Rambling roses are often confused with climbers, but they are far more vigorous and often only bloom once during the summer season. They can be trained to climb with supports but will reach across anything in their path if not coaxed to grow up. (Think of the roses Maleficent sent crawling over Aurora’s kingdom.)
Source: Garden Time TV
How to grow climbing roses
Container roses can be planted at any time of the year, but must be watered adequately if planted in the summer.
Climbing roses are usually purchased in the fall and winter as bare-root specimens. Plant them on a dry, frost-free day. Climbing roses need a lot of space, so the space for the plant is spacious because of the fast growth rate. Dig a hole that is at least twice the depth and width of the root pot and add some rotted organic matter to the planting hole.
Spread the roots and position your rose in the hole, making sure the flower is planted to the same depth as when potted, or look for the ‘tide mark’ of soil on the stem. Use your heel to cover and secure, then water fully.
How to care for climbing roses
Train the rose to wobble on the wall using strong wire. The balustrade only carries one wave of flowers, followed by rose hips, so they don’t need to fade, unless you choose a repeat-flowering orchid like ‘Super Fairy’ or ‘Malvern Hills’.
Feed in spring with an all-purpose fertilizer, and mulch in fall with rotting manure, compost or mold.
Climbing roses flower well in the early years without pruning. However, they need to be pruned every year once formed. After the plant flowers, cut the side shoots leaving four healthy shoots. Remove any dead, diseased, or damaged stems just below the base. Avoid pruning current year’s growth as this will entail next year’s flowers.
How to propagate climbing roses
Climbing roses are most successfully propagated by hardwood cuttings in the fall.
Remove a pencil-thick stem from the growing branch of the current season, about 30cm long. Remove the soft top, cut just above the healthy shoot at an angle cut away from the bud. This prevents water from pooling around the bud and causing rotting (this will also help you identify the top of the cut).
Dig a shallow trench in the garden in a sunny, sheltered spot and place a layer of horticultural sand at the base. Insert the cuttings so that two-thirds of each cut is below the surface and backfill. You should see signs of growth next spring.
Growing roses rambling: problem solving
Avoid planting roses in a place where roses have grown before. Rose replant disease is a little-understood problem but the plant often struggles to thrive.
Like all other roses, balustrades can be susceptible to black spot, aphids, wilt and powdery mildew. However, good garden hygiene will reduce the risk of infection. Remove fallen leaves and prune with clean supplies. A thick fall film around your ramshackle persimmon can prevent fungal infections from spreading from the soil.
Powdery mildew is an airborne spore-forming fungus. Leaves and flower buds are covered with white powder, fungi develop in summer. Usually occurs when the soil is dry, the humidity is high, and the air movement is poor. To prevent it, water your plants during arid summers. Severely affected stems should be removed. Appropriate fungicides are available.
