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Growing Climbing Roses

No rose garden is truly complete without growing climbing roses as well and including these into the mix of rose species.  Climbing roses are also known as ramblers, pillars, everblooming roses and trailing roses depending on how they grow, and are not assumed to be true vines.  They don’t grow out support structures to grasp onto surfaces.  But they are the perfect ornament to charm any fence, archway or any other structure in and around any garden.

Because climbing roses do not have the capabilities to hold onto structures like vines do, they need help from us.  When growing climbing roses, growers can loosely attach the plant to a structure or wind it through the structure.  Some structures can grow climbing roses on arbors, trellises, fences, pillars, walls, sheds or almost any other large, firm structures.  Climbing roses that are trained to grow sideways rather then vertically frequently turn out more blooms.  Climbing roses that are vertically trained will turn out spurs along their canes or main stem which will produce blooms.

Besides the way they grow, growing climbing roses is rather similar to growing other rose plant types.  Climbing roses need about six to seven hours of direct unfiltered sunlight a day.  Even climbing roses that supposedly do well in the shade need approximately four to five hours of direct sunlight per day.

When deciding on growing climbing roses in your garden, be sure to consider the length or height that these roses will grow to.  Some species of climbing roses can grow to be around thirty feet in height.  Other species can grow to be seven feet in height.  Can the structure on which you plan to grow the rose plant support it?

The height of the plant will also depend on the type of climate you have in your area.  Another thing to consider when planning on growing climbing roses is which type of climbing rose is going to suit your garden.  Some species are everbloomers, which means these climbing roses bloom all throughout the growing season.  Other species are just spring bloomers, which only bloom during spring.

A big difference between regular roses and climbing roses is that they need minimal pruning.  There is no need to prune the plant for the first two years.  If they are pruned annually, they will produce fewer blooms compared to regular roses which produce more blooms when pruned.  Owners can get away with pruning their climbing roses every three or four years.  Even then, pruning consists of removing small canes and old or less vigorous canes at the base of the plant.  Vigorous young canes are encouraged to grow and to become long and flexible.  Owners will have an easy time training young canes throughout and onto structures.

An aspect to remember when growing climbing roses is you have to be patient.  They may take a little while to get established and start blooming right after they are planted.  But, when they do become established, the fragrance and the beauty of their colors are well worth the wait.