4 climbing roses that guarantee a beautiful, fragrant screen of blooms for summer privacy

Want to combine privacy and beauty in the garden? Plant one or two of the best climbing roses for privacy.

These varieties are popular for a reason: they’re the perfect example of fast-growing climbing plants that provide privacy when grown along a trellis. Whether you’re looking to fill in the gaps in a fence topper or an entire freestanding screen, climbing roses offer showstopping blooms (and often fragrance) throughout the summer months.

I spoke to the experts to round up a list of the best climbing roses for privacy. Here are their recommendations...

What you'll need

1. Rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’

Rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ is one of the most popular climbing roses, producing bright pink rosettes. It’s one of those plants that looks like it's straight out of a fairytale, and a recommendation of garden designer Zoe Claymore’s for fragrance.

‘'Gertrude Jekyll' rose is phenomenally pretty, reliable in many different locations (it can cope with a little shade), and repeat flowering,’ she says. ‘I planted this over some garden arches two years ago, and it contrasts well against the cream wood. Think English garden glamour!’

You can order David Austin’s Rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ from Amazon and grow it as either a shrub rose or a short climber (but it can still grow up to 2.5 metres tall!).

2. Rose ‘Rambling Rector’

Rose ‘Rambling Rector’, which you can buy in a four-litre pot from Crocus, is one of the most beautifully scented rambling roses for privacy in the garden. It’s technically a rambling rose, but it’s a climber all the same.

'Rambling Rector' roses are another recommendation of Zoe’s, who says it’s perfect for covering a trellis or fence at speed. The creamy-white flowers leave behind red hips in the autumn, too, providing seasonal interest throughout the year.

3. Rose 'The Pilgrim'

If lemon blooms are more your thing, Rose ‘The Pilgrim’ is one of the best climbing roses you could choose for privacy. It's a showstopping garden screening idea.

‘For creating privacy, climbing roses are a beautiful and effective choice when trained over a pergola or trellis, forming a soft, flowering screen,’ says Jake Fisher, gardener at Burrow Farm Estate.

'The Pilgrim climbing rose is a good option. For best results, plant roses in well-drained soil, about 45cm from the base of your support, and train the main stems horizontally along wires or trellis. This encourages more flowering and thicker coverage for optimal privacy.'

Order David Austin’s ‘The Pilgrim’ rose in a 5.5-litre pot from Amazon. This variety can grow up to 3.75 metres tall, so it's worth looking at roses for smaller gardens if you're short on space.

4. Rose 'Francis E. Lester'

Rose 'Francis E. Lester' is a beautiful pergola idea, if you're looking to create privacy from above – but it works just as well on a fence or trellis. It's another rambling variety, but this one produces single blooms in shades of white and light pink.

'If you prefer a denser, wilder look, then rambling rose 'Francis E. Lester' will help achieve a more rugged feel,' says Jake.

You can order Rose 'Francis E. Lester in a three-litre pot from Gardening Express.

There are plenty of other climbing plants you can grow in pots for privacy if you're short on space, too.