Envision the bare surfaces of your home or garden transformed into floral works of art with dreamy cascades of vibrant blooms. With this guide, beginner and intermediate gardeners will learn to plant, train, and maintain climbing roses to beautify any landscape structure – such as fences, walls, arbors, and trellises. We’ll also cover support options and installation techniques, as well as seasonal care tips to grow a climbing rose that will grace your garden for decades to come.
Climbing vs. Rambling Roses
While they both grow beautifully upward, climbing and rambling roses are not the same. Climbing roses bloom continuously throughout the season with canes trained onto supports – such as fences, arches, or walls. Rambling roses are one-time, vigorous bloomers with highly flexible canes – perfect for covering large spaces or old trees.
Site, Soil, and Timing
To ensure your climbing rose reaches its maximum height, it’s crucial to plant in the right place at the right time. Keep these few key criteria in mind:
Sun & airflow
Climbing roses need full sun – at least 6-8 hours per day. Leave 12-18 inches of space away from structures to allow for proper airflow and prevent disease. Avoid planting in narrow passageways where wind tunnels could dry out your roses.
Soil
Roses do best in well-draining, loamy soil. If the soil in your garden isn’t optimal, you can always amend it with organic matter – such as compost, mulch, aged manure, or leaf mold. Don’t just focus on the hole itself, amend the planting area broadly to avoid waterlogging.
Best month to plant
Depending on your hardiness zone, climbing roses are best planted in the spring or fall. Because of the unpredictability of thaw/freeze cycles, it’s always a good idea to use fall planting buffers for extra protection.
Planting a Climbing Rose (step-by-step)
Follow these 5 simple steps to plant a tall, graceful climbing rose bush:
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Choose your support: Whether a trellis, wires on a wall/fence, or arbor, plant 12-18 inches away from your chosen support to allow for proper training & airflow.
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Dig a hole: Any planting hole should be twice as wide as your rose’s roots to encourage healthy root development. Set the crown at the existing soil line in warmer climates, or bury the graft in colder climates.
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Backfill: Fill in your hole with a mix of native soil and compost – gently firming the soil with your hands or feet to remove air pockets.
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Water in: Settle the soil with a thorough watering.
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Mulch: Add a 1 to 2-inch layer of mulch to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. Keep mulch off the canes to maintain proper airflow.
Support Options & Installation
There are a wide variety of supports for climbing roses that can be used to add visual interest to your landscape. Some of the most popular include:
Trellis
A trellis maximizes your garden space by encouraging your climbing rose to grow vertically. The open framework allows the canes to beautifully intertwine and create a stunning floral tapestry.
How to install: Loosely tie main canes to the support with soft materials that won’t cut into them – such as twine, rope, or nylon. If there’s a wall behind your trellis, allow a 2 to 4-inch gap for airflow.
Straining wires on walls/fences
Straining wires can be used to beautify any ordinary wall/fence and create privacy in your garden. Typically made from galvanized steel, they provide a sturdy structure on which your climbing rose can grow.
How to install: Secure wires to your wall or fence by threading through a pair of vine eyes – vertically spaced 12-18 inches apart.
Arches/arbors/pergolas
Climbing roses trained onto these structures form beautiful overhead garden features – perfect for framing entrances or creating shaded pathways.
How to install: Tie roses in on both sides of the arch, upwards, and over the top – always using soft materials.
Training: How to Encourage a Climber to Climb
Roses don’t climb on their own – they must be trained to do so. Here are our top tips and tricks for encouraging healthy growth and maximizing blooms on your climbing rose bush.
Year 1–2 goals
The first 2 years are meant for root development and establishment. Find the strongest, healthiest framework canes and tie them in loosely at a 30 to 45-degree angle.
Horizontal training principle
Bending canes horizontally encourages more lateral shoots – helping your climbing rose produce flowers all along the length of the canes rather than just at the top. Vertically attach canes to straining wires or trellis rungs 12-18 inches apart to allow blooms to breathe.
For brick wall
To effectively train a climbing rose bush along a brick wall, use a drill to attach masonry anchors. Then screw stand-off vine eyes into the anchors and thread straining wire through them.
Tip: If you’re growing a climbing rose on a south or west-facing wall, you may want to install it on a trellis spaced 4-6 inches away from the wall. This will protect the foliage from radiant heat.
Pruning & Annual Maintenance
Every winter during dormancy, a light pruning will give your climbing rose the energy boost it needs to stimulate new, healthy growth. Follow these simple steps to keep it in tip-top shape for the spring season:
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Remove foliage to improve airflow and prevent disease.
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Cut back any canes that are growing away from your support.
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Remove any dead, disease, or damaged growth.
After the first 2 years, once your rose is established, it’s time to make heavier shaping cuts. Tie back long shoots and reduce shorter side shoots by about half their length to maximize flowering.
Watering, Feeding, and Mulching
Just like us humans, roses must have their basic needs met in order to grow to their full potential. With proper watering, feeding, and a layer of protection, your climbing rose will reach the tallest heights possible.
Water
Water deeply and infrequently, keeping the root zone evenly moist. This is especially crucial in the first season while roots are still establishing.
Fertilizer
Use a balanced rose fertilizer and follow the advised feeding schedule on the label – pausing 6-8 weeks before your first frost date. This will avoid pushing soft growth late in the season that could be vulnerable to winter damage.
Mulch
Apply a 2 to 3-inch layer of organic mulch to conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. Keep mulch off the canes to promote air circulation and reduce the risk of common fungal infections.
Growth & Bloom Challenges
Growing climbing roses is a rewarding yet sometimes challenging process. There are a few issues that are associated with these tall, graceful beauties. But with the right tweaks, these issues can be easily solved. Here’s what to look out for:
Slow start
Climbing roses can take 3 years to reach their maximum height and 5 years to fully mature. If you’re not seeing much growth past the first year, you may need to improve watering, add mulch, or provide more light.
Few flowers
If your climbing rose isn’t as blooming as profusely as you’d hoped, add horizontal tie-ins to trigger flowering on side shoots. Also check sun exposure, feeding balance, and pruning timing.
Leggy growth
If the canes on your climbing rose are looking bare towards the bottom, it may be due to too much upright growth. Consider adding additional wires to train horizontally and spread leggy canes into a fan shape. Tip back the top-most vertical shoots to encourage lateral growth.
Longevity, Maintenance Level, and Variety Choice
Before beginning the rewarding journey of growing a climbing rose, it’s good to know what you’re signing up for. Here are the most frequently asked questions gardeners ask:
Q: How long does a climbing rose take to grow?
A: With good care, a climbing rose can take up to 3 years to grow to its maximum height and up to 5 years to fully mature.
Q: How many years do climbing roses last?
A: With adequate sunlight, healthy soil, and renewal pruning – climbing roses can live for decades.
Q: Are climbing roses high maintenance?
A: Climbing roses require moderate maintenance with initial training and seasonal pruning, but are well worth the effort. Once established, they’ll reward you with vibrant, long-lasting blooms.
Q: What is the easiest climbing rose to grow?
A: There are several lower-maintenance, disease-resistant varieties of climbing roses available – such as our very own Perfume Breeze. Just make sure the one you choose is suitable for your climate (rose hardiness zone) before purchasing.
Seasonal Calendar
Specific care tasks should be carried out at the turn of each season to keep your climbing rose looking and feeling its best.
Early spring
Climbing roses should be fertilized just as they’re coming out of dormancy to support new growth. Lightly prune out any winter damage and tie back new growth to train canes before they lose their flexibility.
Late spring-summer
Deadhead spent flowers to encourage those repeat blooms that climbing roses are known for. Water consistently and check mulch to provide protection from extreme summer heat.
Fall
Tidy the area surrounding your climbing rose – disposing of any fallen foliage to prevent disease. Secure any long, whippy canes that could be damaged from high winds.
Winter
Give established roses a structural prune and young roses a lighter trim. Inspect any ties or hardware for damage after winter storms.
From Bare to Beautiful
With a sturdy support, horizontal training, and seasonal pruning/feeding, your climbing rose will reach for the skies and bloom for decades to come. Visit April & Ashley to browse our selection of premium climbing rose bushes that will transform the ordinary spaces in your garden to eye-catching floral displays.