This post supplements Kathy Purdy’s Silver Laurel Media Award-winning article about rambler roses from the Summer 2024 issue of Northern Gardener magazine. Members enjoy free access to this back issue and others—simply log into your account or join now.

In the Summer 2024 issue of Northern Gardener magazine, New York-based garden writer Kathy Purdy makes a compelling case for adding rambler roses to your landscape. While they can be challenging to find in garden centers, don’t give up. If a variety you want is out of stock, try asking local greenhouses and nurseries about availability.

Here are the best, commercially available varieties to look for, as well as links to purchase and a list of favorites from Der Rosenmeister Nursery owner Leon Ginenthal.

For USDA Hardiness Zone 2

• ‘Long John Silver’ has a double white flower with strong fragrance. 12 feet. Available from Heirloom Roses and Rogue Valley Roses.

For USDA Hardiness Zone 3

• ‘Polstjärnan’ (aka Pole Star) is a semi-double white with light fragrance. 15 feet. Available from High Country Roses and Heirloom Roses and Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘Cherry Frost’ is a double cherry red with light fragrance. 6 feet. Available from High Country Roses.
• Ramblin’ Red® is a double red with scent. 10 feet. Available from High Country Roses.

For USDA Hardiness Zone 4

• ‘Geschwind’s Orden’ is a very double white and purple pink with slight fragrance. 15 feet. Available from Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ has double light pink blooms with strong fragrance. 20-plus feet. Available from High Country Roses and Heirloom Roses.
• ‘Russelliana’ (aka Russell’s Cottage Rose) is a very double mauve blend with strong fragrance. 15 feet. Available from Antique Rose Emporium and Rogue Valley Roses.
• Dorothy Perkins is availabel from High Country Roses and Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘Veilchenblau’ is a semi-double violet with white stripes and moderate fragrance. 15 feet. Available from High Country Roses and Northland Rosarium and Rose Petals Nursery and Heirloom Roses and Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘American Pillar’ is a single crimson with white center and no fragrance. 12 feet. Available from Rose Petals Nursery.
• ‘Seven Sisters’ is a double pink blend with strong fragrance. 20 feet. Available from Rose Petals Nursery and Rogue Valley Roses.

For USDA Hardiness Zone 5

• ‘Excelsa’ is a double crimson with light fragrance. 15 feet. Available from Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘Geschwind’s Schönste’ is a double crimson with slight fragrance. 12 feet. Available from Northland Rosarium.
• ‘Hermann Schmidt’ is a semi-double cherry red white center with strong fragrance. 10 feet. Available from Angel Gardens.
• ‘Bleu Magenta’ is a double crimson-purple with slight fragrance. 12 feet. Available from Heirloom Roses and Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘Chevy Chase’ has double dark red, scented blooms. 15 feet. Available from Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘Super Excelsa’ is a double red with light fragrance. 10 feet. Available from High Country Roses and Heirloom Roses.
• ‘Reine de Violettes’ is a double purple blend, 12 feet. Available from Rose Petals Nursery and Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘Dr. W. Van Fleet’ has double blush blossoms with moderate fragrance. 15 feet. Available from Rose Petals Nursery.
• ‘Super Dorothy’ is a double pink continuous bloomer with no fragrance. 8 feet. Available from Heirloom Roses and Rogue Valley Roses.
• Perfume Breeze™ is a double light pink with strong fragrance. 12 feet. Available from Heirloom Roses.
• ‘Super Elfin’ is a double orange scarlet with light fragrance. 10 feet. Available from Heirloom Roses.
• ‘De La Grifferaie’ is a very double pink with sweet fragrance. 10 feet. Available from Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘Erinnerung an Brod’ is a double mauve blend with strong fragrance. 8 feet. Available from Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘Fraulein Octavia Hesse’ is a double white with fruity fragrance. 15 feet. Available from Rogue Valley Roses []
• ‘Lykkefund’ is a semi-double white with strong fragrance. 20 feet. Available from High Country Roses.
• ‘Sander’s White Rambler’ is a double white with fruity fragrance. 18 feet. Available from Rogue Valley Roses.
• ‘White Dorothy’ (aka White Dorothy Perkins) is a double white with light fragrance. 16 feet. Available from Rogue Valley Roses.

For more thorough searching, the 249-page Combined Rose List is available for purchase and documents all commercially available roses worldwide.

Leon Ginenthal’s favorite ramblers

Owner of Der Rosenmesiter Nursery in New York, consulting rosarian for the American Rose Society and an avid gardener, Leon knows roses. Most of his top picks are not commercially available, but should be. Keep looking and keep asking. He does not ship because his roses are too big.

• ‘Lykkefund’ has semi-double white flowers with a strong fragrance. The perfume is carried in the pollen so the fragrance goes far on the wind. Once-blooming, thornless, grows to 15 feet. Hardy to zone 5.
• ‘White Mountains’ was developed at the University of New Hampshire. This 12-foot rambler is hardy to zone 3. It makes a mountain of double white flowers with pink outer petals. As the flowers age they develop a greenish tinge.
• ‘Debutante’ is, like Dorothy Perkins, a lightly fragrant double pink rambler hardy to zone 4. Unlike Dorothy Perkins, it’s not prone to foliar diseases.
• ‘De La Grifferaie’ has large, rosy pink, very double blooms. It’s strongly fragrant and the scent is carried in the petals. Hardy to zone 5 and grows to 10 feet.
• ‘Sander’s White Rambler’ sports double white flowers with a fruity fragrance and can grow up to 18 feet. Hardy to zone 5. It’s more disease-resistant than ‘White Dorothy,’ which gets mildew.
• České ‘Práci čest’ has double deep pink flowers with a mild fragrance, and some rebloom. Reaches 10 to 12 feet and hardy to zone 5.

Kathy Purdy is an award-winning writer on Instagram (@kopurdy), Facebook and coldclimategardening.com. She gardens on 10 acres in upstate New York.

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