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I grow this rose in Palo Alto, CA, Zone 9, in part shade, training it to go up a tuteur/obelisk. For me, it is not a strong grower. Here's its history. Had it for four years, the first two in which it grew only moderately. At the end of the 2nd year it got cut down to the ground by some out of control contractors. Amazingly, it did grow back (own roots) - two canes, biggest one is 2 1/2 feet long and had two blooms - but in comparison to Felicia, which I also grow, which also got cut down to the ground at the same time by the same not to be named contractors, it's puny. Felicia is 7' tall with 4-5 monster canes and it's a blooming factory. So that's my benchmark.
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Great post - very helpful. Thanks.
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I hope you are still around and still grow Frank's Climber so you can report how well it has responded in the eleven years since the out of control contractors whacked it. I have to question Vintage's thought that the Odorata involved in its parentage would be the understock and not the HT. Were it the understock, I would expect this rose to be a monster with great vigor. If the Odorata involved was the HT, that would explain the measly performance of your plant compared to Felicia.
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#3 of 5 posted
19 AUG 20 by
sfpchow
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Hi Kim,
Frank's Climber is still alive and still puny. Unfortunately, Felicia died several years ago. I still am not sure why that happened. It was so robust and then all of sudden it started to decline. I still mourn the loss of my Felicia.
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Welcome back! it's always a bit disconcerting when you see a member hasn't visited the site in over a year. Too often these days, that means news you really don't wish to receive. I'm delighted you are able to report on the roses! That's too bad about Felicia. I'm glad Frank's Climber is still alive, though it's a shame it's still puny. That enforces my thoughts that the Odorata involved was the HT and not the understock.
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Sfpchow - don’t mourn. Life is too short.
Just buy another ‘Felicia’ and be happy. (but plant it in a different spot).
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I grow this in Zone 9, Palo Alto, CA. Grows on its own roots, espaliered on a north facing wooden fence. Very vigorous in growth and blooms. It covered a 12' wide space in two seasons and canes are arching over the 6' high fence. Main flush of blooms starting at the beginning of May and lasting two months into the 1st week of July. Blooms are as described. I can't detect any fragrance. Some rebloom in the fall, not as strong as the initial flush. It looks nice with Baby Blanket (a combo recommended by Vintage).
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Full disclosure: I got this rose because my daughter's name is Portia.
Pros: The blooms - lovely color, nice bloom form and wonderful fragrance. Really nice fragrance! The scent is as strong as Abraham Darby for me.
The cons: It is not the most robust grower, although part of the reason may be because I've had it in a pot for all 6 yrs that I've had it. At this point though, the bottom of the clay pot has deteriorated and the roots are growing into the ground. I plan on putting it completely into the ground this winter. We'll see if that helps with the vigor. It blooms in May, 7-10 blooms on a 2' tall x 1 1/2' wide plant, and occasionally, I'll get 1-3 more blooms in July. Yes, kinda stingy. The foliage gets a bit yellow at times and sometimes gets a bit of BS, nothing life threatening.
I'm a casual gardener in that I don't spray, don't always fertilize beyond giving it some compost at the beginning of the growing season and don't water every day, so YMMV if you give your plants more TLC. I grow it in Zone 9, Palo Alto, CA with a couple of hours of afternoon shade.
Bottom line: It's a keeper for me. The pros and name outweigh the cons.
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