(Note: This article is from an English publication.
U.S. readers should avoid planting roses in winter).
If you love climbing roses, squeeze more of them into the garden by growing climbing varieties. Plant them now, and come summer, they will clad walls, archways, and pergolas with curtains of flowers that fill the air with scent.
There is a wide variety of climbing roses to plant – here, we take you through which climbing roses to plant, where to plant them and how. Although the methods below don’t differ too much from planting roses that aren’t climbers, we do have expert advice about climbing varieties to impart.
Which climbing roses to plant?
If you are looking for rose garden ideas, take the time to choose the climbing rose that ticks all your boxes. The color of their blooms varies, of course, but so does the hue of their foliage, their height, health, flower shape, and their scent (some don’t smell at all).
Many flower once in summer, while others bloom non-stop until the frosts. Some have single or semi-double flowers that give bees access to nectar; a few are thornless, making them ideal for archways; and a select handful will bloom on a north-facing wall.
These climbing roses are some of the best climbing plants you can put into your backyard – and are from the world-famous David Austin nurseries.
‘New Dawn’ (pale-pink), ‘Sombreuil’ (cream), and ‘Climbing Étoile de Hollande’ (crimson-red) are all excellent scented climbers that reach around 15ft (4.5m). Shorter options that manage 10ft (3m) or less include Climbing Gertrude Jekyll and Strawberry Hill – two beautifully fragrant pink cultivars.
If you prefer the more informal habit and flowers of rambling roses, Trevor White’s ‘Francis E. Lester’ is a fantastic choice. Having a profusion of pink and white single blooms that scent the air and feed bees, followed by orange autumn hips, it is hard to beat.
When to plant climbing roses
For the best in English garden ideas, containerized climbing roses can be planted at any time of year, but for the healthiest plants, opt to buy ‘bare root’ between November and March. Bare root climbing roses are cheaper and create a more robust root system. They are sold without soil, direct from specialist rose nurseries or by mail order, during winter. Plant them on a day when the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged.
Where to plant climbing roses
Amongst the best climbing plants with flowers, climbing roses like rich, well-drained, moist neutral to alkaline soil in full sun. To prevent disease, it’s best to choose a site that hasn’t recently had roses growing in it.
How to plant climbing roses
Use these steps to plant climbing roses successfully.
1. Prepare climbing roses for planting
Soak the roots of your bare root rose in water for an hour.
Prepare a hole that’s wider and deeper than the rose’s roots; loosen the ground beneath very well with a fork, and dig in well-rotted manure or organic compost.
2. Feed the climbing rose’s roots
Sprinkle mycorrhizal fungi onto the roots while holding the rose over the hole. This will stimulate root growth, creating a more robust plant.
3. Check the soil level
The graft (the bulbous join between the roots and the stems) should be 2in (5cm) below the surface.
Now backfill with soil. Then – to prevent air pockets – gently press down the soil with your foot. Finally, water in.
How to care for climbing roses
Feed after pruning with rose fertilizer and give a liquid tomato feed fortnightly in summer at half the recommended dose.
Mulch annually in March, by placing a layer of well-rotted manure or organic compost around the plant.
Use companion planting: growing climbing roses with perennials, rather than cultivating them en masse with nothing but other roses, helps to reduce disease. Salvias (such as ‘Cerro Potosí’) are especially good as their sulphur content is thought to prevent rose sickness.
Deadhead repeat-flowering climbing roses to stimulate more blooms. But don’t behead once-flowering roses that produce autumn hips.
Prune roses, including climbers, in January or February, and prune rambling roses in autumn, after their show of hips has finished. Stay safe by using sturdy ladders and shoes with good grip, and never prune climbers when you are tired.
Article by Hazel Sillver for Homes & Gardens
Source: How to plant climbing roses (msn.com)
