Are there thornless (climbing) roses?

There probably aren't any roses without even a single thorn (or, actually, prick)...

Still, there are certainly some rose varieties that have very small, few, or almost no thorns. These roses are often referred to as thornless or thorn-free roses.

Which climbing roses are (almost) thornless?

Goldfinch

A rambler rose with large clusters of small, soft yellow flowers that turn creamy white. It blooms in June and July and has a delightful fruity fragrance. It grows to about 4 meters tall.

Kathleen Harrop

Abundant blooms with large, double, soft-pink flowers. Blooms continuously from May through October. It is a cultivar of the well-known thornless rose Zephirine Drouhin. However, this rose often grows to a slightly shorter height (about 3 meters) and this variety often seems to require a bit more care.

Lady Banks (Banksiae lutea)

An early-blooming variety with small, double yellow flowers. It sometimes blooms as early as April, but usually in May or June. This rose can grow quite large (taller than 5–6 meters).

Lykkefund

A rambler rose with semi-double, creamy white flowers and a yellow center. Blooms with richly double clusters of flowers around June and July. Also produces beautiful rose hips and has a wonderful fragrance. Grows to about 4 meters tall.

Bleu Magenta

A purple rambler rose with clusters of small, double flowers. It blooms in June and July and can grow up to about 4 meters tall.

Souvenir of Dr. Jamain

Produces burgundy-red, medium-sized double flowers. Blooms in June/July, and usually reblooms around September. Has a strong fragrance and can grow to about 2 meters tall.

Violet Blue

It blooms with striking lilac-purple flowers, each with a white spot around the center. The blooming season runs from June/July through August. This rose can grow quite tall, but it rarely exceeds 4 meters in height.

Zephirine Drouhin

Blooms profusely, with large, double, dark pink flowers. Blooms continuously from May through October. Has a wonderfully sweet fragrance and thrives in both sun and shade. Usually grows to about 4 meters tall.

Fewer thorns

In addition to climbing roses with few or almost no thorns, there are also roses with fewer thorns than many other varieties.

• Climbing Schneewittchen, also known as Iceberg (cream-white – white)

• Danube (lilac-purple)

• Ghislaine de Feligonde (orange-yellow to salmon pink)

• Golden Showers (yellow to cream)

• Mrs. Alfred Carriére (cream-white)

• Mortimer Sackler (pink)

• Thalia (white)

Thorn or Spike?

Actually, a rose doesn’t have thorns at all—it has spines. Spines aren’t connected to the plant’s internal structure and can be easily removed. Still, anyone describing a rose is more likely to call them thorns than spines…