How to Train a Climbing Plant over Hoops

If you want your climbing flowering plant to form buds along the whole length of the stem instead of the tips, try bending them into curving arches. Climbing roses will look more stunning and grow abundant flowers if you train them through hoops.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Pliable wood such as hazel
• Florist tape or tie
• Climbing plant such as climbing roses

Make Hoops

1. Make a series of hoops using pliable wood. Hazel is an ideal type of wood that you can bend easily. Bend each one carefully making sure not to crack it.

2. Push each end of the hoop into the ground five inches deep. At this point the hoop will assume a shape of an inverted letter U.

3. Add more hoops, allowing each one to overlap the other one as if cris-crossing.

4. Tie the climber onto the hoops using plant ties or tapes. Choose the long shoots to tie to the hoops. Carefully bend over the stems or shoots so that they don't break.

5. Examine the finished arrangement. Add more ties as needed. Initially the overall effect may look untidy, but soon it will look beautiful as the buds start to sprout and then bloom.

6. Remove a few of the older stems each year and then tie in the new ones. You may need to replace the hoops with new ones after a few years if they start to break or sag.