This time of year is ideal for giving your climbing roses a good prune, setting them up for a fantastic display next season. Unlike rambling roses, which bloom on wood grown the previous summer, climbing roses flower on shoots that develop during the same spring. This means you can be quite firm with your pruning now without sacrificing next year’s blooms. Getting this job right ensures your rose is vigorous, healthy, and covers its support beautifully, giving you the best possible show of flowers when summer arrives.
Start by thoroughly assessing the plant and removing any obvious problems. Cut out any wood that is damaged, diseased, or rubbing against another stem (crossing growth). Also, look for any very old, unproductive wood that is more than a few years old—you can prune these thick, woody stems right back to the ground to encourage fresh growth from the base. This initial clean-up improves air circulation and directs the plant’s energy into the most productive parts of the structure.
The next critical step is training the main structure. Climbing roses flower best when their main stems are horizontal because this encourages more side shoots (laterals) to grow upwards, and it’s these side shoots that will carry the flowers. Fan the main stems out as equidistantly as possible, gently bending them and tying them securely to your support, whether that’s a trellis or a series of wires. Aim for a largely horizontal framework across the whole area.
Finally, you can move on to the side shoots—the thinner stems that grew from the main framework and produced this year’s flowers. These should be cut back hard to a short stub, typically leaving just one or two buds or leaves. The overall effect you want is a neat tracery of horizontal main stems running along your support with numerous short, pruned side-shoots running along their length. Once you’re finished, make sure all your main stems are firmly and securely tied in to prevent the plant from being damaged by strong winter winds or heavy snow. This careful work now will be rewarded with an abundance of spectacular blooms next year.
