Training climbing roses is the best way . . .

. . .  to get the most blooms and best growth from them.  These step-by-step gardening procedures will show you how.

   William Baffin Climbing Rose
   
Training Climbing Roses

© Marcelle Snyder

Because climbing roses do not have tendrils or suction roots, they cannot climb on their own. Help your climbing rose earn its name by training it to an erect form.

 The two steps to training a climbing rose are bending canes and pruning for renewed growth.  If you add adequate support for your rose as part of your flower gardening scheme, you will get more flowers and better growth from your "climbing roses."

Training involves bending the canes of the rose to make side shoots grow.  The more shoots you help the rose produce, the more blooms it will yield. 

Training also includes thinning old or unproductive canes, thus enabling stonger, younger canes to produce more flowers.

Step-by-step Procedure:

Bending canes

Plant climbing rose about 12 inches in front of a support.  Position it with roots pointing away from support.  Climbing roses must grow for two to three years before they bloom. 

As canes grow, tie to support.  During this period, bend and tie canes in spring when they are at their most flexible. 

Slowly flex cane tip to horizontal position when canes are long enough to bend in an arc.  Tie cane to support.  Use ties available from garden centers or soft cloth strips or sections of soft twine. 

Avoid wire or rigid fasterners for they can damage bark or strangle the rose as it grows. Make tie tight enough to hold cane firmly  but lose enough for growth.

Remove flowers before they fade in first season.  Remove as little of the foliage and stem as possible.

After the rose blooms, add pruning to the climbing procedure.  Climbers that bloom once a season should be pruned as soon as new growth appears in spring.  Prune repeat bloomers after they have finished blooming.

Pruning canes

Cut out dead or old canes, leaving three to five young, healthy ones.  Remove straggly or diseased growth.

Cut side shoots so that there are only about 8 to 10 buds on the shoot.  For best appearance, prune lightly

Remove suckers by digging down into the soil at the bottom of the rose stem to where they attach to the main stem of the rose and pulling them off.

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About the Author:
Marcelle grew up on a farm in New Brunswick where the norm was to plant and grow large gardens, and she continued with backyard gardening after she moved to Ontario.   You will find other gardening articles at http://SuperOrganicGardeningTips.com,  http://PlantsAndGardeningTips.com, and  http://PestControlOptions.com