No rose garden is truly complete without including climbing roses into the mix of rose species.  Climbing roses, also known as pillars, ramblers, trailing roses, and everblooming roses depending on how they grow are not considered true vines.  With successful rose planting, remember they don’t grow their own support structures and do not instinctively attach themselves to surfaces.  They create a grand entrance to your rose garden, patio or bakyard when growing over the gated entrance. Because climbing roses do not have the capabilities to hold onto structures like vines do, they need help from us.

The rose gardener will need to take each new shoot and tenderly secure it to the arbor.  Some types of structures you can grow climbing rose bushes on are trellis’, arbors, fences, sheds, pillars, walls or almost any other large, solid structures.  Climbing rose bushes that are trained to grow laterally rather then vertically often produce more blooms. 

Vertically trained climbing roses will produce short spurs along their main stem or canes which will produce blooms.  Besides the way they grow, growing climbing roses is not unlike growing other types of rose plants.  As with your other rose varieties they require over five hours of direct sun.  If you were told they can grow in partial shade they still have to have at least 5 hours of sunshine. 

If you are going to plant a climbing rose place it where it has plenty of space to grow.  Some species of climbing roses can grow to be around thirty feet in height.  A few varieties have grown just to seven feet tall.  Be sure the structure that you are planning to grow them on can support this type of plant.

The height of the plant will also depend on the type of climate you have in your area.  Your rose choice is another variable when it comes to how it will produce.  Some types of climbing roses will produce beautiful roses all year round.  Some only bloom during the spring or early summer. 

One thing that is different when tending your climbing rose is that it does not need to be pruned as often.  Most importantly, the climbing rose should not be pruned during the first two years.  In contrast to other roses that need constant pruning, if you prune a climbing rose there will be less flowers. 

Actually, with rose bush care you really only need to cut back your plants every 3 to 4 years.  Take care to cut back mainly at the base of the plant just the branches that don’t seem to be thriving.  Vigorous young canes are encouraged to grow and to become long and flexible.  The new, more supple branches are more flexible and can be coaxed in and out of the fence or structure you are affixing the climber to.

Roses and especially climbing roses, need time to develop into the plant you are desiring.  They may take a little while to get established and start blooming right after they are planted.  In time you will have a beautiful trellis, fence or arbor just filled with beautiful rose blossoms.