawn' adds elegance to any setting with its pale blooms.
- Height: 10ft
- Spread: 8ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 6 - zone 10
- Color: Pale white-pink flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun with at least 6 hours of sunlight.
Rosa 'New Dawn' is a classic with shapely, scented pale pink blooms, suitable for both traditional and country gardens. Since its introduction in 1930, it has become a staple.
Blooming continues from summer into late fall, thriving even in dappled shade and poorer soils. Pair it with the deeper pink Clematis 'Comtesse de Bouchard' for added contrast.
Rosa 'New Dawn' is available from Amazon.
7. Eden
Rosa 'Eden' stands out with its pale pink, nearly white blooms.
- Height: 10ft
- Spread: 6ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 6 - zone 7
- Color: White to pale-pink flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun with ample room to climb in rich soil.
Eden is a dynamic climbing rose, perfect for trellising or covering pergolas. Its striking pale-pink blooms brighten any setting and feature double flowers for added allure.
With a light fragrance, 'Eden' is great for adding a romantic touch to borders. Rosa 'Eden' is available from Walmart.
Best Yellow and Orange Climbing Roses
8. Golden Gate
Rosa 'Golden Gate' features blooms that attract bees.
- Height: 8ft
- Spread: 6ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 6 - zone 7
- Color: Yellow open flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun and well-draining soil.
'Golden Gate' is one of the brightest roses to cultivate, making it a top climbing choice.
Disease-resistant and free-flowering, this compact plant produces fragrant, semi-double bright yellow blooms from summer to fall. If the last blooms aren't deadheaded, hips will develop.
Rosa 'Golden Gate' is available online.
9. The Pilgrim
Rosa 'The Pilgrim' brightens any area with its golden yellow flowers.
- Height: 8ft
- Spread: 6ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 6 - zone 7
- Color: Yellow flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun (6 to 8 hours) and well-draining soil.
This rose produces cup-shaped blooms that open to flat rosettes of primrose, accented by paler lemon edges. As a climbing variety, 'The Pilgrim' is full and richly textured.
Its stunning appearance and sweet fragrance make it a delightful choice. Fast-growing and repeat-blooming, this compact climber brings a burst of sunny yellow to your garden.
Rosa 'The Pilgrim' can be purchased online.
10. Bathsheba
Rosa 'Bathsheba' features rich copper-orange shades.
- Height: 10ft
- Spread: 6ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 7 - zone 8
- Color: Apricot/yellow flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun and well-draining soil.
For fragrant roses that enhance vertical spaces, 'Bathsheba' is an excellent selection. This vigorous climber is ideal for container gardening.
Its unique, fragrant blooms combine apricot, yellow, and peachy pink petals, with pale yellow apricot edges. It flowers continuously throughout summer.
To extend blooming, feed your roses during summer with a rose fertilizer available online.
Best Climbing Roses for Pollinators
11. The Magician
Rosa 'The Magician' attracts pollinators with its open orange blooms.
- Height: 7ft
- Spread: 6ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 6 - zone 10
- Color: Apricot flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun and free-draining soil.
If you're looking for dramatic garden colors, 'The Magician' stands out with its jewel-like apricot blooms. Its flowers are accessible to birds, bees, and butterflies, making it a summer favorite.
Rosa 'The Magician' is available from Walmart.
12. Fourth of July
This showstopper, Rosa 'Fourth of July', features unique red and white petals.
- Height: 10ft
- Spread: 6ft
- Hardiness: US hardiness zone 5 - zone 9
- Color: White and red flowers
- Growing requirements: Full sun and well-draining soil.
If you seek an all-American addition to your cottage garden, climbing roses don't get much more patriotic than 'Fourth of July'.
Clusters of single blooms reveal striking red and white patterns that attract birds, bees, and butterflies. For pollinator-friendly plants, single roses are ideal as the nectar is easily accessible.
Rosa 'Fourth of July' is available for order online.
FAQs
How should you support climbing roses?
Before planting, consider how your rose will grow. You might install a wall trellis or create hazel supports for a unique touch. When supporting your roses, use garden twine available online, tying loosely to allow for growth.
How are climbing roses different from rambling roses?
Roses are classified as climbers or ramblers based on their genetics. Climbers typically repeat-bloom and have larger flowers, with a stiffer growth habit. They need careful pruning to encourage side shoots and support the desired structure as they grow.
In contrast, rambling roses usually bloom once in midsummer, producing smaller flowers on flexible growth. They're best pruned after flowering, cutting back older stems while training new ones for the winter.
Climbing roses can enhance your yard, regardless of size, filling spaces with delightful blooms. For more rose care insights, see our guide on how to move a rose.
