Very imposing, climbing roses sometimes intimidate the gardener when it comes to pruning. Don't panic! With the right method, they are as easy to prune as other roses.
When to prune a climbing rose?
Remontant climbing roses, i.e. those that flower several times during the summer, should be pruned at the end of winter.
Non-remontant roses, which flower only once but very abundantly, should be pruned after flowering.
Materials needed
To prune a climbing rose, equip yourself with very thick gloves and old clothes that cover your arms well so as not to hurt yourself with the thorns. Remember to get your tetanus shot before this operation.
Disinfect the blades of your pruning shears and loppers with methylated spirits to avoid contaminating your rosebushes with possible diseases.
How to proceed?
The structure of the rose tree will be organized around the carpenter branches, which, if they are healthy, will be preserved. Think of arching them, i.e. positioning their ends slightly downwards to allow the sap to flow down better, which will induce a more opulent flowering. It is the secondary branches that ensure the flowering of the climbing rose. Prune them back to one eye along the branches.
Remove all dead branches in sections for ease of use. Start at the end and work your way back to the base, each time cutting off sections of about 30 cm.
Always keep a few long vigorous shoots that will serve to renew the plant and replace dead branches. They will also be arched on the support in a harmonious way.
Once the pruning is done, tie the branches along the support with sheathed ties so as not to hurt or cut the stems.
A successful trellis
A climbing rose does not have hanging devices such as tendrils or spikes. It will therefore have to be helped to hang along a wall thanks to a specific trellis on which the branches will be attached, or simply by stretching wires horizontally every 25 cm. Whether it is a pergola, a trellis or simple wires, the structure will have to be solidly fixed to the wall or to the ground, because this plant is very vigorous.
