Who has never been amazed by an arbour, a façade or an arch covered with roses? Generous, opulent and vigorous, rambling or climbing roses offer a spectacle that is renewed every year for our greatest pleasure!
What is a climbing rose?
A climbing rose is recognizable by its vigorous vegetation, made up of thick stems, with or without thorns, which extend over several meters. These stems can happily exceed 10 m in length depending on the species, if the conditions of cultivation of the rose are optimal.
Rosa Banksiae, is a botanical climbing rose at the origin of many ancient or modern hybrids, just like Rosa bracteata or Rosa wichurana.
Among the old horticultural varieties are the so-called 'Boursault' roses with long, smooth, arched stems that produce semi-double or double, lightly scented flowers in June, as well as the so-called 'Noisette' roses with smooth stems and glossy leaves that serve as a showcase for bunches of 3 to 5 double to very double flowers with a spicy scent.
It would be impossible not to mention the evergreen roses, some of which are climbing, some of which are sarmentous, but all of which are very vigorous, with thorny, arching stems bearing glossy, pale-green, semi-evergreen foliage and bunches of double to very double, fragrance-free flowers in summertime.
Among the modern roses, we find climbing roses with stems that are often stiff, arched or thorny and that have the particularity of blooming several times during the season. The flowers are often fragrant and very full.
Whatever the case, there are countless old or modern climbing roses, you will be spoilt for choice!
Growing climbing roses or ramblers
Climbing roses are grown under the same conditions as conventional roses, except for the trellising.
Climbing roses are only climbing in name, you will never see them hanging by themselves with tendrils or suction cups like real climbing plants, so they will have to be trained on a facade, a pergola, a portico, an old tree or even a fence. They must be firmly attached with suitable ties to hold in place despite the wind or the weight of the flowers. Don't forget to leave a space of 20 cm between the support and the stems to favor aeration and avoid the propagation of possible diseases. Always bend the stems slightly downwards when training your climbing roses in order to encourage flowering and cut off the spent flowers as you go along so that the plant does not tire of producing seeds and continues to flower as long as possible.
Warning: before installing a climbing rose or rambler in your home, check its hardiness because some of them need heat. Beware also of its future development; a rose like 'Filipe Kiftsgate' for example, will grow incredibly large with time. You might as well know this when you buy it and choose your rosebush according to the space you can dedicate to it.
