{"id":611973366086,"date":"2025-10-16T16:41:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T16:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/uncategorized\/pruning-climbing-rose-bush\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T08:41:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T08:41:15","slug":"pruning-climbing-rose-bush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/roses\/pruning-climbing-rose-bush\/","title":{"rendered":"Pruning A Climbing Rose"},"content":{"rendered":"

Climbing roses<\/a> have a different regime than pruning rose bushes<\/a>.
They are not really true climbers, meaning they don\u2019t twine like Honeysuckle<\/a> or stick like Ivy<\/a>.<\/p>

With a little guidance to start them off, they will scramble up through a tree or large shrub, but mostly you must tie them onto sturdy support wires<\/strong> against a building, wall, or trellis. <\/p>

You will need some secateurs, good gloves (goatskin is great for the home gardener), eye protection, and probably some bypass loppers for older roses.<\/p>

The Key Principle of Climbing Roses<\/h2>

Climbing roses have two types of wood<\/strong>:<\/p>

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  1. Thick main stems<\/strong> that go all the way to the base.<\/li>\n
  2. Thinner lateral stems<\/strong> that come off the main stems. Laterals produce all the flowers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

    When a main stem is vertical, it produces far fewer laterals along its length than when it runs between a 45-degree angle and horizontal (avoid point it downwards below horizontal).
    A vertical main stem will produce almost all of its lateral at the tip, so all the flowers will be up at the top of the plant.<\/p>

    So, the main goal with Climbing Roses is to maintain a lot of horizontal-ish main stems.<\/p>

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    • Where you have a lot of space like on top of a wall, you simply run the main stems along the surface.<\/li>\n
    • In a confined space, train the flexible new growth of the main stems in repeating S shapes up the surface.<\/li>\n<\/ul>

      In a typical year, if you have chosen the right size rose for your space, you do not prune main stems at all, only the laterals.<\/p>

      When a main cane gets old and unproductive, diseased, or damaged, then you typically prune it out at ground level.
      Only prune the end of a main case if it gets too big for its allotted space, and there is no more room for turning it back around in an S shape.<\/p>

      When to Deadhead Climbing Roses<\/h4>

      Most climbing roses flower twice per year, and to encourage the best second flush, you need to snip off the faded flowers of the first flush.
      Otherwise, the first flowers will form rose hips, which take up energy that you want to go into new flower production.<\/p>

      The textbook guideline for deadheading all roses is to snip the flowered stem back to the first set of five leaves, and that is good advice to prevent spindly shoots that produce few and\/or small flowers.
      But don\u2019t worry about it if it\u2019s hard to reach and see properly on a tall plant: cutting the lateral anywhere close behind the faded flower is fine.<\/p>

      For a masterclass on deadheading Climbing Roses, this 17 minute long presentation by the lovely Olga, a Ukrainian Rosarian in Connecticut, goes into as much detail and covers as many examples as anyone will ever need!<\/p>

      We skipped the first minute of introduction for you:<\/p>

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