By Kathleen Gresham
Some say roses aren’t climbers by nature and that they must be trained. Whether or not that is true, climbing roses are well worth the extra effort it takes to grow them.
Just think….a climbing rose can grow to 40 feet up a tree. Yes, it’s possible! If you prefer a smaller version, there are also miniature climbing roses. Any rose is beautiful, but you might say climbers have a farther “reach.”
Want an image that a flower lover can appreciate? Imagine a huge field in the warm summer sunshine. It is a vineyard with rows and rows of grape vines extending into the distance. Now instead of the grapevines, visualize rows and rows of climbing roses! What a vision that would be to behold.
Choosing the Right Climber
It is work taking the time to choose your climbing rose with care. Some can tolerate only small amounts of sunshine and will bloom only with the proper amount of sunlight. Others may not do well in full shade.
Your local soil and temperature range are important considerations, too. It is best to buy your plants locally from a reputable full-service nursery to make sure you are getting plants that will do well in your growing area.
Always ask where the plants were grown and exactly what their care requirements are. In some parts of the country you will need to mulch the roots in the winter.
Here are some questions to consider: How often do you want the climber to bloom? Do you want a certain color theme among your climbers? Would you need to treat a climbing rose for bugs that are native to your area?
Planting and Care for Climbing Roses
Roses need good drainage, especially in areas that get a lot of rain. In rainy areas, you may need to build raised beds with light, porous soil to encourage proper drainage and prevent disease.
In very dry or desert areas you may have to recess the bed slightly into the ground and build a small moat or trench around it to catch and hold the rainwater or water from your hose or sprinkler so that the water has time to soak into the soil instead of just draining away.
Climbing rose plants need plenty of room to spread their spectacular beauty. Some climbers grow taller and larger in different areas, depending on the climate.
Pruning Your Roses
Keep your climbing roses properly pruned for the better health of the plant. You may also decide to shape it. In either case, to be able to do that, you will need access to the taller parts of the plant.
Climbers and Ramblers
A climber and a rambler are different types of rose plants. Climbing roses need to be tied to a structure to maintain stability but they tend to be fairly strong and straight. They have heavier vines, or canes, than rambling roses.
The rambler’s vines are more flexible and must be more fully supported. Otherwise, they will stay close to the ground, like the wild roses they are descended from.
Garden Gates with Arched Trellises
A hundred years or so ago everyone who could had a trellised arching over their garden gate. Roses can create shade and provide old-fashioned, nostalgic beauty at the same time. Rose trellised gates look especially wonderful with Victorian houses, but really they look good anywhere.
Garden trellises look best when made of wood, but they do not have to be elaborate. You can bend pipe to make an arched trellis, stick the ends into the ground and then use wire or mesh, such as hog wire, to support the climbing roses as they grow.
Once the climbing or rambling rose has covered the trellis, all you will notice are the beautiful roses and leaves.
When to Plant Roses
As with many flowers, the best time to plant a climber is at least 6 weeks before the first hard frost or in the spring or fall when the weather is cooler, but not wintry. You could start the plant indoors and then move it to the garden.
Providing Support for Climbing Roses
To support climbing roses so that they will grow in a container, you can build a teepee of wooden poles. Make sure the height of the legs fits your container.
Then wind nylon wire or string in a criss-cross patter around the poles to give the plant places to grab as it works its way up the poles. You could also use wire mesh, such as chicken wire. You could even substitute nylon netting in place of the string or wire.
An easy idea for use with climbers is a trellis made of wood, metal, or plastic. You can buy them at many nurseries and plant stores.
Wood may be easier for the plant to grab and hold, but it will deteriorate faster than most metals, and plastic may become brittle and disintegrate from the sun.
Roses and Children
If you have little ones who want to help garden, you could buy popsicle sticks for them to glue together in lattice fashion for use with your climber. If you are comfortable with the art work of a child, you could have he or she paint the container and put their own pictures and letting on it.
Best of all, there are some climbing roses that have no thorns. One idea that may be of interest to moms or grandmothers is to allow the child their own climbing garden area. It would teach them the wonders of the rose on a level they could accept more readily—and safely.
Roses and Wildlife
Gardeners who live in certain parts of the United States have to be constantly on the lookout for plants that do not appeal to deer, which will forage in any yard or garden that does not have at least a 6-foot-high fence around it.
Some gardeners say there are varieties of climbing roses that deer do not eat. Ask an expert at a good professional nursery in your area to find out which climbers are deer-resistant and will grow well where you live.
.
