Climbing roses are very impressive in terms of growth height and abundance of flowers. Here you can find out what you need to know about cultivation and care in your own garden.
Climbing roses not only offer an incredible variety of colors and shapes of flowers and leaves, they can also be used to turn even the smallest garden into a personal relaxation paradise. Above all, the plants want to grow upwards. But in order for the rose arch or the house facade to become a flowery symbol of pure Romanesque, nature has to be given a little help. The right form, pruning and care will be rewarded with an abundance of flowers and a dense growth.
Plant climbing roses
Climbing roses can live for several years with the right care and can reach heights of up to 6 metres. Therefore, a little more time should be invested in planning and finding a suitable location. Not only because the well-considered choice of a location allows your plant to thrive. Rather, this prevents you from having to save again within a short time in order to ship the rose (Rosa) that has become too big to a new location. This not only means stress for the plant, but also for you.
Climbing Rose Location
Those who grow meters high like lots of light and fresh air. When choosing a location for your climbing roses, you should therefore make sure that you have enough space at the top. Because an airy place ensures that no heat build-up occurs and wet plant parts dry off. This way you will have fewer problems with pest and fungal infestation later on. But not only fresh air is desired - the noble plants like a long sunbath at least as much. Only a few varieties tolerate semi-shady locations. Full sun, however, is too much of a good thing. It is best to reserve a nice south-east or south-west spot in the garden for your climbing roses. But climbing roses not only grow high up, but also deep into the ground. A loose soil is therefore essential for climbing roses. The long roots grow very deep, so the soil must be permeable. Make sure it's at least a meter deep noThere is compaction in the ground.
Otherwise the following applies to the soil of climbing roses:
- Nutrient
- Sandy-loamy
- Humos
- Profound (min. 50 cm)
- Medium to Difficult
- No waterlogging
- Neutral pH
If these conditions are met, climbing roses can be used in many different ways. Whether with practical added value as a privacy screen or simply as a visual highlight in the garden. Fragrant varieties on house facades, pavilions or old tree trunks are particularly suitable for designing your very own favorite spot.
Hint: From high crowns, drops of water not only fall far, but also fast. Therefore, do not plant your roses under large trees, otherwise you will quickly find the flowers smashed.
Climbing roses in pots: is that possible?
Climbing roses can also grow towards the sun in pots. However, only small varieties are suitable for this and even these like it airy underneath. The pot should therefore be at least 50 cm deep and as wide as possible. There are also a few things to keep in mind when caring for them in the pot:
- Soak root ball in water 24 hours before planting
- Soil: rose soil mixed with compost or slow release fertilizer
- Fertilize: April - July every 14 days with liquid fertilizer in the irrigation water
- Watering: No waterlogging; good drainage layer at the bottom of the pot
- Repotting: Every 2 - 3 years in a larger pot
Climbing roses:" The right planting time
Here it depends on the condition in which the plants were bought. Bare root roses are planted either in the fall or in the spring. Potted roses can also be planted in summer. In addition, the root ball of the so-called container roses is better developed, you can often see the first flowers and the planting distances can be better estimated. The distances are not only determined by the natural growth of the plant, but also by the shape you want later on. Here, 30 to 50 cm to the climbing aid or 8 cm to the wall must be maintained. Depending on the variety, a distance of one and a half to two meters should be maintained between the plants.
The following should also be noted when planting climbing roses:
- Root ball is placed in water 24 hours before planting
- Loosen the soil to a depth of 50 - 100 cm
- Planting hole: 30 - 40 cm deep
- Grafting site lands about 5 cm below the ground when planted
- Water well
Transplanting Climbing Roses
Climbing roses are not a short-term purchase. With the right care, they can grow and thrive for years. It can sometimes happen that the surrounding greenery eventually competes with the plants for light and space. Exactly then it is time for a move of the high-flyers. The best time to do this is on a mild, frost-free day in autumn, after the plant has shed its leaves. Transplanting in spring, when the plant has not yet sprouted again, is possible. However, the plants do not grow as quickly as in autumn.
If you have found a new place for the climbing rose, simply proceed as follows:
- Prepare planting hole at new location
- Heavy pruning of the climbing rose to be transplanted
- Dig with a spade (at least 2 spade lengths deep) around the rootstock
- Pry out the plant carefully
- bruised and injured roots are removed
- Water the planting well at the new location
- piling up soil at the base of the plant (protection from drying out)
By heavy pruning we mean cutting the plant back to a few dormant eyes. The trench around the climbing rose to be transplanted should be dug as deep as possible because of the deep roots of the roses. The more generously you dig, the less damage you will cause to the rootstock.
Note: If you want to plant a new rose in the place of a discarded rose, the soil must be replaced over a large area (rose fatigue!).
Attach climbing roses correctly and securely
No matter which climbing rose you choose, a climbing aid is always a must. In order for this to fulfill its purpose, you must pay special attention to its attachment. If the construction is well-armed against wind, rain and the weight load, the greening can be tackled. The shoots are attached differently depending on the type of climbing aid. On climbing columns, the shoots are laid spirally around the trellis. The long shoots are tightened in a fan shape or crossed on trellises. Then the shoots are loosely attached with raffia, plant clips or rubber-coated wire.
What kind of climbing aid is used is up to you and your creativity. You can find classic climbing aids made of metal or wood in every DIY store with a garden center. More unusual models are also available here or on the Internet. If you want to save money or customize your garden, you can put your handicraft skills to the test. Just make sure the materials you use are weatherproof. Not that the self-made trellis will die before the roses.
Climbing rose varieties: selection and diversity
There are two types of climbing roses. On the one hand the actual climbing roses (also called climbers) and on the other hand the climbing or rambler roses. They differ not only in their growth height but also in the flowering rhythm. In addition, the different varieties offer a huge selection of flower colors and shapes.
Climbing Roses: Suitable Types
The type of climbing rose you choose depends on what you expect from the flowering climbers later. The actual climbing roses offer:
- Multiple Flowering
- Growth: 1.5 - 3 meters
- Thick upright shoots
- Flowers solitary or in clusters
- More compact growth
- Bigger Blossoms
If you want to go higher, choose rambler roses. These are characterized by:
- Once flowering
- Growth: 6 - 10 meters
- Good vigor
- Medium strong and elastic shoots
- Many small flowers
Thanks to intensive breeding, there are now also rambler rose varieties that bloom several times a year. On the other hand, the number of flowers is not quite as impressive.
Climbing roses: The most beautiful varieties
Depending on the variety, climbing roses bloom in white, salmon pink, orange and shades of pink or red. They also differ in the shape of their flowers. There are single to very double flowers. When the flowers appear also varies from variety to variety. Here are a few particularly beautiful climbing rose varieties that bloom more often:
- Compassion: double flowers in light salmon pink; strongly fragrant; growth height: up to 2.5 meters; Flowering: June - November; hardy; ADR Rose
- Florentina: double flowers in intense red; light fragrance; growth height: up to 3 meters; Flowering: June - September; hardy
- Moonlight: Semi-double flower in lemon yellow; strong fruity fragrance; growth height: up to 2.5 meters; Flowering: June - September; hardy
- Elf: double flower in creamy yellow with green shimmer; delicate fragrance; growth height: up to 3 meters; Flowering: June - September; conditionally hardy; ideal for sunny locations
- Aloha: Very double flower in apricot; strong fragrance; growth height: up to 2.5 meters; Flowering: June - October; conditionally hardy
You can find a larger selection of climbing rose varieties with different flower colors and shapes here.
Note: Look out for ADR roses when purchasing. These are particularly robust and tested.
Caring for climbing roses
The rose is also considered the queen of flowers. The older climbing roses get, the more beautiful and lush they bloom. But in order for your plants to shine in majestic splendor year after year, the care has to be right. Please note the following:
- Watering: Frequently during the growth period, then only after longer dry periods
- Cleaning withered flowers
- Removing diseased and broken plant parts
We only water from below to minimize the risk of fungal infections on the leaves. In addition, it is not poured in the blazing midday sun. After heavy watering or rain, the soil around the roots is loosened. This prevents the soil from compacting and the roots get enough air again.
Fertilize climbing roses
A queen must also be treated royally. Like Marie-Antoinette, only the finest must be used for climbing roses, and in reasonable quantities. That is why there are special rose fertilizers on the market, such as our Plantura organic rose fertilizer, which is adapted to the majestic consumption of nutrients. Another fertilizer can also be used. Cattle manure, for example, would be an inexpensive alternative. Just make sure that an organic fertilizer variant ends up in the shopping cart. This has a longer depot effect in the soil and is also more environmentally friendly than the mineral alternatives.
Climbing roses are fertilized twice a year:
- early April
- End of June after flowering
The fertilizer is carefully worked into the loosened soil around the roots. Freshly planted roses do not need fertilizing in April. They are fertilized for the first time after the first flowering.
Winter climbing roses
In autumn, the climbing roses for thefit for winter. For hardy varieties like 'Golden Gate', light protection against drying out and frost is sufficient. This involves piling up soil at the base of the plant. Partially hardy varieties like 'Rosanna' need a little more care. For extra protection from the sun and wind, wrap the more delicate plants in a 2 meter high willow mat. If shoots are still climbing over the cover, cover them with sacking.
Pruning climbing roses: when and how to do it
By pruning your plants, you encourage the formation of new flowers and a nice branched growth. For this purpose, newly formed side shoots are cut back once a year to a length of 2 to 5 eyes. The cut is made at an angle about 5 mm above an outward-growing bud. The timing of pruning depends on whether you've chosen a once-flowering or multiple-flowering variety.
- Spring: climbing roses that bloom more often
- Autumn: Climbing roses that bloom once (after flowering)
For plants that have flowered once, only shoots that previously flowered are removed. The rule here is: less is more. In the case of varieties that bloom more often, pruning should only take place when there is no longer any danger of frost. In addition, 1 - 2 main shoots are removed per year. Remaining new shoots are pulled along the trellis and fastened. Regardless of the variety, you should regularly clean out wilted flowers and remove diseased parts of the plant or parts of the plant that have been damaged, for example, by the winter. Shoots of the wild rose rootstock are removed, otherwise they will overgrow your beautiful hybrid tea.
Here you can find out more about the correct care of climbing roses.