Q&A for How to Train Climbing Roses

Rambling rose is a variety of climbing rose that bloom only once and provide small but very fragrant clusters of flowers.

You should prune during the dormant season. Never be drastic with pruning and cut canes back only if they're crowded. Remove diseased or damaged branches. Be sure to use properly sharpened and sanitized cutting instruments. Cut branches 2-3 inches back and deadhead flowers.

They do not need to be pruned for at least 3 years. Pruning should be done minimally and only to remove offshoots, suckers, and diseased branches.

Use a cutting tool to remove the bloom. You can also use your fingers and grip the stalk with one hand while firmly grasping the bloom and pulling it off in one fluid motion with your other hand. Clean up all spent blooms and do not leave them on the ground around the plant.

I personally trim them once in late August and then once again in late January. Be careful not to trim the actual hardwood of the bush. I suggest not cutting anything thicker than a pencil, so basically just the twigs.

Look at the bush as a whole, especially checking for dead wood and unproductive older canes and prune these away. Prune away anything that doesn’t fit with the aesthetics of the bush or weak growth and aim to get as much horizontal growth as possible by removing vertical growth that cannot be trained. Tie the desired canes to the horizontal supports to train their growth for the coming new season. Clear away all cuttings, all fallen leaves and anything else that might harbor disease and pests, then give some good compost and mulch in readiness for the winter season.

It is a good idea to deadhead climbing roses as it keeps the bush looking attractive. It also helps stimulate new blooms. Trim the stem about ¼ an inch above the deadheaded flower to encourage a new flower bud.

A climbing rose should only be pruned after it is well established, which will mean waiting between three to five years before the first prune. Once you begin pruning, a yearly prune is needed to keep the bush manageable and in great shape. Remove deadwood, weak branches and woody canes when pruning, cutting at the base with clean pruning shears. Remove vertical canes and suckers as well, to ensure best growth.

Pruning roses need to be pruned to keep them in good shape and to encourage strong, new growth. However, this pruning is not needed for the first 3 to 5 years, during which time the climbing rose is establishing itself; only start pruning after at least 3 years have passed since planting the rose. Pruning yearly after this time will allow for bigger and healthier flowers and the whole plant will be easier to care for.

A trellis is very helpful for growing climbing roses, giving them something to grow onto and allowing you to train the roses for good shape and optimal flowering. However, you may need a stronger structure than a trellis if the rose grows large, so bear this in mind when planting the rose and have a strong trellis or structure in place before training it. If using trellis, do not affix it flat to the fence; allow for a small space between the fence and the trellis to allow the rose to grow on both sides of the trellis, keeping it balanced and well ventilated.

The trellis is placed behind the rose so that when you tie the canes, they can be tied at the back so as not to be noticeable at the front.