Climbing Roses are usually vigorous and hardy 'sports' of bush roses, they are a great feature in any garden. Roses such as the David Austin Climbing Rose 'Constance Spry' can be grown in a range of situations and plantingand growing positions for climbing roses vary including:

  • arbors
  • against walls
  • around doorways
  • over garden arches
  • on a garden trellis
  • on an open framed obelisk

Training Climbing roses

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Like many plants climbing roses tend to grow up rather than out, however if you can train your climber along a fence or trellis horizontal rather than vertical you will find that you get many more flowers.

It is best to use flexible ties to secure a rose to its support rather than weave it through the support, this make pruning much easier and prevents the rose from breaking the trellis after a few years

  


Pruning Climbing Roses

It is often best to leave your new climbing rose for a year or two before pruning, concentrate on training during this period. Prune back by 1/3 or more after this, removing dead, weak or damaged canes first, and then cutting back short spurs with 2 -3 buds.

Our Best Climbing Roses for the UK

Climbing Rose
 Gold Bunny (Gold Badge)
A Meilland Rose. This is a repeat bloomer, clear yellow flowers, dark green foliage. The substantial flowers seem to last well, its one of our favourite climbing roses.

Pierre de Ronsard and Red Pierre
Red Pierre is the red version and Pierre de Ronsard the pink version of this famous climber. Named after the French Poet Pierre de Ronsard, this climbing rose is bred by Meilland a relatively small climber, but lots of flowers over a long period. Flowers are creamy white to pink, large and full (lots of petals). Pierre de Ronsard should be pruned back hard in the winter. Deadhead this rose and in the right climate you will have flowers for 8 - 9 months of the year. Pierre de Ronsard can stand a little shade, but thrives in full sun, mulch to keep the root run cool.

Iceberg Climber
One of the best white climbing roses. Masses of white flowers, not a lot os scent but all the great characteristics of the Iceberg Rose

Westerland Climber
A Kordes rose. Repeat blooming, fragrant apricot/gold flowers, dark green foliage grows to 3m

Celine Forestier
Cream to pale yellow, fragrant vigorous climber

Sutter's Gold
Long yellow buds and large blooms with a light fragrance.

Graham Thomas
Golden yellow flowers, this is a David Austin Rose. Graham Thomas is a repeat blooming, disease resistant rose. Lightly scented and a great climbing rose that copes well in the heat.

Abraham Darby
Another David Austin climbing rose that will grow to 3m as a climber. Large flowers, fragrant, grows 2-3m. Apricot Pink flowers. Disease resistant like most of the David Austin Roses and nice glossy foliage.

Constance Spry
A pink fragrant David Austin climbing rose one of his first roses

Sombreuil
An old fashioned climbing rose that will grow to 2m. Very large pure white flowers, fragrant, repeat blooming, vigorous grower.

Golden Showers
Deep Golden Yellow Flowers