Climbing Roses- If you look at a climbing rose you’ll see it consists of several main framework branches and then many secondary branches, which grow off the framework branches. This means that old wood must be trimmed hard at the end of flowering to encourage new shoots. I highly recommend using some long-handled rose pruners for pruning climbing rosebushes, as the longer handles cut down on scratches and pokes. Decorative structures – grow up an obelisk, pergola or arch. Climbers can be grown up house walls, along garden fences, over pergolas or up large obelisks. Read on to learn more. Secure your arch in the ground and dig a planting hole at either end. When pruning climbers, tip prune the main framework branches (to contain their spread) and cut the secondary Remember, after climbing rose pruning, you need to seal the cut ends of the canes with Elmer’s White glue to help stop the cane boring insects from causing problems with these roses too! Managing Climbing Roses. The secondary branches are the main flower bearing branches. There are climbing roses available in all the popular rose categories – hybrid tea roses, bourbons and English roses. Choose from double or single flowers, thornless or scented – the rose will live for decades so it’s worth getting it right. Climbing roses can become unruly in what seems like the blink of an eye. In this article, I will discuss the unique needs of climbing roses and provide smart tips to help you prune your climbers like a pro. how to prune a climbing rose The two important elements when pruning climbers are: Selecting and encouraging strong growth from the base of the plant. The holes should be at least twice the size of the pot the roses are in. However, the extra care ramblers require seems well worth it when you see the flowers in full bloom over an arch. Training stems so that they fan out and are near to horizontal to promote shoots along the stem. Once they become unruly, either change to allow some redirection or prune them back and wait for the new growth to begin again. Scatter some compost in the hole (we also add mycorrhizal fungi) and over the roots, and plant your roses firmly. Climbing Roses Climbing roses give height, floral interest and elegance to a garden. You might think that pruning a climbing rose would be the same as pruning a rose bush; however, this is not the case. Yet roses are not natural climbers like grape vines or clematis; they need to be supported and loosely tied in place. Be Patient with Old Wood Bloomers. They can tumble over fences, cascade from pergolas or screen water tanks and dunnies. Pruning a rambler is more difficult than pruning a climbing variety as the flowers grow on new wood.