Clouds of pink: plant 'Sparrieshoop' now for bloom in spring

Sunset, Jan, 2005 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

If drama queen Mae West were searching for the perfect climbing rose to make a splash in her garden, she'd probably opt for a showstopper like 'Sparrieshoop'. Each spring this shrub rose's long, arching canes and stunning pink blooms adorn gardens like fluffy feather boas.

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The three-year-old plant pictured above clambers along the top of a 3-foot-tall fence behind a rustic wooden bench in Rebecca Vitale-Mandich and Mitch Mandich's Palo Alto garden. Its long canes twine through surrounding shrubs.

'Sparrieshoop', introduced in 1953 by hybridizer Wilhelm Kordes, is a nonstop bloomer; it performs like a climber but can be grown in a bed at least 6 feet wide so it can spread. To contain it, prune back overly long canes in winter.

DESIGN: Katsy Swan, Palo Alto (650/327-6410)

INFO: Plants are available from Petaluma Rose Company (www.petrose.com or 877/738-2586).