21 Roses That Will Cover a Wall in a Single Season

What better way to buffer unsightly garden areas and increase privacy than with an infusion of roses to cover a wall? If you’re craving a glorious climber that will grow before your eyes, climbing shrubby roses add robust color, fragrance, and foliage as vertical elements and focal points in the garden.  

The Rosa genus holds over 150 species of shrub and climbing roses. Many climbers also grow as free-standing, rambling shrubs. If you want to cover a wall, trellis, or archway in a single season, a fast-growing rose is happy to do the job with rewards for years to come.

Stunning from a distance and delightful up close, a wall-climbing rose — available in endless sizes, colors, and fragrances — quickly fulfills your garden goals. Our list features roses selected for their vigor, prolific blooming, fragrance, and disease resistance. Enjoy watching the season unfold with these vining rose beauties.

‘New Dawn’

	botanical name Rosa ‘New Dawn’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-15’
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘New Dawn’ is a stunning classic rose with sweetly perfumed, blush pink blooms. A large-flowered climbing rose, ‘New Dawn’ excels as an easy-care, reliable, and prolific garden performer. Three-inch double flowers grace the garden in spring through frost.

A robust climber born of rambling stock, ‘New Dawn’ roses grow quickly to cover a wall in a single season. They are ideal for trellises, arbors, pillars, arches, and along fences. Without upright support, it grows as a free-standing shrub. This sweet, healthy climber also holds multi-season appeal with abundant red rose hips in fall.

‘New Dawn’ is an Earth-KindⓇ rose, a special designation granted to select roses by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service after rigorous research and field trials. The service awards the Earth-KindⓇ designation to roses with exceptional pest and disease resistance and superior landscape performance. They tolerate poor soils and, once established, have excellent heat and drought tolerance.

‘Iceberg’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Iceberg’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15’
	hardiness zones 5-9

If a profusion of trailing white blooms throughout the summer is what your garden needs, look no further than the ‘Iceberg’ climbing rose. ‘Iceberg’ cools the season with clusters of medium-sized, semi-double flowers with a light honey perfume. A pale pink center blushes the white blooms, and pollinators flock to them.

Abundant blooms aside, climbing ‘Iceberg’ also grows quickly with long, pliable stems that train easily. The climbing rose is a sport of the high-performing floribunda rose ‘Iceberg,’ with continual flowering, attractive foliage, and easy care nature.

‘Iceberg’ is a climbing rose that easily covers walls yet thrives with a bit of neglect. It’s tolerant of dappled light and less-than-ideal conditions. It blooms on old wood, so no fussy pruning except to train or remove dead canes. With its nonstop flowering and hardy stock, ‘Iceberg’ is worthy of its achievement as a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit recipient.

‘Penelope’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Penelope’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-8’
	hardiness zones 5-11

Rosa ‘Penelope’ is an award-winning beauty featuring showy bloom clusters and a long bloom season. Clusters of shell pink buds become large, white saucer blooms in spring and rebloom continuously from summer through fall. Flowers reach six inches across with 16 to 25 petals each and have a strong hybrid musk fragrance.

Rosehips give unique winter interest with their hues of orange-pink. Another exciting feature is ‘Penelope’s’ foliage:  young leaves have a coppery tint, becoming dark, glossy green as they grow.

A vigorous, shrubby growth habit makes ‘Penelope’ a gorgeous specimen planting and accent in foundations, walkways, and the cottage garden. It’s also useful as a screen or soft mask for unsightly features and fences.

‘Cecile Brunner’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Cecile Brunner’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-20′
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘Cecile Brunner’ climbing rose is a sport of the much-loved sweetheart rose of the same name. A historic climbing rose, growers prize ‘Cecile Brunner’ for its clusters of small, soft, silvery pink flowers and light honey fragrance. Its lovely rose blooms resemble miniature hybrid teas and emerge in abundance in the spring, with flushes through frost.

The adaptable ‘Cecile Brunner’ tolerates poor soils and partial shade. The rose has a mannerly habit, making it an ideal climber for containers, pillars, and arbors, accommodating 20 feet at maturity. It’s nearly thornless, with strong stems. New leaves are showy – small and red, becoming dark green. Plant it in masses for waves of lovely blooms.

‘Cecile Brunner’ is an Earth-KindⓇ rose rigorously tested for improved landscape performance and requiring little irrigation and no spray for pests and diseases. This conscientious, long-lived rose is also one of the easiest varieties to grow.

‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-5’
	hardiness zones 3-9

A rugosa rose hybrid, ‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’ is hardy and disease resistant like its shrub rose parent but tidier and less aggressive. ‘Fru’ blooms from spring through fall in showy, single-cupped flowers of delicate pink. 

Large, deep red rosehips continue the show after the blooms fade in late summer, and the foliage turns a striking bronze in fall. This easy-to-maintain, nonstop bloomer puts on a show for all-season interest.

’Fru Dagmar Hastrup’ is more compact than the straight species. Fast-growing, ‘Fru’ is ideal for hedges, privacy screens, small groupings, and coastal and pond settings. The rose is salt, deer, and drought tolerant once established.

‘America’

	botanical name Rosa ‘JACclam’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10-14’
	hardiness zones 4-9

‘America’ climbing rose grows vigorously and can cover even the barest walls. It also has excellent disease resistance. The “wow” factor is its fragrant, large, double bloom in vivid shades of coral and pink. Petal reverses are slightly lighter and create a multi-toned effect as blooms unfurl.

Flowers usually appear one per stem, but sometimes in clusters, from early spring into the fall. The three to six-inch blooms hold up to 43 petals and boast an intense perfume of spicy clove and sweet fruit notes.

‘America’ is a 1976 All-America Rose Selections winner and a garden favorite for its rapid growth, healthy, deep green foliage, colorful blooms, and fragrance. It’s a long-lived climbing rose that blooms on old and new growth. ‘America’ is winter hardy (down to USDA zone 4) and tolerates the hot summers of warmer climates.

‘Nootka’

	botanical name Rosa nutkana
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-10’
	hardiness zones 5-8

The Nootka rose is a North American native with single flowers in showy pink. The open-faced flowers of wild roses attract more pollinators than those with dense petals, and Nootka also hosts various moths and butterflies.

Abundant purple-red hips remain on the plant throughout the winter, and colorful fall foliage brightens the post-bloom season. Nearly thornless, long canes make for easy pruning and care (though young stems contain prickles until maturing).

Nootka is an easy-care, rugged, and adaptable rose. It grows quickly and spreads by vigorous rhizomes, making it suitable for bank stabilization and erosion control.

‘Altissimo’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Altissimo’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 8-10’
	hardiness zones 5-10

A vigorous climber, ‘Altissimo’ features distinct velvety red, semi-double flowers. The large blooms reach four to five inches across, and pollinators favor their bright yellow stamens. Longlasting blooms flourish from spring until frost.

‘Altissimo’ roses tolerate dappled shade and perfectly cover an arbor, arch, porch pillar, or wall. Enjoy its old rose beauty, light fragrance, and the buzz of bees hard at work. The exceptional blooms give way to large, ornamental red-orange rosehips for winter interest and wildlife forage.

Easy to grow and disease-resistant, ‘Altissimo’ is hardy and heat tolerant. Blooms appear on new and old wood and make stunning cut flowers.

‘Eden’

	botanical name Rosa ‘MEIviolin’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-10’
	hardiness zones 5-9

The ‘Eden’ rose brings abundant creamy pink blooms that will quickly cover a garden wall. Large, frilly, double flowers with a spicy musk fragrance repeat from spring until frost.

Old-world rose beauty meets modern rose carefree requirements, continual blooming, and fragrance in ‘Eden.’ Introduced by the House of Meilland of France as part of the RomanticaⓇ series, ‘Eden’ is bred to be low maintenance with exceptional flowering and densely-petaled blooms.

With excellent disease resistance and beauty in form and flower, ‘Eden’ climbs elegantly along archways, arbors, trellises, fences, and pillars. Place this rose where you’ll enjoy the large flowers and rich fragrance.

‘Dublin Bay’

	botanical name Rosa ‘MACdub’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 8-12’
	hardiness zones 6-9

‘Dublin Bay’ splashes the vertical garden with crimson blooms, glossy foliage, and light, fruity fragrance. Double flowers emerge in clusters, with free flowering throughout the growing season. Flushes in spring and fall are showy against large surfaces like walls and fences and easily train around pillars.

‘Dublin Bay,’ bred in 1979 in Ireland, is a modern climber. A hybrid of climbers ‘Bantry Bay’ and ‘Altissimo,’ it bears the best of its vigorous parents in growth and mildew resistance. 

Grow ‘Dublin Bay’ roses in full sun for best performance. Its long bloom time and low maintenance needs make it a carefree climbing rose to cover your wall with color.

‘Gertrude Jekyll’

	botanical name Rosa ‘AUSboard’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-8’
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘Gertrude Jekyll’ climbing rose is a David Austin introduction boasting fully double, bright pink blooms all season long. This English rose is one of the earliest to flower and blooms until frost, with large, luscious flowers of 50 to 80 petals. 

Named for the renowned garden designer, ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ roses are a favorite among Austin selections. Four to five-inch rosettes bear a quintessential old rose fragrance (the classic sweet and musky myrrh scent we associate with roses). 

Reaching 8 feet tall, the ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ rose is perfect for covering a wall, brightening the front of a house, or adding fragrance to a garden corner. Grow it in a large container, on a trellis, or on an obelisk. ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ tolerates dappled light conditions.

‘Don Juan’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Don Juan’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 8-10’
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘Don Juan’ lives up to its folkloric namesake with handsome, velvety red blooms atop glossy, dark green, leathery foliage. Ruffly double blooms – up to four inches – possess a fruity, old-world fragrance.

An heirloom rose, ‘Don Juan’ boasts waves of repeat blooms. It’s an award-winner due to two unique traits  – being a red climber and having a strong fragrance. ‘Don Juan’ is also disease-resistant and heat and humidity-tolerant. 

‘Don Juan’ roses bloom on the end of long stems, making them bold and beautiful both on the plant and as cut flowers. Showcase the ‘Don Juan’ rose to cover a wall, on an arch, entry pillar, or fence for a standout among climbers. Plant it where you’ll enjoy its fragrance all summer long.

‘Peggy Martin’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Peggy Martin’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6-15’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Rosa ‘Peggy Martin’ withstood two weeks under twenty feet of saltwater during Hurricane Katrina! This Louisiana climbing beauty was one of two surviving plants (the other a tough crinum lily) in Mrs. Peggy Martin’s garden. 

Obtained through pass-along cuttings, the rose was previously unnamed. On a visit to Mrs. Martin’s garden in the years before the storm, Dr. Bill Welch from Texas A&M collected cuttings. He began propagating and distributing the rose (plants sold for $1 to raise funds for area garden restorations post-hurricane) under Peggy Martin’s name. 

Today, its pretty exterior of pink roses belies its rugged nature. ‘Peggy Martin’ blankets whatever it grows on with a vigorous habit. Small blooms emerge in spring and again in fall. Showiest on the plant rather than as cut flowers, the sheer number of blooms in clusters is stunning. The rose is thornless, too, making training easy on pillars, archways, and along walls.

‘Sally Holmes’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Sally Holmes’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 5-12’
	hardiness zones 5-10

‘Sally Holmes’ is among the most celebrated roses, growing as a large, bushy, free-standing shrub or a climber with staking and training. Abundant creamy white flowers have pink tinges and yellow centers, fading to pure white. Free-flowering throughout the summer and into fall, ‘Sally Holmes’ blooms in clusters of large, single roses.

‘Sally Holmes’ is an award-winner of the American Rose Society because of its continual flowering, disease resistance, and vigor. Pollinators love the open flowers and light fragrance. Showy hips emerge in the fall for multi-season appeal and forage for birds and other wildlife.

‘Sally’ withstands high heat and is winter hardy down to zone 5. It gets better — ‘Sally Holmes’ canes are nearly thornless, so training this rose to cover a wall is easy. Plant it as a focal point, as a screen, or to climb along a pergola.

Virginia Rose

	botanical name Rosa virginiana
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-6′
	hardiness zones 3-8

Virginia roses are shrubby, wild woodland roses with pink blooms on stout, hairy stems. Single deep pink flowers with bright yellow stamens bloom in summer. Flowers are large and showy and attract bees and other pollinators.

Leaves provide beautiful fall color, and large, burgundy rose hips persist into winter after foliage drops. They color early with outstanding seasonal interest while attracting birds and other wildlife.

Virginia rose is a robust, showy native rose with a long bloom season. It is adaptable to a variety of conditions and is salt tolerant. It forms a natural hedge perfect for the native garden, border planting, and cottage garden. Virginia rose also provides excellent shelter for wildlife.

‘Golden Showers’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Golden Showers’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 8-10’
	hardiness zones 5-9

From spring until frost, ‘Golden Showers’ dazzles with huge golden yellow flowers that mature to creamy white. Semi-double blooms measure over five inches across, contrasting dark green foliage beautifully.

An All America Rose Selections winner, ‘Golden Showers’ is a vigorous climber or specimen shrub. It’s nearly thornless, perfect for quickly filling in around seating areas on arbors, trellises, or containers. 

The clear yellow flowers lead to showy orange-to-red rose hips in fall. Pollinators adore the accessible blooms, and birds appreciate the hips. Its multi-season appeal makes this hardy yellow climber a delight in the garden.

‘Zephirine Drouhin’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-12’
	hardiness zones 5-9

A gorgeous, time-tested climbing rose, the heirloom ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ shines in bloom color, size, and fragrance. Deep pinkish-red blooms perfume the garden with raspberry notes in spring and fall. This climber blooms all summer but is more prolific when temperatures are cool.

‘Zephirine Drouhin’ is an old French Bourbon rose, hybridized in 1868 on Bourbon Island (now Reunion) in the Indian Ocean. Damask and China roses are parents to Bourbon roses, accounting for their heavenly fragrance and continual blooming.

‘Zephirine Drouhin’ is an adaptable rose that thrives in full sun to partial shade and tolerates poor soils. While susceptible to black spot and mildew diseases, the plant continues to grow and bloom through frost. As with other roses, avoid overhead watering, water in the morning, provide good air circulation, and grow in full sunlight for best disease resistance.

‘Geranium’

	botanical name Rosa moyesii ‘Geranium’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 13’
	hardiness zones 4-8

‘Geranium’ is a wild rose with vigorous shrub growth and arching canes that can easily cover a wall. Its single, brilliant red blooms have overlapping petals and creamy stamens that attract bees.

‘Geranium’ blooms in late spring, with large, elongated, bottle-shaped rose hips emerging in autumn. Hips are red-orange, glowing in the landscape.

The Royal Horticultural Society presented ‘Geranium’ as a prestigious Award of Garden Merit winner. ‘Geranium,’ with its long stems, red flowers, and dark glossy leaves, is elegant in a mixed border, as an informal hedge, and as a privacy screen.

‘Ramblin’ Red’

	botanical name Rosa ‘RADramblin’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6-10’
	hardiness zones 4-7

‘Ramblin’ Red’ lives up to its name as a carefree, vigorous, true red rose. Full, pinkish-red blooms repeat in flushes from spring until frost. The nonfading flowers bear a satiny sheen and spicy, sweet fragrance. Fully open roses reveal bright yellow centers that draw bees.

‘Ramblin’ Red’ is showy beyond its blooms – new foliage is burgundy red before turning dark, lustrous green. Leaves transition to deep red in the fall, with bright orange rose hips persisting into winter. ‘Ramblin’ is one rose loaded with multi-season appeal! 

Cold-hardy and disease-resistant, ‘Ramblin Red’ is a compact, quick-growing climber with strong canes. Its size makes it ideal for containers or growing along any strong support structure. Plant multiples if your wall or arch is large. ‘Ramblin’ also grows as a specimen shrub; allow it to ramble down a slope.

Rosa glauca

	botanical name Rosa glauca
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-8′
	hardiness zones 2-8

Rosa glauca is a highly ornamental species shrub rose with soft pink, single-petaled blooms. Grown for its unique foliage and small pink flowers, silvery-blue leaves hold tinges of plum-purple.

Starry, five-petaled flat flowers appear in late spring with a slight fragrance. Abundant orange-red hips ripen in fall and persist into winter, along with burgundy canes to add winter interest.

Rosa glauca is a sturdy, disease-resistant plant with very few thorns. Feature it as a specimen or in small groupings at the back of the perennial border, woodland edge, and shrub borders.

Dog Rose

	botanical name Rosa canina
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 9’
	hardiness zones 3-7

The dog rose, R. canina, or “sharp teeth,” gets its species name from curved, pointed thorns. A wild climber, dog roses yield fragrant, large, white-to-pink single flowers with yellow stamens that attract bees, flies, beetles, and other insects. The dog rose blooms beautifully in June and July.

Once pollinated, blooms fade, and striking red oval-shaped hips emerge. Most rosehip products derive from Rosa canina.

The dog rose is a rambling beauty in meadows and fields, as hedges, and along banks. Use it to feather the formal garden into a natural periphery.