How to Care For and Prune Climbing Roses

Climbing roses need a trellis or other form of support.

Roses are traditional jewels of the garden, popular as both growing plants and cut flowers. Though many people grow traditional bushes in their rose gardens, others grow climbing, or floribunda, roses. These roses grow on reaching vines, which require a trellis, arbor, wall or other structure for support. Climbing roses require the same general growing care as traditional rose bushes, including regular pruning for maintenance. When it comes to care and pruning, roses dictate a specific time and place.

Things You'll Need

• Quick-draining soil
• Compost
• Rose fertilizer
• Fish emulsion
• Bone meal
• Blood meal
• Mulch
• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Put your climbing roses in the right growing location and foundation. Plant the roses in full sun near a supporting structure so they have something to climb. Although climbing roses will climb to get the sun they need, it's a good idea to plant them in full sun to achieve thriving growth and large blooms. Amend a rose bush's soil with quick-draining soil and compost to give the plant support and nutrition and add a handful of fish emulsion, blood meal or bone meal at planting.

2. Water climbing roses with 2 to 2 1/2 inches of water a week to maintain soil moisture during the summer. Add rose-specific fertilizer to a watering once a month, or use organic fertilizers like fish emulsion, bone meal or blood meal. Roses are heavy feeders and like acidic fertilizers with potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen. Train the climbing rose up and over whatever structure you're using as a foundation.

3. Mulch the roses with 3 to 4 inches of organic mulch, soil and compost piled around its base after the second hard frost, to protect the plant and its roots from freezing during the winter. Prune away any spent blooms, foliage or dead wood at this time to prepare the bush for winter.

4. Prune the climbing roses again in February to encourage spring blooms. Use sharp pruning shears to cut off any wood damaged during the winter, back to where it's healthy. Use a 45-degree angle at your cuts, to encourage the wood to start growing again. Prune off any branches that grow through the center of the bush or growth, to open up the plant and give the remaining growth better air circulation. Strive for a vise shape with climbing roses, where growth extends up and out from the base.

References

• The Gardener's Network: Rose Care and Feeding, Fertilizers
• The Gardener's Network: Rose Varieties
• Rose Gardening Guru: Organic Rose Care
• Rose Gardening Guru: All About Pruning Roses