Tall roses, also most often known as climbing roses, add a beautiful fountain of color to any garden. Like most roses, proper pruning can result in a healthier rose bush with more abundant blooms to beautify your garden. But, unlike shorter rose bushes and rose shrubs, there are additional techniques needed to enhance growth and blooming.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Step 1
Don’t prune a climbing rose for the first 2 or 3 years to allow them to establish canes. Depending on the rose prune only in winter (for hybrid teas and repeat bloomers) when the plant is dormant-all leaves have dropped off, and there are no visible signs of growth. If the rose blooms only once a year, prune after flowering.
Step 2
Prune out diseased or dead canes, and older gray (woody) canes since these tend to be good for only a few seasons. Save the green healthy canes. Thin out less vigorous new canes and remove twiggy growth so that light and air can move throughout the plant.
Step 3
Shape the plant by choosing a desired cane length, and then cutting back to a 5-leaved stem or lateral (small branches). New blossom buds usually are nestled at the base of the stem.
Step 4
Clip back laterals (small branches) for hybrid teas and repeat bloomers until only two leaf buds are visible on each flowering shoot. For one-time bloomers, clip back until only 4 or 5 leaf sets remain on each flowering shoot.
Step 5
Clean up all debris and dispose of properly to avoid pests and disease wintering on the trimmings.
Article by Claudia Newcorn
