Pruning climbing roses: when and how?

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

If you let it grow climbing roses and rambler roses give nature free rein, the plants grow straight up. This is not a problem in itself, because everyone likes to save space in the garden. But the rose (pink) scrimps on their flowers in return. So that your climbing rose doesn't become bare underneath and you can enjoy lots of flowers, a proper cut is essential. In this way, you promote the formation of flowers and a beautiful, romantic growth in the various types of climbing roses.

Do you have to cut climbing roses?

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

Cutting climbing roses: the right time

The right time depends on the reason for the pruning:

cut	time	reason
plant cutting	spring	Stimulating Branching
Thinning 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 Bloom (Rambler Roses)	Reducing the size of the rose, revitalizing old roses with low vigor and willingness to bloom

Pruning climbing roses: the basics

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

Summary - Pruning Climbing Roses: Basics

• Using a sharp and clean rose scissors, pruning shears or pruning saw
• Make the cut at an angle and about 5 mm above an outward-facing bud
• Don't leave stubs
• Fastening the remaining shoots to the climbing aid

Pruning climbing roses properly in spring, summer and fall

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

Prune climbing roses in spring

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

Instructions: Prune climbing roses after planting

Do you plant a rose in spring or did you already have a new, beautiful resident in your garden in autumn? It doesn't matter when you plant, the corresponding pruning is only carried out in the spring. To do this, proceed as follows:

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

Tip: Do not prune your roses when many frosty days and nights are expected. Do you have forsythia in the garden, you can use the start of flowering as a guide. Because the flowering of the forsythia marks the first spring in the phenological calendar indicating that warmer days are likely to follow.

Pruning instructions: Cut back climbing roses in spring

Knowing your rose’s flowering behavior is crucial for annual maintenance pruning. Depending on how this is ordered, you will find different tips for the correct pruning of your climbing roses in the instructions below.

Is it a rose that blooms once or more often?

• Climbing roses that have bloomed once show their colorful blooms in spring - after that they don't bloom again for the whole year. Most rambler roses bloom once
• Climbing roses that bloom more often, on the other hand, have a first wave of flowers in spring and a second in summer

The annual pruning promotes rich flowering, multiple branching and ensures that the rose remains vigorous and vital instead of becoming old, senile and lazy to bloom.

When pruning climbing roses in spring, proceed as follows:

• Remove dead, frostbitten or diseased wood at the base or transition to healthy wood
• Remove comparatively thin shoots
• Shoots should not be too close together, crossing or even rubbing against each other. Remove excess shoots
• If necessary, remove wild shoots that grow up from the base of the rose
• at once blooming climbing roses In spring, older, lazy shoots can be removed at the base or just above the emergence of a younger shoot
• at climbing roses that bloom more often all side shoots are shortened to 3 to 5 buds (about 15 cm) in spring after the first wave of flowering. In the case of climbing roses that bloom more often, older, lazy shoots can also be removed in spring at the base or just above the emergence of a younger shoot

Tip: Strong leaders of the climbing rose can remain on the rose for three to four years. After that, their flowering usually slows down and they should be removed in favor of younger, new leaders.

Prune climbing roses in summer

Only in the case of climbing roses that bloom more often are the faded side shoots removed again and again throughout the blooming season. In this way, the plant diligently produces new flowers as it aims to produce seeds for propagation.
Climbing roses that have bloomed once, on the other hand, are not cut in summer.
If you want to keep beautiful red rosehips for decoration and bird feed in winter, do not cut off the last blossoms of the roses.

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

Prune climbing roses in the fall

Climbing roses can also be pruned in the fall. However, this is only recommended if the rose is in a sheltered place and mild winters are common in the region. Good winter protection in the form of fir branches or bast mats also makes autumn pruning possible. Fall pruning is done in the same way as spring pruning, but just to be on the safe side, it should be a little less radical.

Pruning Climbing Roses: Peculiarities of Rambler Roses

Rambler roses are called "Schlingrosen" in German and have special properties. Their shoots are less stiff and firm. They grow less sparsely and branched, but rather in long rods in the air or creeping on the ground. Almost all ramblers flower only once a year, but there are big differences when it comes to timing. Any time from spring to late summer is possible, depending on the variety. Ramblers are always pruned after they have completely faded, which can be in spring, summer or autumn depending on the variety.

Instructions: Cut the rambler rose

• Remove dead or diseased wood at the base or transition to healthy wood
• Remove comparatively thin shoots
• Shoots should not be too close together, crossing or even rubbing against each other. Remove excess shoots
• Remove older, lazy shoots at the base or just above where a younger shoot emerges
• Shorten all faded side shoots to 2 to 3 buds

Summary: Proper pruning of climbing roses

• Climbing roses are thinned out when they are planted by removing dead, diseased and narrow wood. All shoots are shortened by 10 cm
• In spring or autumn, the clearing and maintenance cut are made. Old and diseased shoots in particular are removed or shortened. A radical rejuvenation cut is also possible. In the case of climbing roses that bloom more often, the faded side shoots are shortened to 3 to 5 buds after the first wave of flowering
• In summer, only the faded side shoots are removed from climbing roses that bloom more often
• With rambler roses, after flowering, all side shoots that have faded are shortened to 2 to 3 buds
• The removal of wild shoots is possible and important all year round

Pruning old climbing roses: rejuvenation pruning

Older roses tend to flower less and grow slowly with thin shoots. Here can next to the right rose fertilization a rejuvenation pruning of the old climbing rose will help.

• All climbing roses can be pruned for rejuvenation in spring if necessary. All shoots are removed except for the youngest ones close to the ground. If no young shoots have grown, all shoots are shortened by half in a year. In the following year, young shoots should have emerged and the old ones can be completely removed
• A radical pruning is also possible with rambler roses that have become too large. For this purpose, almost all shoots are removed close to the ground after flowering. Only the young rods from the current year remain

Tip: Regular rejuvenation pruning is essential, especially when it comes to pruning climbing roses on the rose arch. Too old and thick shoots 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 guide new rods into the rose arch.

Are you interested in caring for climbing roses and would you like to be crowned King of the Roses with the most beautiful flowers every year? We explain how you Caring for climbing roses should and thus increase flowering.