Climbing roses are a stunning addition to any garden, offering height, vibrant blooms, and the opportunity to create breathtaking vertical displays. However, to get the best performance from climbing roses, they require thoughtful pruning and training techniques. Jason from Fraser Valley Rose Farm offers expert insights into how to manage these unique roses, focusing on methods that encourage abundant flowering and healthy growth.
This article breaks down the essentials of pruning and training climbing roses, emphasizing practical strategies to help gardeners achieve optimal results.
The Key Difference: Vertical vs. Horizontal Stems
The most significant distinction between climbing roses and free-standing shrub roses lies in how their stems respond to training. Jason explains that the angle of the stem—whether vertical or horizontal—plays a crucial role in how a rose allocates its energy.
- Vertical Stems: When trained vertically, climbing roses direct their energy to the tips of the stems. This results in a concentration of blooms at the very top, leaving the lower portions relatively bare.
- Horizontal Stems: In contrast, stems trained horizontally trigger lateral branching along the entire length of the stem. Each node produces a flowering shoot, leading to significantly more blooms distributed evenly across the plant.
By training climbing roses horizontally, gardeners can transform a few tall, leggy stems into a dense tapestry of flowers.
The Best Time to Prune and Train Climbing Roses
Seasonal timing plays a critical role in the success of pruning and training climbing roses. Knowing when to prune helps avoid damaging fresh growth or reducing blooms.
- Late Winter/Early Spring: This is the ideal time for the main pruning session. Perform hard pruning before new growth begins, as this allows the rose to focus energy on the selected stems and lateral shoots.
- Throughout the Growing Season: Light pruning, such as removing spent blooms (deadheading) or cutting back crossing branches, can be done anytime during the active growing period. This helps maintain the plant’s shape and encourages repeat flowering.
- Avoid Heavy Pruning in Fall: Late-season pruning can stimulate tender new growth that is susceptible to frost damage. Instead, wait until dormancy or just before spring to make major cuts.
By timing pruning activities appropriately, you’ll promote healthy growth and maximize flowering potential.
Choosing the Right Stems to Train
Proper pruning starts with selecting the best stems to retain and train. Climbing roses often produce a tangled mix of old wood, new shoots, and crossing branches. The key is to focus on a balanced mix of mature, flowering stems and vigorous young shoots that will become the rose’s future.
- Remove the 4 D’s: Start by cutting out dead, diseased, damaged, and crossing stems. This improves airflow and reduces the risk of fungal diseases.
- Balance Old and New Growth: Retain a mix of older, woody stems for immediate blooms and younger, green stems for future flowering. This approach ensures continuous productivity.
- Thin and Space Stems: Aim for 8-10 main stems, giving each its own space to maximize sunlight and airflow.
Rejuvenating and Replacing Older Canes
Over time, even well-maintained climbing roses require rejuvenation to ensure vigorous growth and flowering. Jason advises a strategy of gradual replacement to keep your rose productive:
- Each year, remove one or two of the oldest, thickest canes at the base. These older canes tend to bloom less over time and can become woody or unproductive.
- Allow one or two of the strongest new shoots to take their place, training them into the desired shape or direction.
- This practice, known as “succession planning,” ensures a continuous cycle of fresh, productive growth while maintaining the rose’s overall structure.
Regular rejuvenation keeps climbing roses healthy and blooming abundantly year after year.
Practical Training Techniques
1. Training Horizontal Stems
Horizontal training is the cornerstone of climbing rose care. Jason demonstrates how stems laid flat along a trellis, fence, or archway develop blooms along their entire length. Use soft ties like jute twine to secure stems to supports, ensuring they are tied loosely enough to allow for growth.
2. Bending Rigid Stems
Not all climbing roses are equally pliable. Varieties like ‘Super Dorothy’ naturally produce flexible, horizontal stems, while others, such as ‘Altissimo,’ grow tall and rigid. For less pliable roses, Jason recommends gradually bending the stems to avoid snapping. Secure them in place once the desired angle is achieved.
3. Pegging Shrub Roses
For shrub roses with long, arching stems, consider pegging—bending the canes down and pinning them to the ground. This technique encourages lateral shoots and more blooms along the arched stem, mimicking the effects of horizontal training. Pegging works well for varieties with flexible growth habits but is less effective for upright growers like hybrid teas.
Essential Pruning Tools and Hygiene
Using the right tools and maintaining their cleanliness is critical when pruning climbing roses. Jason highlights the importance of sharp, sanitized blades to make clean cuts and prevent the spread of diseases.
- Tools: Hand pruners, loppers, and pruning saws for thicker stems.
- Sanitizing: Spray tools with a disinfectant (e.g., quaternary disinfectants or alcohol) between plants to avoid transmitting viruses or fungi.
Climbing Rose Varieties and Their Habits
Different climbing roses have unique growth habits, which influence how they should be pruned and trained:
- Flexible Ramblers: Varieties like ‘Super Dorothy’ or ‘New Dawn’ have pliable canes that naturally lend themselves to horizontal training or pegging. These roses often produce prolific blooms along their stems.
- Rigid Climbers: Varieties such as ‘Altissimo’ or ‘Don Juan’ grow tall, straight canes that require more effort to bend. These are best suited for vertical supports like arches or pillars.
- Reblooming vs. Once-Blooming: Repeating climbers bloom multiple times throughout the season and benefit from regular deadheading. Once-blooming varieties flower only once but often produce a spectacular display, making careful training essential for maximizing blooms.
Understanding your rose’s growth habits ensures you can tailor pruning and training techniques to its needs.
Creating a Healthy Framework
The goal of pruning and training climbing roses is to establish a strong, well-spaced framework. Once the foundational stems are in place, the rose will focus its energy on producing lateral shoots and blooms. Avoid overcomplicating the process—Jason advises focusing on the “big picture” rather than micromanaging every small shoot.
Caring for Climbing Roses After Pruning
After pruning and training, ongoing care is essential to support your climbing rose as it grows and flourishes:
- Watering: Ensure consistent watering, particularly during the growing season, to support new growth and flowering.
- Feeding: Apply a balanced rose fertilizer to encourage healthy blooms and foliage. Slow-release fertilizers are ideal for steady nutrition.
- Maintenance Pruning: Remove spent blooms and any new crossing or damaged stems throughout the season to maintain the rose’s shape and health.
Addressing Rooted Stems and Layering
Jason makes an interesting observation during his pruning session—one of the stems had rooted itself where it touched the ground. This natural layering process can be an effective way to propagate climbing roses. To replicate this, intentionally pin a low-growing stem to the soil and wait for roots to form before separating it from the parent plant.
Final Thoughts
Climbing roses bring height, color, and elegance to the garden, but their success depends on thoughtful pruning and training. By focusing on horizontal training, maintaining a healthy framework, and understanding the seasonal timing of key tasks, gardeners can encourage their roses to produce abundant, evenly distributed blooms. Jason’s practical advice from Fraser Valley Rose Farm offers a straightforward approach to managing these unique plants.
Whether you’re growing climbing roses on a trellis, along a fence, or over an archway, the strategies outlined here can help you make the most of these stunning garden features. For additional tips or to share your experiences with climbing roses, explore Fraser Valley Rose Farm’s resources or leave a comment below Jason’s video on YouTube.
