Cutting climbing roses: when & how?

Climbing roses will only stay in the desired shape if they are cut regularly. So that you don't cut your climbing roses, we will tell you when is the right time to cut climbing roses and what the right cut looks like.

If you let his grow Climbing roses and nature's rambler roses run free, the plants grow straight upwards. In itself this is not a problem, because everyone likes to save space in the garden. But the rose (pink) also skimp on their flowers in return. A neat cut is therefore essential so that your climbing rose does not go bald at the bottom and you can enjoy many flowers. In this way, you encourage the bloom formation and beautiful, romantic growth of the various climbing rose varieties.

Do you have to cut climbing roses?

Do you have to cut climbing roses? The answer to this question is very clear: it depends. Even without a cut, a climbing rose will survive and bloom. However, the flowering will be much less and will weaken more and more over the years. Also, many will Varieties of climbing roses without a cut, they gradually become extremely large, can no longer be fixed to scaffolding and can quickly become a nuisance with their prickly shoots. Climbing roses are therefore cut so that they bloom nicely and because they have to be tamed a little in our gardens so as not to develop into a thorny scrub.

Cutting climbing roses: the right time

The right time depends on the reason for cutting:

cut	time	reason
Plant pruning	spring	Stimulating branching
Thin out and care cut	Spring or autumn	Maintaining health, stimulating flowering and the formation of new shoots
Removal of wild shoots	All year round	Wild shoots hinder the growth of the noble variety
Taper cut	Spring or after flowering (rambler roses)	Reducing the size of the rose, revitalizing old roses with poor vigor and flowering potential

Pruning climbing roses: the basics

So that the cut of your climbing rose is really successful, we have a few instructions ready for you in advance. Always use clean, sharp rose shears to avoid bruising at the cut. A pruning shears or a pruning saw can also be used for very old roses. Start about five millimeters above an outward-facing bud. Do not leave a large stub and make the cut at a slight angle. If necessary, attach free shoots to the climbing aid after the cut.

Summary - Pruning Climbing Roses: The Basics

• Use sharp and clean rose shears, loppers or pruning saw
• Start the cut at an angle and about 5 mm above an outward-facing bud
• Don't leave stumps
• Attachment of the remaining shoots to the climbing aid

Properly prune climbing roses in spring, summer and autumn

Regardless of whether you want to cut young climbing roses or rejuvenate old climbing roses, the timing and type of cut are always aimed at a vital plant and a strong blossom.

Cut climbing roses in spring

Spring is the main season for cutting roses. Plant pruning as well as thinning and maintenance pruning are carried out in spring.

Instructions: cut climbing roses after planting

Do you plant a rose in spring or have you already installed a new, beautiful resident in your garden in autumn? No matter when you plant, the associated planting pruning is not carried out until spring. To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Remove dead or diseased wood at the base or at the transition to healthy wood
2. Remove comparatively thin shoots
3. Shoots should not be too close, cross or even rub against each other. Remove excess shoots
4. If necessary, remove any wild shoots that have grown up from the base of the rose
5. Shorten all shoot tips by 10 cm to encourage further branching

Tip: Don't cut your roses if there are still many frosty days and nights to come. Do you have Forsythia in the garden, you can orientate yourself at the beginning of flowering. Because the bloom of the forsythia marks the first spring in phenological calendar and thus indicates that warmer days are likely to follow.

Maintenance pruning instructions: cut back climbing roses in spring

When it comes to annual maintenance pruning, it is crucial to know about the flowering behavior of your rose. Depending on how this is ordered, you will find different information on the correct pruning of your climbing roses in the instructions below.

Are the roses blooming once or more often?

• Climbing roses that bloom once show their brightly colored flowers in spring - afterwards they no longer bloom all year round. Most Rambler roses will flower once
• Climbing roses that bloom more often, on the other hand, have a first wave of blossoms in spring and a second in summer

The annual pruning promotes rich flower floras, multiple branching and ensures that the rose remains vigorous and vital instead of getting old, old and rotten to bloom.

When pruning climbing roses in spring, proceed as follows:

• Remove dead, frozen or diseased wood at the base or at the transition to healthy wood
• Remove comparatively thin shoots
• Shoots should not be too close, cross or even rub against each other. Remove excess shoots
• If necessary, remove any wild shoots that have grown up from the base of the rose
• at once blooming climbing roses Older, blooming rotten shoots can be removed from the base or just above the emergence of a younger shoot in spring
• at more often blooming climbing roses all side shoots are shortened to 3 to 5 eyes (about 15 cm) in the spring after the first wave of flowers. In the case of climbing roses that bloom more often, older, rotten shoots at the base or just above the emergence of a younger shoot can be removed in spring

Tip: Strong leading shoots of the climbing rose can remain on the rose for three to four years. Afterwards, their flowering usually fades and they should be removed in favor of younger, new leading shoots.

Pruning climbing roses in summer

Only in the case of climbing roses that bloom more often are the withered side shoots removed again and again during the entire flowering season. In this way, the plant is busy producing new flowers as it aims to produce seeds for propagation.
Climbing roses that bloom once are not cut in summer.
If you want to keep beautiful red rose hips for decoration and as bird food in winter, do not cut off the last blossoms of the roses.

Tip: When cutting faded climbing roses, not only the flower and the flower stalk are removed, but the entire small shoot with all the flowers attached to it. The rest of the side shoot would die off later anyway and could serve as an entry point for fungal diseases if it remained on the plant.

Cut climbing roses in autumn

Climbing roses can also be cut in autumn. However, this is only recommended if the rose is in a protected location and mild winters are common in the region. Good winter protection in the form of fir branches or bast mats also makes it possible to cut in autumn. The cut in autumn is the same as in spring, but should be a little less radical as a precaution.

Cutting climbing roses: peculiarities of the rambler roses

Rambler roses are called "Schlingrosen" in German and have special properties. Their shoots are less stiff and firm. They grow less bulky and branched, but rather in long sticks upwards or crawling on the ground. Almost all Ramblers only bloom once a year, but there are big differences when it comes to timing. Depending on the variety, all times are possible from spring to late summer. Ramblers are generally cut after they have fully bloomed, which can be the case in spring, summer or autumn, depending on the variety.

Instructions: cut the rambler rose

• Remove dead or diseased wood at the base or at the transition to healthy wood
• Remove comparatively thin shoots
• Shoots should not be too close, cross or even rub against each other. Remove excess shoots
• Remove older, flowering rotten shoots at the base or just above the emergence of a younger shoot
• Shorten all dead side shoots to 2 to 3 eyes

Summary: how to cut climbing roses correctly

• Climbing roses are thinned out during planting by removing dead, diseased and overly tight wood. All shoots are shortened by 10 cm
• The thinning and maintenance cuts are made in spring or autumn. Above all, old and diseased shoots are removed or shortened. A radical taper cut is also possible. In the case of climbing roses that bloom more often, the faded side shoots are shortened to 3 to 5 eyes after the first blooming wave
• In summer, only the dead side shoots are removed from climbing roses that bloom more often
• In the case of Rambler roses, after flowering, all of the faded side shoots are shortened to 2 to 3 eyes
• The removal of wild shoots is possible and important all year round

Pruning old climbing roses: rejuvenating pruning

Old roses tend to bloom less and grow slowly and with thin shoots. Here, in addition to the right one Rose fertilization a taper cut of the old climbing rose will help.

• All climbing roses can be rejuvenated in the spring if necessary. Here, all shoots except the youngest are removed close to the ground. If no young shoots have grown, all shoots are cut by half in one year. In the following year, young shoots should have emerged and the old ones can be completely removed
• Radical pruning is also possible with rambler roses that have grown too big. For this purpose, almost all shoots are removed near the ground after flowering. Only the young rods from the current year remain

Tip: Especially when it comes to cutting climbing roses on the rose arch, a regular rejuvenating cut is essential. Shoots that are too old and thick are no longer flexible and can hardly be removed from the framework, but almost no longer bloom. Therefore, make sure to always remove old shoots and insert new rods into the rose arch.

Are you interested in caring for climbing roses and would you like to be crowned the rose king with the most beautiful flowers every year? We'll tell you how to do it Maintain climbing roses should and thus increase flower formation.