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Guide to Climbing and Rambling Roses

 

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Climbing roses are quintessentially English and highly versatile, perfect for clothing an unsightly wall or fence, or covering archways, obelisks and trellises. Smaller growing varieties can be trained around poles in a “pillar” formation, especially useful in smaller gardens where floor space is at a premium. The flexible canes of climbing roses make them easy to fan out and as their growth is not too vigorous, they will not overwhelm their support structure. They will provide superb repeat blooms and a delicious scent, perfect for adding height, colour and perfume to your garden. There are also larger, more vigorous rambling roses, which are best in bigger gardens to cover unsightly buildings or large objects and provide a magnificent summer display.

Jump To:

What are climbing roses?

How to choose a climbing rose

Where to grow climbing roses

What support do climbing roses need?

When to plant a climbing rose

How to plant a climbing rose

Growing climbing roses in containers

Training climbing roses

Pruning climbing roses

Other care tips for climbing roses


What are climbing roses?

The vast majority of roses are grafted, which means the stem of one rose is joined to the roots of another rose. The top part of the rose is called the scion and the bottom part is called the rootstock. Grafting allows the scion rose to perform better and faster than it would on its own roots as it helps impart some of the rootstock’s vigour into the top part of the rose.

Climbing roses are no different. Most climbing roses are grafted onto a rootstock called Doctor Huey, which produces branches that are rigid enough to produce a balanced framework with new shoots that are pliable enough to be easily tied into your support structure. The scion variety is the name you’ll see listed by rose growers/retailers on their website and in rose catalogues, such as Rose Blue Girl or Rose Iceberg.

 

Grafting illustration

Climbing roses are otherwise very much like shrub roses – they produce beautiful, sweetly-scented blooms against a backdrop of slightly toothed, glossy deep green leaves with a vigorous growth habit. Most climbing roses produce blooms repeatedly through the summer with some varieties continuing to flower into early autumn. They are perfect for bringing vertical accent to the garden, delivering a fabulous display of summer blooms on a small footprint.

 

  Best Selling Climbing Roses 

 

How to choose a climbing rose

There is a vast range of different climbing roses available, so it’s worth taking the time to find one that’s right for you and your garden.

Consider these areas when choosing a climbing rose:

  • Flower Colour – climbing roses are available in reds, oranges, pinks, yellows, purples, oranges, creamy whites and almost everything else in between. Consider how you want your climbing rose to fit in with the wider colour display in your garden. Warm colours like yellows, oranges and reds are energising and make the garden feel vibrant. Cool colour like purples and blues are calming and can make the garden feel more serene. Avoid using colors that clash, like bright red and bright magenta - you can separate these colors by putting something else in between them.

 

  Red Climbing Roses 

 

  Pink Climbing Roses 

 

  • Flower Colour (continued…) - the colour wheel is a useful tool to help plan colour schemes in your garden. Adjacent colour combinations that are next to one another on the colour wheel work well together because they harmonise and blend. Colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel deliver high impact colour combinations, such as red set off against a green background. For combinations of three colours, also known as colour triads, draw an equilateral triangle (one with three sides of the same length) connecting colours in the colour wheel. Colour triads include, for example, red, yellow and blue… or violet, orange and green…

 

Colour wheel

 

  • Flowering Time & Style – almost all climbing roses bloom repeatedly throughout the summer with some varieties continuing to bloom into early autumn if the weather remains mild. A related consideration is what you would like to grow your climbing rose alongside. Climbing roses can be planted with a variety of plants, including clematis, herbs, and other flowers. As a natural companion to climbing roses, clematis can flower at the same time, after, or before the roses. The foliage of the clematis can hide the bare parts of the rose, and the combination of the two plants can create a more dramatic impact than either plant on its own.

 

Climbing rose grown with a clematis

 

  • Eventual Height – eventual height of different varieties of climbing rose are impacted by both the scion (named) variety and the rootstock chosen. Some varieties such as Rose ‘Laura Ford’ and Rose ‘Peach Melba’ are smaller growers, making them well suited to being trained around poles and tripods to form 'pillars'. On the other end of the spectrum, strong growing climbers and ramblers such as Rose 'Madame Gregoire Staechelin' and Rose ‘Paul's Himalayan Musk’ are ideal for quickly covering larger areas such as a pergola, unsightly shed or outbuilding.

 

  Small Climbing Roses Ideal for Pillars and Small Spaces 

 

  Large Growing Climbers and Ramblers 

 

  • Climbing vs. Rambling Roses – the main differences between climbing and rambling roses are their growth habit, flowering time and flower size. Rambling roses grow very quickly and require lots of space. They have more pliable stems, giving them a more tangled appearance. Climbing roses have more rigid branches and naturally form a balanced framework of stems over a comparatively smaller growing area. Climbing roses produce larger, more refined flowers, while rambling roses produce smaller flowers in large clusters. Climbing roses flower repeatedly throughout the summer, while rambling roses usually flower once, typically in June and lasting ~6 weeks.

 

Table comparing climbing roses and rambling roses

 

Where to grow climbing roses

Climbing roses grow best in full sun in a moist yet free-draining soil. They will thrive on clay providing the ground does not lie wet…

  • Aspect - most climbing roses grow best in full sun, but some can tolerate light shade. If your garden is hot, you can plant your rose in a location that gets some shade in the afternoon.
  • Shelter – the chosen site should ideally be sheltered from strong winds. The support structure will normally provide some shelter and protection from the worst of the elements.
  • Soil – climbing roses prefer a rich, fertile, well-drained soil. They like to have plenty of moisture but do not like sitting with wet feet, so the ground must be free draining. If your ground naturally lies wet, incorporate some sand or coarse grid and organic matter when planting to improve drainage.
  • Space - make sure your rose has enough space so its roots aren't competing with other plants. If you’re growing a climbing rose next to a wall, plant it at least 30-45cm (1-1.5 feet) away from the base of the wall so rainwater can get to the roots. The base of the wall will often by very dry. You can then lean the stems towards the wall, supporting them with canes if needed, then train them into the supporting structure (trellis, wires, etc).

 

Pink climbing rose up a wall

Climbing roses are highly versatile - strong growing varieties are ideal for covering decorative obelisks, arches, walls, trellises and fences whilst shorter varieties can be trained around poles and tripods to form 'pillars'.

 

What support do climbing roses need?

Climbing roses need a support structure to grow up because they are not self-clinging. They can be supported by a variety of structures, including trellises, arbours, pergolas, fences, obelisks, columns, or pyramids…

  • Horizontal Support Wires - a simple support structure can be created by installing horizontal wires on a wall or fence. The first wire should be about 45-60 cm above the ground, with additional wires spaced 30-45 cm apart up to the mature height of your climbing rose. To install horizontal support wires on a wall, first drill holes into the wall and insert "vine eyes" (small metal loops) at regular intervals, then thread a sturdy wire through the vine eyes, ensuring it's taut and secured at each end by looping the wire back through the eye and twisting it to tighten.

Installing horizontal support wires

  • Trellis (against a wall) – if you're planting your climber up a support structure on a wall, position the roots at least 30cm (1 foot) away from the base of the wall so rainfall can get to the roots. Lean the stem towards the wall at an angle of about 45 degrees as the starting point for training.

 

Growing climbing rose up a trellis

  • Trellis (not against a wall) – If you're growing your climbing rose up a trellis away from a wall, you should plant it as close as possible, almost underneath the trellis to allow the main stems to grow up very close to the trellis making it easy to tie them in rather than being further away and having to be trained back.
  • Archway or Arbour - to train a climbing rose over an archway or arbour:

(1) Plant one climbing rose on either side of the arch. The aim, over time, will be for the two roses to meet in the middle at the top of the arch.
(2) Tie in the roses: As the roses grow, use soft garden twine to gently guide and tie the rose canes to the arch. The goal is to create even coverage of the arch, with the roses meeting in the centre at the top.
(3) Prune: To create a tall and slender arch, prune back the side shoots while allowing the main stems to grow.
(4) Be patient: Roses need time to establish before they start climbing.

 

Climbing rose grown over an arch

  • Pillar – train the rose stems in a spiral around the pillar. Keeping the stem spiralling upwards at a shallow angle will help slow down the flow of sap and help encourage lots of flowers from the ground upwards. Tie in your rose to the pillar at 20cm (8 inch) intervals.

 

Training climbing rose around a pillar

 

  • Pergola – to cover a pergola you will need several large climbing or rambling roses. Consider one rose on each corner, depending on the size of the pergola. Train each rose up the uprights of the pergola in the same way as you would grow it up a pillar (as above). Once a rose reaches the top of the structure, start tying in shoots across the beams to create a ‘roof’. It normally takes 3+ years for the structure to be completely covered in blooms.

 

Pergola covered with climbing rose

When to plant a climbing rose

  • Potted roses can be planted at any time of the year providing the ground is not frozen or waterlogged and it’s not excessively windy.
  • Planting between the beginning of autumn and early spring is ideal as this is when roses are dormant. By planting in the autumn, the roots will quietly establish below ground over the winter, ready to fuel a fabulous display of flowers and foliage the following season.
  • If the conditions are not suitable, keep potted plants in an unheated outbuilding and 'heel in' bare root roses by digging a trench in ordinary garden soil and placing the roots inside, covering with soil and firming down. Provide additional fleece protection if conditions are particularly harsh.

 

Caring for climbing roses through the seasons table

How to plant a climbing rose

Double-Digging the Soil

  • As climbing roses have long 'tap' root systems that penetrate deep into the ground, we recommend "double digging" the soil in preparation for planting to give them the best start.
  • Double-digging means breaking up the soil to a depth of 2 spade lengths.
  • Starting at one end of your planting area, dig a trench one spade's width wide and one spade's length deep, putting the dug soil into a wheelbarrow.

 

Double Digging the Soil

  • Once complete, turn and break up the soil below the bottom of the trench (i.e. 2 spades deep into the ground). You may alternatively wish to use a fork to break up the lower ground.

 

Forking the soil

  • Once complete, move onto the next spade-width strip of ground and turn the top spade's length of soil into the first trench. Again, use your spade or fork to turn & break up the subsurface soil
  • Repeat the process until you reach the end of the final strip of the planting ground and fill the final strip using the soil from your wheelbarrow.

 

Installing your Support Structure

  • In this case we're going to grow our climbing rose up a trellis on the wall.

 

Trellis Installed against Wall

Digging the Planting Hole

  • Dig your planting hole wide enough to comfortably accommodate the roots and deep enough so the graft will rest at soil level (to spot the graft look for a bulge at the base of the shoots).

 

Pointing to graft of climbing rose

Tease out the roots from the rootball

  • Tease out the roots from the base and around the edges of your root ball.
  • This is important to encourage the roots to move out from the circular shape they adopted in the pot once they're in the ground.
  • Climbing roses can sometimes be planted too deeply in their pots. It's essential the graft point (bulge at the base of the shoots) is at the finished level of the ground when planting is complete.
  • It can be useful to find the graft point at the time you tease out the roots from the rootball. If the compost line is higher than the graft point, remove the excess soil above it. This will prevent you from planting too deep, which would make your rose vulnerable to rotting and disease.

 

Soak the rootball in a bucket of water

  • Dunk the rootball in a bucket of water for 20 minutes before planting, allowing the water to seep into the centre.

 

Dunking rose rootball in water

Position root ball in the planting hole

  • Place the root ball in the planting hole so the top of the roots is at ground level.
  • Use a plank of wood or bamboo cane to gauge the planting depth before backfilling.
  • Remove more soil or add back some dug soil to the base of your planting hole to achieve the correct planting depth, constantly gauging the depth with the plank of wood or bamboo cane.
  • Once you've got the correct depth, spread the roots across the planting hole.

 

Positioning rootball in planting hole

Backfilling

  • Backfill using a mix of the dug soil plus plenty of well-rotted organic matter such as garden compost, recycled green waste or manure.
  • We also recommend mixing in a rose feed as roses are heavy feeders.
  • Shaking the rose as you backfill will help the soil settle around the roots.


Backfilling climbing rose

Firming Down

  • Firm down the soil with your toe pointing towards your rose so you're not pushing it down but still firming the soil around it. Then cover the ground where you've firmed your rose in.
  • Once you've finished backfilling and firming down, check the graft union is still just visible and you haven't planted too deep.

 

Removing ties, labels etc

  • Before training your climbing rose to its support, you'll want to remove any ties, labels or anything else that might have been tied around your rose on the nursery - you don't want anything to impede its growth.

 

Removing labels etc and initial training of climbing rose

Growing climbing roses in containers

Roses also grow well in containers, which is a good option if you have a heavy clay soil or just want to add a splash or colour to the patio. Choose a deep container to accommodate the rose plants deep tap root system (except for miniatures where you will get away with a smaller pot).

Choose a loam-based compost such as John Innes No 3, water well and top-dress with rose fertiliser each April. All other planting steps are the same as for growing roses in the ground (see above) but you'll need to pay special attention to feeding your rose using rose feed or another high potassium fertiliser regularly during the summer flowering period.

 

Growing climbing roses in a container

 

Training Climbing Roses

You will need to train the stems of your climbing rose to its support structure each autumn, before the new growth becomes too stiff and less malleable. Training allows the rose to continue to grow up and out across its available space. It also helps your rose to flower at its best because the bending and twisting of the stems slows down the flow of sap and promotes more flowering shoots for the following summer. Always start with the right equipment - thick gloves and a sharp pair of secateurs are essential.

 

Training climbing rose

Fan out the stems, curl them around your support structure/wires and tie them in using string where needed. If you’re growing the rose up an arch or trellis, train the shoots almost horizontally initially, then upwards to create a well-balanced framework and encourage lateral flowering side shoots. This will prevent your rose from becoming leggy, help it to produce more flowers and create a pleasing, spreading growth habit.

If the main stems are slow to branch during initial training, tip prune them to a strong bud to encourage the development of side shoots. To help develop a taller climber more rapidly, remove some of the shorter twiggy stems from the base. It typically takes climbing roses about two to three years to become well established and reach full height.

Right and wrong ways to train climbing roses

 

Pruning climbing roses

Correctly pruning your climbing roses will encourage the development or strong new shoots to replace older, depleted stems, plus improve the summer flower display. Prune in late autumn, after the flowers have faded (October to November is best) and preferably when the rose is not in leaf, as this will make it easier to see what you are doing and encourage vigorous growth in the spring. We do not usually recommend any pruning for the first 2 years (except removing dead, damaged or weak stems), but the steps below will serve you well after this time.

 

Caring for climbing roses through the seasons table

Start by removing all dead, diseased and damaged stems. Next, shorten any long, sprawling shoots or tie them in to prevent damage from strong winds. Main leaders should be cut back just slightly and flowered side shoots reduced to about 6 inches, or two-thirds of their length. If your plant becomes heavily congested, cut out one-third of the oldest branches from the base to improve air circulation and encourage new growth.

 

Rose pruning tips

Always follow the rule of making a clean cut at an angle above a bud, with the cut facing the direction you want the new shoot to grow.

 

Pruning roses how to cut


Pruning Rambling Roses

Prune and train your rambling roses in late summer by cutting out some of the oldest stems at the base. Then fan out the remaining branches along your wires or support structure, following the training steps above. Remove one third of the oldest shoots to the base once your rambler has covered its entire support, to encourage it to rejuvenate and replace old wood with strong new branches. Shorten side shoots to leave 2-4 strong buds and tie in remaining stems to form a balanced framework.

 

Pruning climbing roses

 

Other Care Tips for Climbing Roses

Watering, Feeding and Mulching
Water well in the first couple of years, especially if planting in a shady or dry place. Do not mulch your rose in its first year but top dress with an organic matter such a well-rotted garden compost, manure or green waste thereafter. Roses are greedy plants and will need plenty of potassium to produce good blooms. Spread a granular rose feed over the soil around your roses before mulching in spring. Make sure neither the fertiliser nor the mulch get too close to the stems.

 

Rose Liquid Plant Feed

Deadheading
Dead-head climbing roses throughout the summer and autumn to encourage more flowers. Stop dead-heading at the end of autumn if your climber is still flowering at this point to avoid encouraging new growth that would be vulnerable to frost damage.

 

Deadheading roses

 

Pests and Diseases
Climbing roses tend to be highly bred so may be more prone to the fungal disease black spot. The best preventative steps are to mulch regularly or under-plant with low ground cover bushes such as lavender. If your rose does suffer from black spot, treat with a fungicide spray. We only stock roses with a good level of disease resistance.

 

  Shop Climbing Roses 

 

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