Climbing roses add dramatic flair to any garden landscape. They are also generally hardy and do very well if they are planted in sunny spots with good soil. When it comes down to picking a particular climber from your nursery, try to get a plant that is at least two years old and has grown outside. You also want a vigorous plant with healthy, robust, root growth.

There are a wide variety of climbers on the market with some newer hybrids competing with very old species roses. Generally, the newer climber hybrids produce larger blooms and flower for longer periods. Some of these newer hybrids include: Scent from Above (which has fragrant, rich golden yellow blooms), Blaze of Glory (a vigorous plant which produces prolific, vibrant orange blooms), Social Climber (fragrant, light pink flowers), High Society, (clusters of large pink blossoms), Dream Weaver (another prolific bloomer with coral pink blooms) and Don Juan (dark red, strong fragrance).
When it comes to maintenance of climbing roses, and I’m speaking of pruning here, there are roughly three groups of climbers each with a different pruning requirement. These can be classified as hardy climbers, the tender climbers, and those which are intermediate.

Hardy climbers include those from the Multiflora class and Wichuraiana hybrids and are characterized by long, rather woody canes with small flowers borne in clusters. It’s best to prune these climbers rather vigorously to prevent them from becoming too bushy and overgrown. To prune these plants, you need to remove the canes that have had that season’s blooms. As soon as the last bloom is faded you should cut off these stems. The new canes which have developed at the base of the plant will reward you with next year’s flowers.

Tender climbers of the Tea, Hybrid Tea, Noisette and Bourbon varieties, for example, are quite different in their flowering approach. They tend not to bloom on new canes, but produce their best flowers from the short spurs growing out of older canes. You therefore shouldn’t prune these types of climbers with the same veracity as the hardy varieties. A more gentle approach should be taken and simply remove surplus ends to shape the climber. Very little pruning is required and probably is only necessary every second year.

Intermediate climbers are the most difficult varieties for which to give pruning guidance. Amongst these large-flowered hardy climbers are those which will require vigorous pruning and those which will do best with minimal interference. The lovely, large flowered Silver Moon, for example, needs aggressive pruning at least every second season to remove most of its growth. Other varieties though will require very little pruning. You really have to use your own judgement here. Assess how vigorously the plant grows during the season and then when it comes to pruning leave as many woody canes as possible.

Some of the more recent hybrids known as everblooming climbers don’t produce a second bloom if the old flower clusters are removed. This is contrary to most rose varieties which normally blossom with increasing vigour if old flowers are removed. So, don’t be too hasty in removing seed heads and old flowers.

This might all seem rather complicated, but remember to trust your instincts. If you make a mistake, the plant will grow again so all is not lost.