Discover how to grow and care for climbing and rambling roses to get the best out of them
'Climbers generally suit walls or trellis, while ramblers can grow over arches, trellis or into trees.'
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| Regular deadheading prolongs flowering
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There is never a wrong time to consider planting a rose in your garden if you are a fan of the wonderful layering of folded petals and the heady scents of many traditional forms. As well as the bush forms, climbing and rambling roses can be used to clothe walls and fences,
grow over arches or pergolas or, if they are very vigorous, climb into trees.
Climbers and ramblers vary slightly
in growth and flowering habit that may
influence where they are best used in
the garden. Climbers have stiff, straight
stems, larger flowers and will often
flower again later in the year on new
stems formed earlier in the year.
Ramblers are often more vigorous
with more pliable stems and smaller
flowers held in clusters that usually only
flower once.
Climbers generally suit
walls or trellis, while ramblers can grow
over arches, trellis or into trees. In both
cases, they will need to be tied to their
supports and it is preferable to train the
main stems towards the horizontal as
this promotes side shoots and flowering
lower down the plant.
Whether you are planting a new rose
or inheriting an established plant, it is
worth considering the regime of care
that they need to produce a healthy
plant with a covering of foliage through
the summer and a full display of
summer flowers.
Prepare well at the planting stage
Late spring is the time to choose and
plant container-grown roses, but avoid
planting if the soil is frozen, very wet
or very dry.
Dig a generous hole and enrich the soil
with organic matter; well-rotted manure
is best. Make sure the roots are
well-watered. Place the rootball in the
hole so that the rose is held at the same
level as in the pot. Only tease out the
roots if they appear to be congested.
Plant bare-rooted roses when the
rose is dormant, between November
and March, and the same planting
conditions apply but make sure that the
graft (the place where the rose is joined
to the rootstock) sits just below soil level.
Firm in the soil around the rose, water
generously and mulch with a good layer
of organic matter, taking care that the
mulch doesn't touch the stems.
This preparation is especially
important when planting roses close to
walls, where the soil can be thin and dry,
or if planting ramblers to climb into a tree
where there will be competition with the
tree roots. Water the base of the plants
regularly until they are well established.
Annual care for roses – Feeding
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| Step 1 (see below): study your rose before pruning to establish where to make cuts
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Roses are hungry feeders in
that they need a regular supply of soil
Simple steps to success nutrients if they are to repay you with
plenty of summer flowers. Plants that
are well-fed usually grow strongly and
are then more able to fend off attacks
by pests or diseases.
Feed in spring with a balanced fertiliser by sprinkling
it onto the soil surface and watering
it in if the soil is very dry. A specially
formulated rose fertiliser will provide a
slightly different mix of nutrients, with
a higher level of potassium that will
promote flowering. A second feed in
June or July is often recommended to
further promote flowering.
Mulching
A thick mulch of organic
matter, such as garden compost or
well-rotted manure, can be spread
around the base of plants every spring.
Make sure the soil is moist and weedfree
beforehand and then the mulch will
help with weed control and aid moisture
retention around the plant.
Tying in stems
This is only practical on smaller plants. It is important to do, however, as it trains stems into the desired
shape, and stops new stems, especially those of ramblers, from falling away from their supports and possibly snapping.
Deadheading
Again, this is only practicable on lower stems and
certainly not for vigorous ramblers, but
the regular removal of faded flowers
on climbers can encourage further
flowering. Some ramblers are grown
for their attractive hips, but others can
be deadheaded to generally improve
their appearance.
When to prune ramblers and climbers
Prune both ramblers and climbers after
flowering in late summer into autumn.
Ramblers are pruned by cutting
back any unwanted growth and by
occasionally cutting out an old stem
to the base of the plant to encourage
new stems to tie in to the framework.
Climbers are pruned by cutting out any
major stems should they be unhealthy
or wrongly placed, and by cutting
back all side shoots to 15cm (6in) to
encourage new short shoots on which
flower buds will form.
Step by step: pruning a climbing rose on a wall
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| Step 5 (see left): the end result should be an open framework
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1 Before making any cuts, stand
back and look at the rose growing
against the wall, to visualise what it will
look like after pruning. You will then
know which stems to remove once you
have climbed the ladder.
2 In autumn or early winter, after
flowering, cut out dead, diseased or
rubbing stems. Then remove any main
stems that have outgrown their allotted
space. Use a pair of secateurs, or
pruning saw if the branch is thick.
3 Shorten the remaining side shoots
by two-thirds, so that they are
about 15cm (6in) long. Always prune
to just above an outward-facing bud,
so that the new shoots grow away
from, or adjacent to, the wall.
4 Reposition the main stems
against the horizontal wire
supports and tie them in using
garden twine. You may need to
hold them in position while tying,
to prevent them crossing over
other stems.
5 The end result should be an
open framework. One stem
here crosses others to fill a big gap,
but it isn't close enough to rub.
Mulch with well-rotted manure or
garden compost around the base to
conserve moisture.
*Pruning steps extracted from the new book Clematis and Climbers by David
Gardner, published by Dorling Kindersley and the RHS.
*Pruning images: Dorling Kindersley.
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