Rupert Sinclair
There are few sights more quietly satisfying in a British garden than a climbing rose settling into its second summer on a warm brick wall, or a pergola walk that becomes a tunnel of scent by late June. Yet the difference between a sparse, straggly plant and one that flowers from the ground upwards is rarely luck. It is training, tying and timely pruning — simple skills, patiently applied.
Before reaching for the secateurs, it helps to know which rose you are dealing with. Climbers such as 'Climbing Iceberg' or 'Gloire de Dijon' have stiff, sturdy stems and usually flower more than once, often from early summer into autumn. Ramblers, like 'Albertine' or 'New Dawn', throw out long, pliable canes and tend to give one generous flush in midsummer, followed by hips. The distinction matters, because everything that follows depends on the plant's habit rather than the frame it happens to be growing on.
Position, Soil and Sturdy Support
Roses are sun worshippers. A south- or west-facing wall that gets six hours or more of light will give you the best flowering; an east-facing aspect is tolerable, while north-facing walls suit only the toughest sorts and even then the display will be shy. Shelter from harsh winds matters too, particularly for tender new growth in spring.
The strip of ground at the foot of a wall is usually dry, shaded and starved — the last place a rose would choose for itself. Dig a generous hole some 45cm deep and wide, work in plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost, and plant the rose 30–45cm out from the wall, leaning the stems gently inwards. This keeps the roots clear of the rain shadow and gives the plant something to drink.
Put the support up before or at planting: galvanised vine eyes screwed into the brickwork at 40–45cm intervals, with tensioned wire run between them, spaced 35–45cm apart horizontally and starting about 45cm above the soil. On pergolas, fix wire runs to the posts and along the beams using rust-proof screws and eyelets. Stainless steel or plastic-coated wire will outlast you.
Train Long Shoots Horizontally for More Blooms
This is the single most useful trick in rose growing. Leave a cane vertical and growth surges to the tip, so only the top few buds break — that sad mop-head on a bare leg so many of us inherit. Bend the same cane towards the horizontal and the flow of sap is slowed along its length, so buds break all the way down and flowers appear at every point.
So the main canes of a climbing rose should be fanned out at 45 degrees or near-horizontal, spaced 30–40cm apart so each gets light and air. Ramblers with very long canes can be wound round a pillar or run the length of a pergola beam and brought back along the other side. Build a framework of permanent stems first; the flower-bearing side shoots will follow within a season or two.
Tying In Securely Without Strangling
Roses thicken as they age, and a tie that fits snugly in March can bite into the bark by August. Use soft garden twine, rubber ties or plastic-coated wire, and always loop it in a figure-of-eight so the stem sits clear of the wire rather than rubbing against it. Leave a finger's width of slack.
- Tie at regular intervals — every 30–40cm along the cane, not simply at the top.
- Check ties in late June and again after strong winds, loosening anything that has begun to pinch.
- On pergolas, route canes along the underside of beams and wind them round posts rather than running them straight up.
- Never use bare wire against a stem; a short length of old hosepipe or a purpose-made rubber tie protects the bark.
Pruning According to the Rose's Habit
Get this right and everything else falls into place. Wrong timing can cost you a whole year of flowers, because once-flowering roses bloom on wood made the previous season.
- Repeat-flowering climbers: prune in late winter, around February. Shorten the side shoots that flowered last year to two or three buds — roughly 10–15cm from the main stem — and remove one or two of the oldest canes at the base each year, tying in a strong replacement to keep the framework young.
- Once-flowering ramblers: leave them until flowering finishes, then prune immediately, usually in August. Cut the canes that have flowered back to near ground level and tie in the best of the new ones for next summer. Delay this until winter and you will cut away the coming year's blooms.
- Deadhead repeat flowerers through summer, cutting back to a leaf with five leaflets. Leave the once-flowering kinds to carry hips for autumn colour and birds.
- Pull away suckers emerging below the bud union rather than snipping them, which only encourages more.
Feeding, Watering and Care Through the Year
Wall roses are hungry and thirsty. Mulch generously with well-rotted manure in March, then feed with a rose fertiliser at the end of that month and again in early July, after the first flush fades. Water thoroughly in dry spells — a full watering can or two each week — especially during the first two summers while roots are establishing.
Watch for aphids in May and blackspot in damp summers, but remember that good air circulation, achieved through correct spacing and training, does much of the work for you. Keep the ground at the base clear of grass and weeds, which compete for both food and moisture.
Finally, give the plant time. A climbing rose takes three seasons to settle and four to look properly established, but each year it will reward you a little more generously. Train it kindly, tie it thoughtfully, prune it at the right moment — and the wall or pergola you planted it against will become the finest thing in the garden.
