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Posted by Brent Wilson on 4/13/2024 to
Pruning Tips
As with many other types of roses, English Climbing Roses are vigorous growers that will benefit in several ways from pruning. The main reason you want to prune an English Climbing Rose is to maintain an attractive, shapely plant with good structure and coverage that blooms more through the season. To accomplish this is not rocket science. It just involves a once-a-year pruning in the late winter to early spring.
Here's a breakdown of what you need to know to prune English Climbing Roses like the pros do.
When To Prune An English Shrub Rose
For shaping and structure purposes, we suggest pruning an English Shrub Rose in late winter or early spring, just when you see new leaves beginning to emerge. Depending on your location, this might be sometime between February and April. In our north-central Georgia gardens this is usually sometime in late February to early March.
Structures & Support
Your climbing rose will require a support structure or fixture to grow on. This could be fixed structures such as a fence or wall, or decorate structures such as an arch, obelisk, pergola or trellis.
If you intend on planting a climbing rose to grow against and up a wall of a home or other building, before planting, we suggest installing a sturdy trellis or attaching horizontal wires to your wall which will be used to tie the roses stems to. If you use wires, attach them horizontall at two feet intervals up the wall. Depending on the mature height of a specific variety of climbing rose will grow to, three wires will usually be enough, though you might need to add additional wires as the rose grows taller.
How To Prune An English Climbing Rose
How much you prune an English Shrub Rose in late winter to early spring will depend on the age of your rose. The goal is always to end up with a well rounded smaller shrub after pruning.
Year One (Young Roses)
A year one young rose is one that has completed its first season of blooming, which often means it was planted from a bare root plant but still put out at least a few blooms. Since it is still in the process of putting its energy towards establishing a root system to support future growth, you'll want to do a lighter pruning than you would on a fully established rose.
Note: If you transplanted your rose from a 2 or 3 gallon nursery pot, which was fully rooted into its soil and bloomed heavier during its first season, go to Year Two below.
1. At pruning time, cut back any stems that have grown beyond the dimensions of the support structure, which cannot be tied back.
2. Remove any damaged, dead, dying or diseased stems but cutting them off at their base.
3. Pull down the longer stems to 45 degrees or more and tie against your wires or other means of support.
4. Remove any old leaves that remains from the previous year.
Year Two and Beyond
This is a rose that has completed its second season/year of blooming, however will still be in the process of developing its root system and therefore not fully established.
1. At pruning time, cut back any stems that have grown beyond the dimensions of the support structure, which cannot be tied back.
2. If your climbing rose is very vigorous one and the stems have become congested, selectively cut away more of the weakest growth.
3. Cut back the old flowering stems from the previous year to about 6 inches or so away from the main stems.
4. Remove any damaged, dead, dying or diseased stems but cutting them off at their base.
5. Pull down the longer stems that reach above the structure to 45 degrees or more and tie against your wires or other means of support.
6. Remove any old leaves that remains from the previous year.
Maintenance Pruning
During the blooming season, spent blooms can be removed to encourage more growth and blooms. Some gardeners call this "deadheading." When removing a spent bloom simply snip it off at the base of the stem gloom stem. Alternatively, you can cut the stem back to an inch above the first 5-leaf stem below the spent bloom.
Note: Cease pruning your English Climbing Roses two months prior to the average first-frost date in your area.
Other Tips
- When growing a climbing rose on an obelisk, or other similar decorative structure, wind the strong stems growing from the base around your structure so that the stems wind around it. This is much easier when the stems are young and soft.
- When growing a climing rose on an arch, or other similar decorative structure, tie the stems to your arch being sure not to tip the tops of the leading stems until the rose has reached its desired height and length in oprder to cover the arch.
- When pruning, try to create a rounded bush
- Don't worry too much about cutting a stem too far back. Established climbing roses respond very well to almost any amount of pruning and will grow back strong. Just keep in mind that you want the stems to grow as long as possible in order to cover the height and width of the support structure.
- At pruning time or any other time, always discard any old or diseased foliage removed from the shrub in the trash, not in your compost pile.
- If high winds have loosened your rose in the ground, tamp the soil down around the base of the plant.
Hope this information was helpful and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Plant Long & Prosper!
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