How to prune your climbing roses

Spring pruning your climbing rose bushes

Climbing rose plants don’t really climb like true vines that wrap around a support. They do, however, produce really long canes that need to be pruned annually like any other rose.

Flowers bloom along the whole length of the cane, especially if the cane is tied horizontally, such as along a fence or spread out laterally on a wall.

Pruning new climbers

YEAR ONE

We define Year One as any rose that has completed its first season of flowering.

At this stage your rose will still be establishing its roots to support growth in the future, thus only very light pruning is required.

Step 1 – cut away any growth that is growing away from the structure that cannot be tied back.

Step 2 – the ‘four D’s’ – remove any dead, dying, damaged and diseased stems.

Step 3 – pull down the longer stems to 45 degrees or more and tie them against your wires.

Step 4 – remove any remaining leaves to reduce the risk of disease spores being carried over.

Note the 45 degree canes leading to flowers

YEAR TWO

This is a year for climbers to fully establish themselves.

Step 1 – cut away any growth that is growing away from the structure that cannot be tied back.

Step 2 – if your climber is very vigorous and getting congested, cut away more of the weakest vertical growth.

Step 3 – cut back old flowering stems to about 6 inches from the secondary cane.

Step 4 – the ‘four D’s’ – remove any dead, dying, damaged and diseased stems.

Step 5 – pull down the longer canes to 45 degrees or more and tie them against your structure.

Step 6 – remove any remaining leaves to reduce the risk of disease spores being carried over.

Again, where the main canes are at 45 degrees or more, secondary flower canes leading to blooms.

YEAR THREE & BEYOND

Repeat the steps outlined for Year Two.

In addition, cut out any old or weak vertical canes at the base of the plant.

What month should I spring prune?

I’ve had the best luck pruning rose bushes in late winter/early spring, when the first growth is beginning. My first bloom here in the Northwest is generally mid-February and early March – but it depends on your climate.

It is okay to prune earlier in January, like I do, but it can be more difficult to identify unhealthy stems to prune out. You don’t want to expose the crown to a snap freeze by removing mulch too early. Plus it’s bloody cold out there. If you still haven’t pruned by early April it is still OK. Climbers are tough, like the 2 white rose plants filling up this arbor below.

a rose covered steel arch at stairs leading into a medical building near Tacoma General Hospital

How Should I Prune?

The 2 main tasks for hard pruning climbers are:

Encouraging strong growth from the main canes of the plant that come directly from the crown.

The main canes come directly from the base and should rarely be pruned. If energy is spent on regrowth of any main cane, it won’t flower because climbers put their energy into growing first and flowering second.

Training lateral canes so that they fan out to promote their own vertical shoots.

These are the ones that produce the flowers and pruning them will encourage more blooming over a longer period of time. The flowers bloom along the whole length of these laterals, like this apple tree below. The closer it’s tied to the horizontal, the more these will bloom as the buds reach for the sun. That’s heliotropism at work . . .

Apple tree flat espalier with white blossoms

Some final points for yearly maintenance of your climbing rose bushes

Shaping is essential. Try to create a balanced bush. Over time it will develop its own look like these pictures – especially on arbors. Most pictured here are over 10 years old or older.

Don’t obsess about where you cut the stem. Accepted wisdom suggests cutting just above a 5-leaf joint with a sloping cut away from the bud. However, as good a practice as this is, this isn’t always necessary. If you only have a 3-leaf joint, go for it.

Don’t worry about cutting back too much. Roses are extremely strong and will grow back even if you were to mistakenly cut all of the stems right back within 1 foot of the base. The bush energy is amazing.

Carefully dispose of foliage. Foliage should never be composted and should be removed after trimming. This ensures spores that can initiate disease are removed from your entire garden.

Look out for loose roses. Look out for any climbing roses that are loose in the ground due to wind whip rocking them to the point where they are no longer standing upright. Firm around the base of each loose rose and thin out some branches a little more to allow the wind to flow through it more easily.