How to Care for Climbing Roses

 

One of the most beautiful focal points in gardens and parks are rose trellises and arbors with their abundance of flowers.  They are a perfect choice for English-style or formal gardens.  I recently had to find two climbing rose plants in a certain color and it took a while until I found them in a nursery that was far out of my way.  I was surprised that not every nursery or garden center was carrying these marvelous and long-blooming additions to every garden.

An obelisk or pillar adorned with roses adds a strong vertical dimension to a flower border.  Create a beautiful focal point in the center of a bed, or place two or more along a long border to create a visual rhythm.

For pillars: train the stems in a spiral around them to encourage the flowers from the ground upwards. Tie-in at ten-inch intervals, attaching the rose to the pillar.  And for obelisks, train a couple of the main stems straight up to the top of the structure.  Then spiral the other stems around the structure, tying in as you go - this encourages flowers from the ground upwards. 

Training roses up an arch: An arch is perfect for linking different areas of a garden and forming an entranceway with flowers overhead.  Train your climbing roses on either side of your arch, upwards and over the top of it, tying in to the arch.  Create an even coverage with your two roses meeting in the center point at the top of your arch.

Roses over a pergola: For the uprights of a pergola, train your rose in a similar manner to training it up a pillar, training the stems in an upwards spiral.
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Climbing Rose Care

For the first year or two, climbers should be trained in the direction you want them to grow.  Prune only to remove dead or diseased branches.  This will allow the plant to establish itself and expand at the base for a fuller appearance.

Roses need at least six hours of direct sun every day.  If your climbing rose is not getting enough sunlight, it still may produce leaves, but it will not have the energy to produce flowers.  If shade is impossible to avoid, try to plant your climbing rose in a location where it receives morning sunlight. 

Climbing roses prefer slightly acidic, well-drained soils.  Dig your planting hole wide and deep enough to accommodate the plant’s roots when spread out.  Loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole to allow the roots to easily grow deeper.  Before you plant soak the pot with the roses in a bucket of water for an hour, and water well after planting.

Water deeply in the first year to establish roots.  Mornings are best.  Water the soil at the base of the plant - not overhead leaves or flowers!

The best fertilizer for the roses is compost, also a bit slow releasing.  Other than that, liquid fertilizers, have the advantage of getting the nutrients to the roses' roots quickly.  A monthly application of a high phosphorous fertilizer, such as 9-14-9, encourages blooming and provides adequate nutrients for your roses.

Deadheading (removing spent flowers) will encourage more flowering on repeat-blooming varieties.  After the first year or two, you can begin lightly pruning as needed in early spring for maintenance and shape. This will also help promote new growth.  The main canes that come directly from the base should be pruned after flowering.  The lateral canes produce the flowers and can be lightly pruned any time of the year in order to keep the climber in shape. 

You can even propagate climbing roses from hardwood cuttings or semi-ripe cuttings. Hardwood cuttings are taken in winter when the plant is dormant, and semi-ripe cuttings are taken in late summer after flowering.

With the proper initial training and regular maintenance pruning, climbing roses can be a glorious garden backdrop and will bring joy for many years.

Happy Rose Gardening!

Resources:

https://www.thespruce.com/prune-and-train-climbing-roses-3269551

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-climbing-roses/

https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/all-about-climbing-roses

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/climbing-rose-growing-well-but-not-blooming-flowers-96860.html

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How and When to Prune Roses

 

Why You Should Prune Your Roses

There are two main reasons to prune roses. The first is to keep them from becoming huge, ungainly monsters.  If you don't prune, it'll grow easily double the size that it usually will.  The second reason to prune is to shape the rose, remove dead and weak growth, promote new growth, and harvest blooms for vases.

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How to Prune Roses

Wear leather gloves, long sleeves, and use sharp hand pruners. 

For shrub roses and bushy floribundas cut back to the desired size a couple of times a year.  For heirloom and species roses, prune after flowering in spring. Remove a few woody, older canes and open up the centers of dense, bushy plants to let light and air penetrate.

Big-flowered Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras: 

Remove weak, dead, and diseased growth, as well as suckers growing from the base that have different looking leaves than those of the original plant. Shorten the main canes by one-third and up to one-half in spring.

Climbing Roses:

Remove old, woody canes at ground level to promote the growth of new, vigorous ones.  Don't cut back healthy ones.  Train these onto an arbor, trellis, or fence.  If the climber is a repeat bloomer, shorten the lateral branches growing from the main canes to three buds after the first bloom in spring.

When to Prune?

 Major pruning should be done in early spring, after the last frost in colder climates.  You can also let the roses tell you — when they start to bud or leaf out, it’s time.  Zones 3 and 4 in May.  In zones 5, 6, and 7 - in March or April

Dead rose flowers can be cut back at any time in summer.  After the first killing frost, trim longer stems to keep them from snapping in winter storms.  Keep rose bushes from being top-heavy to protect them from being uprooted in strong winds. 

Pruning is vital to the health of the rose bush, it helps prevent disease by removing areas that may harbor infestations and also encourages flowering.  And don’t forget to feed your roses: Roses are “big eaters” and need proper nutrition, so feed them with a long-lasting fertilizer - or even better: ad lots of compost.

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