Our garden is on the Gulf Islands in BC. We have a four-year old Katsura tree and I would like to know if it would be advisable to plant a climbing rose next to it and have it grow into the tree. The tree gets full sun until the late afternoon and is fairly wind exposed. It has been doing ok but not great. I was wondering if the climbing rose could give it some protection from sun and wind as well as look nice in the tree. Thank you!
Hello, West Coaster! Clearly, the growing conditions in the Gulf Islands are very different from those here in Toronto, so I first recommend you contact the closest Master Gardener group, the Vancouver Island Master Gardeners, at https://www.mgabc.org/content/vancouver-island-vimga
Note that this is considered to be a weak tree, to be protected from winds and grown in moist oils. I wonder if you have ideal conditions in your location, with the dry summers that you experience. For more information on drought tolerant gardening in your area, check out this publication from the BC Capital Region District, which also includes the Gulf Islands: https://www.crd.bc.ca/education/natural-gardening
Finally, planting a rose near the tree will not provide protection long term since this will grow to be a large tree. Further, planting right near the young tree may disturb what is a shallow root system as well as create more competition for limited moisture.