| Before the nineteenth century climbing roses were almost unknown in Britain, with three exceptions. The indigenous climber was Rosa arvensis (Shakespeare's so called musk rose) which for centuries covered hedgerows with creamy flowers in July; the less hardy Rosa sempervirens was introduced from the Mediterranean in 1629, and the true musk rose, Rosa moschata, arrived later. Many of today's hybrid climbing roses are derived from a few species roses of Chinese origin following the opening up of the Far East trade.
Eastern Approches
It is easy to imagine how the early travellers to China must have felt when they first saw hundreds of roses growing at the Fa Tee nurseries in Canton. Not only were there plants never seen in Britain but they were repeat flowering. More amazingly, some were yellow - a colour unknown to western rose growers at that time. |
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 Climbers
The great Victorian plant collectors, such as William Kerr, Robert Fortune and, later, E H Wilson, found many unknown shrub and climbing species which, in the wild, grow to great heights bearing profuse clusters of small, white or yellow scented flowers. One of the first climbing species to be brought back to England was a Banksian rose. The fragrant double white form of Rosa banksiae banksiae (known as Rosa banksiae 'Alba Plena' was found in a Canton garden by William Kerr, who had been sent to China by the Royal Society in 1803. This was closely followed by the discovery of Rosa banksiae 'Lutea', which, in 1824, was the first yellow climbing rose to flower in Britain. This evergreen climber with its delicate scent is widely available and will cover a sheltered sunny wall with trusses of small double yellow flowers in late spring. Rosa banksiae 'Lutescens', introduced to Britain in 1870, is more fragrant, less hardy, with slightly larger single flowers.In the wild, Banksian roses are covered with thousands of blooms creating a cascade of blossom long before other roses have come into flower. Such prolific flowering cannot be achieved here as these roses need much sunshine and an absence of severe frost. However, Rosa banksiae 'lutea' will thrive in a sunny site in the south of England. |
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| The Banksian rose stands in a section of its own within the genus rosa, as does another early British discovery, Rosa bracteata or the Macartney rose, named after the diplomat who introduced it here from China in 1793. This evergreen rose with pure white flowers is difficult to grow in this country, but its hybrid, 'Mermaid', bred by William Paul in 1918, is one of the great climbers of this century. With canary yellow flowers, it thrives in a sunny position or even on a north wall, and will flower well into autumn. Apart from a group of modern climbing roses and floribundas which behave more like large shrubs than true climbers, most of today's hybrid roses belong to the Inicae of Chinensis sectio of the genus. They can be traced back to four hybrids which arrived in Britain between 1792 and 1824. |
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 Nearly all repeat flowering hybrid climbers have been bred from these China hybrids, all derived from Rosa chinensis (the China Rose) and Rosa gigantea, the original tea rose, which was discovered in the hills of northern Burma by Sir Henry Collett in 1824. Rosa gigantea, the queen of all wild roses, can grow up to 40 feet in the wild, its branches covered with large lemon white flowers. It is not suited to gardens here, but its importance to rose breeding and hybridisation can not be underestimated. Climbing teas, noisettes and bourbons, and their shrub varieties, all derive from these two species.Tea Roses
One of the earliest climbing tea roses, 'Fortune's Double Yellow', was discovered in a madarin's garden in Ningpo by Robert Fortune in 1845. With its bright, yellow amber flowers, it was one of the most brilliant roses of its day. In the late nineteenth century, tea roses were popular as much as for their intense perfume as for their beautiful flowers. Sadly, not many of these old roses remain in cultivation but a few hybrids are still grown. Probably the most loved is 'Gloire de Dijon', with its scented buff apricot flowers which bloom well into the autumn. The climber, 'Lady Hillingdon', is worth growing for its plum coloured stems and tinted young leaves, as well as its large, perfumed, rich yellow flowers. |
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