Climbing rose for a north-facing wall
Updated: October 2026
A north-facing wall stays cold, gets little direct sun, and still dries at the foot where eaves throw rain aside. An amazon partial-sun line does not solve that. Partial sun on a colour listing is not the RHS list of cultivars for shady walls. This page names what the RHS prints for a north or shady aspect, where its own height lines disagree, and why none of the seven parcels in the [climbing rose comparison](/hub/ornamental-plants/climbing-rose) replaces that list. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A north-facing wall stays cold, gets little direct sun, and still dries at the foot where eaves throw rain aside. An amazon partial-sun line does not solve that.
A north-facing wall stays cold, gets little direct sun, and still dries at the foot where eaves throw rain aside. An amazon partial-sun line does not solve that. Partial sun on a colour listing is not the RHS list of cultivars for shady walls. This page names what the RHS prints for a north or shady aspect, where its own height lines disagree, and why none of the seven parcels in the climbing rose comparison replaces that list. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Sun | Cultivar named | Mature height | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Blue Magic Design Blue Magic Design white Iceberg climbing rose | Partial sun | Iceberg in the title. No AGM or breeder code | 2–3 m (seller) | 5.7 | about £22.98 | View offer |
 Carbeth Plants Carbeth Plants red climbing rose | Full sun, partial shade | No | n/a | 5.8 | about £26.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Blue Magic Design Blue Magic Design white bare-root climbing rose | Partial sun | No. Style name is Climbing White Rose | 90–120 cm (seller) | 5.3 | about £21.65 | View offer |
On this page
A partial-sun line is not a north-wall list
In this amazon capture, the Iceberg 2 litre pot and the white bare-root say partial sun. Carbeth red, white, and pink allow full sun or partial shade, name no cultivar, and state no mature height. The purple bare-root leaves sun blank. The seed packet has no aspect line. Those fields do not place a plant on an RHS choosing page.
A north wall needs a cultivar the RHS puts in its shady block, from a seller who prints the name. Rain-shadow watering still applies. Plan water at the base, as on how to plant a climbing rose, even when the wall gets little sun.
Names the RHS prints for a shady wall
The RHS choosing article groups roses for north-facing or shady walls apart from sunny walls. Abbreviations matter: AGM for Award of Garden Merit, (Ra) for rambler, and (su) for summer flowering only. Not every shady-list name repeats into autumn.
The north-facing block includes 'Climbing Iceberg' with AGM and 6 m on that page, 'Madame Alfred Carrière' with AGM and 5 m or more, and ramblers such as 'Adélaïde d'Orléans', 'Albéric Barbier', and 'Félicité Perpétue' marked (Ra). Those ramblers still flower once around June in ordinary RHS guidance. Repeat bloom into autumn is the subject of climbing rose versus rambling rose. 'New Dawn' at 3 m sits on the sunny-wall block of the same article.
Climbing Iceberg has two RHS heights
The choosing list puts Rosa 'Climbing Iceberg' on north-facing walls at 6 m with an AGM. The plant profile prints 2.5–4 m, hardiness H5, full sun on the position line, and a note that it tolerates a north-facing aspect. A summer-only mark can sit on the choosing key while a seller claims repeat flowering from late spring to autumn.
The Blue Magic pot at about £22.98 adds a seller height of 2–3 m, partial sun, Iceberg in the title, no AGM in the file, and 4.4 from 3 with no buyer description of a flower. That parcel is not the RHS plant with a certificate attached. Keep 2–3 m, 2.5–4 m, and 6 m as separate figures. Use the choosing list for a rough framework and the plant profile for a shorter span.
Madame Alfred Carrière is not in this basket
'Madame Alfred Carrière' is on the RHS choosing page for a north wall, with an AGM and 5 m or more. The plant profile gives 4–8 m, full sun or partial shade, and north-facing among the aspects. A Graham Rice article once described 3 m for the same name. Keep those figures apart.
The rose is not among the seven amazon ASINs. An RHS shop line such as from £26.39 is a nursery reference, not an amazon.co.uk price in this folder. Picks among the unnamed parcels sit on best climbing rose for the job. If the listing names no cultivar, buy the RHS shade-list rose from a seller who prints the name.
Common questions
Which named roses does the RHS put on a north-facing or shady wall?
The choosing page lists names such as 'Climbing Iceberg' and 'Madame Alfred Carrière', both with an Award of Garden Merit on that page, plus ramblers marked (Ra), including 'Adélaïde d'Orléans', 'Albéric Barbier', and 'Félicité Perpétue'. Read (su) for summer flowering only before you buy. A sunny-wall name such as 'New Dawn' is a different block on the same article.
Why do two RHS pages disagree on Climbing Iceberg’s height?
The choosing list and the plant profile do different jobs and were written separately. The choosing list puts 'Climbing Iceberg' on north-facing walls at 6 m with an AGM. The plant profile prints 2.5–4 m and hardiness H5. Treat them as two published figures. Do not average them with the seller’s 2–3 m into one number for your wires.
Is Madame Alfred Carrière in this amazon set?
No. None of the seven ASINs names it. The RHS choosing page lists it for a north-facing wall at 5 m or more with an AGM. The plant profile gives 4–8 m. A Graham Rice article once described 3 m. Source it by cultivar name from a rose seller. An RHS shop figure such as from £26.39 is not an amazon.co.uk price here.
Will a north wall still need watering?
Yes. A cold aspect does not remove the rain shadow at the wall foot. Eaves throw rain aside, so the soil beside the brick dries faster than open ground. Water at the base through the first summer, and plant about 30–60 cm out from the face. The planting page covers wires and the first ties.
Which names on the shady list are ramblers that flower once?
Look for (Ra) on the choosing list, for example 'Albéric Barbier', 'Adélaïde d'Orléans', and 'Félicité Perpétue'. Ordinary RHS guidance puts their main flush around June, with pruning in late summer. A repeat-flowering rambler is an exception you confirm on the label, not something the class name guarantees.
What should I buy if the listing does not name a cultivar?
Buy a named rose from a nursery or rose specialist that matches the RHS shady-wall entry, and ask for the cultivar on the paperwork. A colour-only amazon SKU, including the white bare-root that only says partial sun, does not join that list. Use this comparison afterwards for form, not for the aspect decision.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. The price band is this set, not a market average. None of these listings is claimed as the best climbing rose in the UK.
- RHS: climbing roses (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS: pruning climbing roses (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS: pruning rambling roses (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS: planting roses (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS: choosing the best roses (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS: Rosa ‘Climbing Iceberg’ (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS: rose black spot (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: issuing plant passports (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: moving plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland (retrieved 21 October 2026)