Climbing Rose

Connie fr.

I have a rose climbing over an arch which is doing quite well. Last year I managed to train some of the longer stems over the top of the arch and now they are growing very vigorously. My problem is that there are many new side shoots which are shooting about 3 feet into the air at present. Will they grow longer, should I trim them back or just let them do their own thing. Your help would be appreciated. Have read the pruning hints in the current news letter but doesn't seem to answer my problem. Have very little experience with roses.

Fire

Hi, do you know which rose it is?

Busy-Lizzie

The side shoots should be pruned in February/March to 2 - 4 buds, or roughly 6". They are the ones that will grow to bear flowers. A climbing rose grows flowers on new wood, a rambler on the stems it grew last year, so a rambler is pruned after flowering.

I would just tie in the long shoots at the moment, sounds as though they should have been pruned earlier - or have they only grown since March? You could cut the ends off. Then, after it has finished the first big flush of flowers, prune back the side shoots that are waving about at the moment to about a foot long. The rose is also fed by its leaves so it's a bit late to cut a lot off.

Connie fr.

Fire - sorry for the delay but have been trying to get rid of some weeds today -taking advantage of a lovely day - but the name of the rose is Summer Wine. Been planted now for about 3 to 4 years.

Connie fr.

Busy-Lizzie - Thanks for your reply. I haven't done much pruning as it has only been in a few years. Just kept trying to tie the long shoots in before they became too stiff to handle. There are lots of buds on the growth on top of the arch so maybe I will wait for them to bloom and then cut them back. It's just a huge learning curve. Have only been used to climbers like honeysuckle and clematis which are easier to handle!