To mangle Shakespeare: "A rose by any other name still
smells really good!" This rose came with my house, where it has been wowing people since the 1960s, if not earlier - none of my neighbors have been around longer than that. For
several years I have been working towards getting a positive ID (I've been calling it 'Robin's Red Climber') and can finally say that this is almost certainly 'Don Juan'. This is without a doubt one of the
most spectacular roses in my entire garden! I'm not usually drawn to red roses, but this one is the prime exception. The velvety, deep red blooms are huge, up to 6" across (although usually closer to 4") and
offer an intoxicating 'old-rose' fragrance. They bloom in singles and threes on fairly long cutting stems. In my mind, this is the epitome of the ideal red, red rose.
The plant is vigorous and sturdy; mine graces a 15' tall by 20' wide section of my house and flourishes on sporatic watering and fertilizing by the pigeons under the roof eaves
above. I don't spray, at all, ever, and it will occasionally get some very light powdery mildew and/or blackspot, which are quickly shrugged off. 'Don Juan' is also a fabulous
choice for growing on a pillar. This plant shows none of the weakness that has become so prevalent in this variety in recent years, likely from virus.
Good red climbing roses are few and far between and in my experience, this rose is simply extraordinary.
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Robin's Red Climber
