Climbing roses: care and pruning

Would you like to go a step further and enhance your garden with these recognizable and spectacular flowers? Just follow this small guide, where we teach you step by step and in a very simple way everything you need to know about climbing roses, their care and pruning .

If you follow the steps and indications of this practical guide, we assure you that it will not cost you a great effort to keep your climbing roses in pots, or planted in the ground, in perfect condition and you will be able to enjoy their beautiful flowers. Keep reading and discover their characteristics, varieties, basic care and when is the best time to prune them and how to do it.

Climbing roses: varieties and characteristics

Belonging to the Rosaceae genus , climbing roses come, for the most part, from Asia. With spiny, strong and woody stems, they usually reach a height of approximately 5 meters , although some varieties can reach close to 20 meters in height. In addition, thanks to their type of growth, based on the creation of strong suckers, these plants are perfect for easily decorating and upholstering elevated areas such as pergolas, trellises, facades and all kinds of high-rise surfaces. In addition, another reason why they are so sought after for exterior decoration is that most climbing roses are fragrant , like all well-cared roses.

In addition to its more than recognizable perfume, climbing roses offer a wide variety of colors ranging from white to red, through yellow and pink among many other tones. And although its flowering time usually occurs at the beginning of summer, there are species that keep it well into autumn.

We can classify climbing roses into three large blocks:

  • Reflowering with large flowers: they are those rose bushes that have larger flowers.
  • Reflowering with small flowers: they are those rose bushes that usually show their flowers in the form of a bouquet.
  • Non-reflowering : they are those roses that have a single abundant flowering during the year. They are the strongest and most abundant flowering.

Climbing rose varieties

Here is a small list of some of the most popular and sought-after climbing rose varieties for outdoor decoration:

  • Rose bush New Dawn.
  • Rose Elfe.
  • Rosal Lady Sylvia.
  • Oriental climbing rose.
  • Rose Aloha.
  • Rose Pink Cloud.
  • Rosa Madame Alfred Carriere.
Climbing roses: care and pruning - Climbing roses: varieties and characteristics

Climbing roses: basic care

Now that you know better the characteristics and varieties of this type of rose bushes, we are going to show you the basic care for climbing roses so that they are healthy and bloom well.

Light, temperature and location

Climbing roses need controlled sunlight, so their maximum exposure throughout the day should not exceed four hours. It is advisable to plant it in an open area and that they do not compete with other plants for sunlight. It is also important to know that, depending on the species, they will prefer places with more shade and where the sun only affects the upper part of the plant. Of course, in order for it to grow well, it will need to be placed in an area that it can climb (attached to a wall, fence, pergola, etc.).

Thus, to ensure that you locate it correctly, talk to the professional of the store where you bought the climbing rose to indicate the specific care of the variety, starting with its need for direct sunlight and its location.

Irrigation and fertilizer

These plants need a certain degree of humidity, hence their care can seem demanding. Avoid that the flower bed or very large pot where your rose is planted is flooded or dry due to lack of watering. During the summer, the irrigation dose should be abundant and should be done at least four times throughout the week.

Like many other species, climbing roses need an abundant fertilizer in late winter or early spring, in this way a more complete flowering is achieved. In the case of reflowering climbing roses, they must also be paid in early summer. We recommend using natural fertilizers and, if you buy it, look for a specific one for this type of plants.

How to guide a climbing rose

  1. Build and fix a support for your climbing roses: remember that the rose bushes, since they do not have tendrils to hold on to, must be guided so that they adapt to the desired surface. It is highly recommended that you use a robust support to avoid damage due to its own weight, especially when it increases in its time of greatest flowering.
  2. Choose the type of rose bush and plant it: once you have chosen the variety of climbing rose with which you are going to work, make sure to plant it a little away from the structure, but never more than 30 cm. You must also take into account the climate of your area when planting it; If it is warm, the rose bush must be covered at least 5 cm above the root and in the case of a colder climate it should be planted approximately 12 cm.
  3. Water and fertilize your climbing rose: the first watering should always be abundant to help the growth of the plant, as well as the use of fertilizer, but do not forget that it is not recommended that the stem is surrounded by a lot of organic material. In this way you will avoid possible diseases.
  4. Tie and adjust the stem: to finish you must channel the growth of your rose bush, as long as the stems are long enough to orient the rose stems. I recommend that you use some string or ribbon strong enough so that it remains intact during the growth of the rose bush. Of course, do not press this against the plant, leave space for it to grow freely, but without leaving the guide that you have marked.

Pruning climbing roses: when and how to do it

The first pruning should be done once the rose bush has reached adulthood, which is usually approximately 3 years old , when it has already covered part of the support. Here the climbing rose will already have a vigorous main stem from which other laterals sprout to favor its flowering.

The best time to prune climbing roses is always in late winter or early spring ; just when its flowering season ends.

How to prune a climbing rose step by step

  1. Sharpen and sanitize your pruning tools.
  2. Eliminate bad shoots.
  3. Always cut the shoots above a bud and diagonally to prevent the water provided during irrigation from remaining in the wound; This way you will avoid diseases or damage to your climbing rose.
  4. For the oldest shoots, we recommend that you always prune them from the base, without actually doing it at ground level, as it would be excessive. For newer and lateral shoots, trim them about a third from the tip to encourage branching.
  5. Water and fertilize your rose bush. To do this, use granular rose fertilizer and organic compost.

Do not forget that the pruning of climbing roses is always a cleaning pruning, so we should never prune them excessively. Always keep it free of diseased or old branches and stimulate its growth by pruning and guiding the new branches. If there are excess hickeys, remove them.

During pruning, as long as it is not done to eliminate diseased branches, you can take advantage of it to obtain cuttings.

Climbing roses: care and pruning - Pruning climbing roses: when and how to do it
Climbing roses: care and pruning

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