Rambling rose through a grapevine?

We have 2 grape vines on our south facing wall in our fairly small garden. I can't bring myself to get rid though any grapes are pretty sour of them as they are part of the house, have been there a long time but....it takes up the only south facing wall in our garden and I'd really like to grow something else! Things grown at the bottom are hit and miss, maybe the vine uses a lot of the moisture / nutrients.
I know roses are often planted in vineyards but do you think a rambling rose would have a hope of growing there? Letting the vine survive but having some more interest and fragrance?

 

I would certainly think it's worth giving it a try. Roses are as you say traditional companion plants in vineyards. I believe the idea is that they act as an early warning system for problems like mildew - both plants will be affected but the rose shows symptoms before the vine - and attract beneficial insects too.

My only concern is that ramblers can be very vigorous, so one of these might end up taking over completely and strangling the vines. They also only flower once in a season, so personally I'd choose a climber which repeat flowers. In either case you will need to think about pruning - a not-too-thorny rose will make that easier. You might look at 'Mermaid', a nice old climber which has large single yellow flowers, a very long flowering season, and few thorns. It grows quite large though: Mermaid - Highly Recommended - Popular Searches

Whatever rose you choose, dig a nice big hole for it, at least eighteen inches from the base of the wall as that is always so dry. Incorporate lots of organic material when you plant. You could plant a container-grown rose now, if you don't mind doing a lot of watering, or wait until the autumn for a bare-rooted specimen.

 

Thanks Clare, I think I will give it a try but wait till autumn. I was just thinking that pruning may be a nightmare! Mermaid looks beautiful - I'd love a really fragrant rose, do you know if it has much fragrance?

 

From recollection it has a lemony fragrance - not the strongest, but lovely. And yes, it is a very beautiful rose.

Given your user name you might also like to look at the rambler Albertine
Albertine - Award-Winning - Popular Searches.

Pros: strong fragrance, lovely buds. Cons: rather blobby, shapeless flowers. And very vigorous, and only flowers once....

 

I am tempted by albertine....and the only place to plant it is there or over the wall onto the road so other people get the benefit. I would sacrifice repeat flowering for a glorious 3-4 weeks I think. The tribulations of a shady garden

 

Albertine is very prone to mildew. There are better varieties.

 

About your grape vine, have you tried leaving the fruit on for a lot longer. Sometimes people don't leave them on long enough.