The blooms on 'A Shropshire Lad' are so very charming and romantic, and the petals arranged so perfectly it often take my breath away. However this rose by the end of summer is really covered in blackspot and defoliates badly - which probably has more to do with the extremely challenging position I put him in - a spot that gets no morning sun and then gets blasted with sun in the afternoon. I am growing him as a climber and trying to wrap the canes around a post on my porch, but the canes are a bit too stiff for this, so I am going to move him, I think he might do better fanned out on a trellis where there can be lots of air movement. I am going to replace him with a thornless rambling rose that has more pliable canes.