Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: 'Climbing Iceberg' rose

Family: Rosaceae (Rose)

Distribution: Cultivated

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4 (-30 to -20 °F)

Life form: Shrub/sub-shrub

Occurrence in New Mexico: Cultivar

Growing Conditions: Soils should be enriched with plenty of organic matter before planting roses. Roses tolerate slightly alkaline to slightly acidic soil, but prefer pH 6-6.5. At least 5 hours of full sun each day will ensure plentiful blooms. Roses grown in containers can be planted at any time, while dormant bare-root plants are planted in winter or early spring. Roses are deep-rooted, and need to be watered deeply, weekly or more often in extremely hot weather, and occasionally when dormant. Blooming often ceases when temperatures go above 90 degrees, so planting where they are protected from intense afternoon sun is helpful in New Mexico. Mulching (4 inches deep) will help conserve moisture and keep the roots cool. Fertilized twice yearly, in spring and summer, for best performance. Deadheading spent blooms encourages new leaves and flowers. This vigorous climbing rose reaches a height of 15 feet, and needs a strong trellis, pergola, or fence for support. Prune established plants in winter by removing all unproductive or diseased wood, and the rose may be shaped or trained to its support.

Description: ‘Climbing Iceberg’ produces flexible canes 8-15 feet in length, which are easily trained onto arbors and fences. It is a vigorous, disease resistant, cold hardy, and long-lived plant. It has dense, dark green foliage, blooms only on old wood, and will tolerate light shade. Clusters of 2-3 inch-wide semi-double blooms are produced in waves throughout summer. The mildly honey-scented flowers each have 20-25 white petals that may sometimes be flushed with soft pink.