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How to grow climbing roses on a trellis


How to Train and Grow Climbing Roses

Teach Your Roses to Produce Plenty of Blooms

By

Amy Jeanroy

Amy Jeanroy

Amy Jeanroy is a master gardener and farm homesteader who has operated a greenhouse business since 1999. She served as the herbal gardening expert for The Spruce for eight years. Using her expertise in herbalism, she makes and sells herbal soaps, tinctures, salves, teas, and recipes at farmers' markets in Maine. She has also authored three books on canning and fermenting foods.

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Updated on 04/27/22

Reviewed by

Debra LaGattuta

Reviewed by Debra LaGattuta

Debra LaGattuta is a gardening expert with three decades of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening. She is a Master Gardener and lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Debra is a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board

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Project Overview

Climbing roses are actually large rose bushes that produce a single flower at the end of each of their long canes. Unlike true climbers, such as wisteria, climbing roses lack tendrils that can wrap around supports to lend strength to the plant as it grows toward the sun. As a result, climbing roses quickly wind up with long, gangly-looking canes and few blooms. While this growth habit can be perfectly healthy, it's nothing like the photos of thickly-blooming climbing roses you see in magazines.

It's quite possible to train your climbing rose to produce more blooms, but it does take a bit of work. Two training methods work best: You can train your climbing rose against a trellis or self-peg its long canes. Regardless of the training method you use, the result is a climbing rose that produces more beautiful blooms than ever before.

Equipment / Tools

Materials

Trellis Training

Training a climbing rose is an important part of creating a cascading, heavily blooming rose specimen. Trellis training, while a bit more expensive than self-pegging, does add a pretty, blooming trellis to your garden landscape.

  1. Place the Trellis

    Attach the rose trellis at least 3 inches away from an outer wall.

  2. Secure the Roses

    Tie the stems of the climbing rose to the trellis with stretchy plastic plant tape as it grows throughout the year. Do not prune until the plant covers the entire trellis.

  3. Train the Canes

    Gently bend some of the new canes so they grow outward to cover more of the trellis.

  4. Keep up With Pruning

    Snip off branches that are growing too thick. Every three years, cut out some of the older canes and allow new, younger canes to replace them.

  5. Prune the Weak Canes

    Always remove the weak canes so that the plant can focus strength into a few strong main canes.

    Tip

    Always cut faded flowers to encourage more to form. Cut back climbing roses in early spring, while they are still dormant.

Self-Pegging Roses

Climbing rose bushes contain a hormone that inhibits the growth of more than one bloom per cane. This strategy works well for the plant because it ensures that the rose won't expend unnecessary energy on creating more blooms. Unfortunately for gardeners, long canes with just one bloom are fairly unattractive.

Self-pegging is a simple process of arching the long canes of climbing roses and tying them at the base of the plant. By doing this, you use gravity to inhibit the movement of the hormone, leading to the production of as many as 30 clusters of flowers on the same cane. At the same time, by self-pegging, you prevent your climbing rose from spreading into other areas where you don't want it to climb.

Like trellis training, self-pegging takes place over the course of years. While your plant will start producing more blooms almost immediately, you'll need to stay vigilant to keep your roses healthy and blooming.

  1. Prune the Roses

    Start by pruning your roses, removing weak growth and old leaves.

  2. Bend the Strongest Canes

    Select the strongest four to six canes. Gently bend each cane in a loop so the top of the cane meets the base. Use thick gloves to handle the canes, and secure the tips to the base of each cane using the plastic gardeners' tape. The growing tip should be 2 to 3 inches from the base of the cane.

  3. Work With the Smaller Canes

    When all the longer canes have been self-pegged, prune mid-sized canes and tuck them into the cage created by the longer self-pegged canes.

  4. Adjust the Roses Annually

    Each year, inspect your older canes and replace one or two with new canes to promote healthy plants and vigorous flowering.

    Tip

    Self-pegging works only if your climbing roses have supple canes that can bend without breaking. Only self-peg canes that are at least 8 to 10 feet long. If the canes aren't long enough yet, allow them to continue growing until they are. 

    It's best to self-peg during the same time of year that you'd ordinarily prune your roses (which varies depending on your location). 

15 Types of Roses to Consider for Your Garden

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Growing Roses. Clemson University Extension

How To Train and Tie-in Climbing and Rambling Roses

Training a climbing or rambling rose allows you to direct the growth of your roses for even coverage. However you decide to grow and train your climber or rambler, it will need tying-in to secure it to the support structure. Training climbers or ramblers up structures, such as arches or fences, brings blooms up to eye level, creating a splendid floral feature. 

 

How to tie-in a climbing or rambling rose

What is tying-in?

Tying-in is when you tie stems of the rose to the supporting structure using strong garden twine or Flexi-Tie to help the rose 'climb', keeping it secure and preventing it from breaking.

You will need...

Strong garden twine or Flexi-Tie.

 

Watch our 'how to' video On 'how to Tie in a Climbing or Rambling Rose'

how to train a climbing or rambling rose

By training a fabulous, fragrant climbing or rambling rose up a wall or fence, you can convert a dull, even unsightly area into one of the most stunning features in your garden. There are a number of ways of supporting your rose as it 'climbs' the wall or fence, we recommend setting up straining wires or using a trellis.

 

Using a straining wire as a support

Place the lowest straining wire 2ft from the ground, repeating every 12-18" up the wall or fence, up to the mature height of the rose. The span on the straining wires should cover the width you want the rose to fill. Use vine eyes every 5ft along the length to hold the wire in place and stop it from sagging.

Using a trellis as a support

Alternatively, support using trellis attached to the wall and tie-in directly onto the trellis.

Whether you have a country cottage, Victorian villa or suburban semi, a rose scrambling up the house facade creates a welcoming entranceway, transforming your home. To make a strong statement, choose a rose that either complements or contrasts with the colour of your front door.

HOW TO TRAIN UP THE FRONT OF A HOUSE OR DOORWAY

Support the rose with trellis or straining wires running horizontally at intervals of 12-18". As the plant grows encourage side shoots by fanning out the stems into available spaces.

ROSES IDEAL FOR the FRONT OF a HOUSE

An obelisk or pillar adorned with roses adds a strong vertical dimension to a border. Create a beautiful focal point in the centre of a bed, or place two or more along a long border to inject a visual rhythm.

Training a Rose up an Obelisk or Pillar

For pillars, train the stems in a spiral around them to encourage the flowers from the ground upwards. Tie-in at 8" intervals, attaching the rose to the pillar.

For obelisks, train a couple of the main stems straight up to the top of the structure. Then spiral the other stems around the structure, tying-in as you go - this encourages flowers from the ground upwards. Once the stems have reached the top regularly prune to keep them within bounds. 

Shop Roses ideal for obelisks & pillars

An arch is perfect for linking different areas of a garden and forming an entranceway with flowers overhead.

 

Training a Rose up and over an Arch

For an arch, train your roses on either side of your arch, upwards and over the top of it, tying-in to the arch as you go. You are aiming to create an even coverage with your two roses meeting in the centre point at the top of your arch.

Shop Roses ideal for arches

Pergolas are simply timber frames which can be used to create a walkway or provide a shady area to sit beneath.

 

Training a Rose up and over Pergola

For the uprights of your pergola, train your rose in a similar manner to training it up a pillar; training the stems in an upwards spiral. For the canopy above, first train a rose up one of the uprights, then, once the rose reaches the top of the structure. begin to tie-in shoots to the cross beams to create the 'roof'. You are aiming to cover the whole structure in blooms.

Shop Roses ideal for pergolas

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see more rose care advice & Inspiration

We grow a climbing rose on a trunk at home

In all countries, roses have always been a sign of romanticism, nobility and love. The use of roses in a garden or house adjoining area gives it an unforgettable beauty and aristocracy. Today, in addition to spray roses, tree-shaped roses that came to us from Europe are very popular. In fact, these are not trees at all, but, like most roses, they are grafted onto wild roses. Thanks to this method, most varieties of spray and standard roses are grown. In our article we will tell you how to grow roses on a stem or trellis with your own hands. nine0003

Types of standard roses

Since there are no specific varieties of standard roses, they are divided into categories according to height:

1. Low - up to 50cm. Dwarf trees are most often used to decorate alleys and paths.

2. Semi standard - up to 80 cm. They are used where dwarf species are not suitable, but excessive height will be unnecessary.

3. Ordinary - trees up to 1.5 meters. For trees of this height and more, climbing types of roses are most often used. nine0003

4. Tall - reach a height of 3 meters. Such trees are called weeping, because of the long hanging branches of climbing roses.

The next step is to decide whether you will plant the rose yourself or buy it from a garden shop or nursery.

Before buying, pay attention to the following points: the crown must be properly developed, without suspicion of disease; the trunk is even from 1 cm in thickness; the roots are developed and without damage. It is imperative to know the grafted growth variety, because. this is important for future care. nine0003

If you decide to graft your own rose, then consider the following factors: how compatible the rootstock and scion are with each other; disease resistance; the growth rate of the grafted rose; soil and climate compatibility. There are catalogs on the Internet about the correct compatibility of a rootstock with a scion. You can graft as a kidney, and cuttings.

Planting:

1. Before planting the tree itself, a peg previously treated with an antiseptic is installed so that it is below the root system. nine0003

2. Spread the specialty fertilizer at the bottom of the hole.

3. When planting, the stem is placed in the middle of the hole, slightly tilted in the opposite direction from the peg. It is covered with earth a few centimeters above ground level around.

4. Attach the tree to the stake in several places.

The method is almost the same as for trellis planting climbing roses, except that there is no peg and the need to attach to the trellis.

Care:

Make sure that the rootstock does not give rise to wild shoots away from the rose, otherwise you will have to go deep into the ground and cut the roots of an unwanted guest.

In winter, the rose must be covered. It is necessary to prepare in advance before the autumn frosts. Depending on the climate, there are two ways of shelter: horizontal and vertical. If severe winters prevail in your region , then a horizontal shelter method is suitable:

1. Untie the tree from the stake or trellis and place it on the ground.

2. Secure with horns.

3. Insulate with leaves, sawdust, covering material and other means, together with the roots.

The vertical method is suitable for mild winters in the southern regions: the tree does not untie, but is also insulated with improvised means.

Climbing rose planting and care. How to plant roses in the ground in summer

In today's issue:

Hello, dear friends! nine0003

Let's talk about climbing roses today.

Bright and charming, growing, they can cover the place allocated to them with a lush flowering carpet.

With their abundant flowering, they delight the eye, and what a fragrance it is - like in the Garden of Eden!

How to plant such a rose, how to choose a support for it and how to care for it, learn from our article.

Use the links in the blue box to quickly jump to the desired section of the article:

Supports for climbing roses photo

Which rose support should I choose? They have come up with a great many.

It all depends on your imagination and wallet. Look at the photos with supports for roses, maybe they will help you decide.

To scroll through the photos yourself, use the arrows when hovering over the photo or the circles below.

It should be remembered that each idea has its own types of roses.

If you want to green a low fence, wall, trellis, then large-flowered climbing roses, the so-called climbers, will suit you. nine0003

They grow up to two meters in height, have large fragrant flowers and rather flexible shoots.

Climbing ramblers are more suitable for all kinds of arches and tall structures.

They have much longer whips than climbers, they reach a length of 4-5 meters. At the same time, their stems are flexible, they are easy to form and bend to guide them along the same arch.

At the same time, the flowers of ramblers are smaller and they smell weaker, although this does not detract from their beauty in the least. Launched on a support and overgrown, they look great. nine0003

Remember that the rose does not have natural "fasteners", such as whiskers like grapes or peas. She does not wrap herself around the support like some kind of bindweed.

You will need to attach the shoots yourself to keep the rose on the support structure.

Climbers bloom 20-35 days (bloom in the first year), ramblers - 40-50 days (bloom on last year's shoots).

Planting a climbing rose

First, let's prepare a support for the rose.

In our case, this is a simple bamboo trellis, on which rose shoots will go.

The best time to plant roses is May and June. But, if a seedling with a closed root system, then these can be planted throughout the summer.

Choose a well-lit, warm place.

Digging a hole for the plant. It should be slightly larger than its root system.

If you are planting a rose in summer, moisten the soil inside.

Pour nutrient soil inside the pit: peat + leaf humus + sand in a ratio of 2:2:1. nine0003

Removing the plant from the container. We check the roots, all rotten or dry will need to be cut off.

A very important point: the rose grafting site must be deepened by about 3 fingers.

What is it for? This is necessary so that the rose located on the wild rose can take its own roots. Without them, the plant will slowly but surely begin to die!

Burrowing also helps to stop the growth of rose hips, which are usually grafted with a rose. nine0003

How can I find a vaccination site? As a rule, it can be seen immediately, this is the thickest place on the trunk of a rose near the roots.

Pour nutrient soil around the earthen clod, compact with your hands so that there are no gaps.

Wet well around the trunk.

The top must be mulched with the rest of the soil.

Fasten the rosette to the support using garters.

Done! As it grows, it will be possible to attach the lashes to the side columns, creating the desired composition. nine0003

Climbing rose care

Lighting

A well-lit, sunny location is required.

Watering

Regular (every 7-10 days) bucket of water, more often in hot weather.

Top dressing

Rose can be fed with organic fertilizers: diluted mullein, horse manure, compost.

As well as complex mineral fertilizers for roses.

In the first year, it is advisable not to get carried away with top dressing.

Pruning

Different types of roses require a different approach to pruning.

Climbers are trimmed only. Their shoots bloom again the following year, so they do not require pruning after flowering.

Ramblers vice versa. First, they bloom only on last year's shoots. This means that all young shoots must be saved so that they bloom next summer.

Secondly, these roses do not bloom repeatedly on the same shoots. That is, the branch that has faded this year will need to be cut off, because it will no longer bloom. nine0003

Propagation

Climbing roses are perfectly propagated by cuttings and layering.

With a sharp knife cut off a stalk 10-15 cm long, remove the large leaves from it.

We prepare a special place with light soil, with the addition of sand and without direct sunlight.

We place the cutting in the ground, moisten the soil and cover with a jar.

It will take a month and a half for the cutting to root.

You will see how new leaves grow - it means that the shoot has successfully taken root and can continue its existence without a jar. nine0003

Very good method of propagation by layering. For the plant, it is completely non-traumatic.

It consists in the fact that flexible side shoots are taken and dug in with earth.

This does not separate the cuttings from the mother plant.

Due to the fact that it is in contact with the ground, it will put down its own roots and form its own bush.

Prepare a place for layering: dig a small groove, fertilize it with a nutrient substrate so that the rooted shoot takes root more readily. nine0003

How to cover a climbing rose for the winter

Thanks to its flexibility, a climbing rose easily slopes to the ground, which makes it quite easy to cover it.

Learn more