Rambling and Climbing Roses
In the coming months, bareroot roses will soon become available, planting bare-rooted roses during the dormant season is a great way to get ahead for the next growing season and will save you money when compared to the more limited range of pricy pot-grown roses. Here is an introduction to both Rambling and climbing roses we love using and yes, we know that this is just a limited number amongst so many but these are reliable and put on a great show.
Planting bare-rooted roses
Once you have received your roses take care not to allow the roots to dry out, if weather conditions are too cold unpack the rose, soak them in a bucket of water for an hour or two and then plant them in a container with fresh compost (in a sheltered spot) water and wait until conditions allow for the final planting.
- In the area where the rose or roses are to be planted, mix in at least one bucket of well-rotted organic matter per square metre, forking it into the top 20-30cm of soil. Farmyard manure is ideal for this.
- Apply a general fertiliser, at 100g per sqm over the surface of the planting area and fork it in down to the same depth as the organic matter. Note: if you are using a mycorrhizal fungi (e.g. Rootgrow) then it is best not to apply a fertiliser at all.
- For each rose dig a hole roughly twice the width of the plant’s roots and the depth of a spade’s blade.
- Carefully tease out the roots of container plants because, if this is not done, the roots may be very slow to extend outwards, leaving the young plant more susceptible to drought in summer.
- Place the rose in the centre of the hole, and ensure the graft union (i.e. where the Cultivar joins the rootstock and the point from which the branches originate) is at soil level (not below as this is reported to increase the risk of rose dieback disease).
- Back-fill gently with the excavated soil and organic matter mixture.
- Spacing depends on type and habit. Check catalogue or label details.
- If you are replacing old roses with new roses, ensure that you dig out the soil to a depth and width of 45cm (18in) and exchange it with soil from a different part of the garden, as roses are at risk from replant disease, also known as soil sickness.
Rambling Roses
More vigorous than a climbing rose and will cover a much larger area so regular pruning is a must. Ramblers usually flower once a year on the shoots that grew the previous year however they mostly only flower once a year for extended periods but there are a couple of repeat flowering varieties such as The Lady of the Lake or Malvern Hills that do repeat flower from late spring to autumn.
Pruning Rambling Roses
Pruning, you only need to cut back the shoots that are getting out of control plus a little formative pruning to keep the rose tidy. Thin out mature plants (6 years +) by removing some of the old stems after they have flowered and looking for the best new stems to position or tie in their place. Again, this is best done yearly if you want the best show, but every few years is also fine: it depends on what you want to do with the plant. For the best results plant a rambler with a climber and possibly even a clematis for the best show from spring through to Autumn.
To restore an overgrown rambler, cut all the old stems to the ground, leaving most all the one and two-year-old growth and only cut out the very weakest stems.
Ramblers We Love:
- Lady of the Lake (Repeat flowering)
- Malvern Hills (Repeat Flowering)
- Kew Rambler
- Blush Rambler
- Adelaide D’Orleans
- Alberic Barbier
- Ghislaine de Feligonde
- Rosa Banksia Alba plena
- Rosa Banksia Lutea
- Rambling Rector
- Rambling Rosie
- Velchenblau
Climbing Roses
These have much more in common with standard shrub roses from which they are often derived. Many varieties are sold as either a climber or a shrub as it all entirely depends on the rootstock they are grown on, hence climbers generally put on a greater show with larger more voluptuous flowers which repeat through the summer, unlike the majority of ramblers, To get the best out of your climber it is imperative to deadhead the spent flowers throughout the flowering. Climbing roses do need a yearly trim; each side shoot that flowered should be cut back by two-thirds.
To restore an overgrown climber, cut the oldest stems to the ground, leaving about five or six of the “youngest mature” stems to use as the framework for the new growth. Apart from the five or six younger stems that you keep, remove all other young shoots.
All of that energy expended on flowering twice means that climbers will not generally grow as tall as ramblers. They also produce fewer shoots each year, which do need to be trained in a balanced fan shape. Climbing roses also insist on a more exacting pruning regime to ensure maximum flowering potential.
Wherever possible, you should try to train climbing rose shoots as horizontally so that the flowering laterals are produced all along its length to provide the best supply of blooms.
