Sun; evergreen; 1-inch white or yellow blooms cover the plant like a thick blanket in spring or early summer, lasting up to 6 weeks. A vigorous climber, Lady Banks has been called the largest rose in the world. (The Tombstone, AZ specimen stands at 8000 square feet!) Plan on some effort in order to keep the generous Lady Banks from overtaking nearby fences and buildings, Sleeping Beauty style.
Lady Banks is very hardy once established (even without supplemental irrigation) with no serious disease problems. It may suffer in temperatures below 15 degrees.
Some varieties are almost completely thornless.
For a rose, Lady Banks is usually fairly low maintenance, often left in its natural form and only cleaned up every couple of years. Prune in early summer after flowering. Lady Banks blooms on old wood (bright green canes, 2-3 years old, are the future bloomers.)
Remove old, dead yellow or brown canes with loppers; this helps improve air circulation within the bush. Where they extend into pathways or over buildings, canes can be easily cut back with hand pruners to an outer-facing bud.
