Climbing roses: care from A-Z

Climbing roses can be used to achieve particularly attractive visual effects in gardens. They always attract attention with their magnificent flowers and their incessant striving upwards. Once you have survived the somewhat problematic initial phase after planting, caring for the divas is no longer a great challenge. And for the winter there are now some varieties that are quite hardy.

Location

Choosing the right location is crucial to the success of cultivating climbing roses. If you do everything right here, not much can go wrong afterwards. Therefore, the choice of location should be well considered and correspond to the needs of the plants as closely as possible. Two things are particularly important: First, the location must be as sunny as possible. And secondly, it needs a place where a climbing aid fits.

Sun

Like all roses, climbing roses are true sun worshipers. They need a lot of light to grow and develop their flowers at all. At the same time, the sun and especially the midday sun should not be able to burn down on them with full force. A location facing south, south-east or south-west is therefore ideal if the sun is not too strong and there is protection from the midday sun. However, the place where the climbing roses are to be placed does not have to be completely sheltered from the wind - roses generally need good ventilation.

climbing aid

Anyone who brings climbing roses into the garden should be aware that the plants cannot climb by themselves. Rather, they absolutely need a so-called climbing aid, along which they grow upwards. There must therefore be enough space for such a climbing aid at the chosen location. For example, south-facing house or shed walls are perfect. A free-standing goal or an extra "climbing wall" can also be useful.

plant substrate

In general, roses grow on almost any soil. Of course, in order to be able to achieve optimal results, some basic conditions must be fulfilled. Above all, climbing roses need a much more nutrient-rich soil. It is therefore advisable to first treat the garden soil at the location with plenty of humus or soil. to mix compost. It is important that the soil is very loose. The loosening before planting should be done to a depth of around 60 cm, as climbing roses are also deep-rooted. The ideal pH value of the soil ranges from 6.8 to 7.8. If these values ​​are not reached, some lime should be added.

planting

Once the right location has been found and the soil prepared accordingly, planting begins. Good planning helps with this. Above all, the question to be clarified is how many rose bushes should actually be planted. From this, in turn, the planting distance can be derived. If, for example, a wall is to be covered as closely as possible, the rose bushes must also be as close together as possible. A distance of around 50 cm is appropriate in such a case. The best time to plant climbing roses is autumn, ideally October. Proceed as follows when planting:

• Soak roots well before planting, water roots of bare-root climbing roses for at least one night
• Dig the planting hole, the grafting point on the rose bush determines the depth - it should be about three fingers below the ground
• Shorten both the roots and the branches in the upper part by a third
• Place the plant carefully in the planting hole without buckling the roots
• water well before filling
• Fill the planting hole with soil and press the soil firmly.

Immediately after planting, you can start preparing the young plants for winter. The area around their base is well covered with mulch, leaves or brushwood.

Pour

Immediately after planting, the climbing rose must be regularly supplied with sufficient water. It is important to avoid drying out of the soil at all costs. However, as soon as the plant is well rooted, you no longer have to worry about the water supply. Thanks to its long, deep roots, it basically takes care of itself with water. However, this does not apply in summer. Then it has to be watered at least once a week in the morning or in the evening. Ideally, you start directly at the base and do not pour over the leaves.

Fertilize

Climbing roses can reach enormous heights. Of course, this only works if you have the energy for it. And that in turn means that they have to be supplied with sufficient nutrients during the growth phase. So there is no way around regular fertilization. You can fertilize with both artificial fertilizers and organic fertilizers. So you either get synthetic rose fertilizer from the garden shop and administer it according to the manufacturer's instructions or you can spread a mixture of compost and horn shavings around the trunk out of. The latter, i.e. the organic variant, is usually clearly preferred by the climbing roses.

Cut

Many hobby gardeners dread cutting roses. There is not the slightest reason for this, however. Pruning roses, including climbing roses, is far less complicated than many people think. With climbing roses, the strong branches on the trellis should first be aligned in the desired direction. Once a year, all new side shoots are cut back to such an extent that only a few eyes remain. In the case of climbing roses that have bloomed once, this is done after flowering, while those that bloom continuously are best done in spring. Any deadwood should be removed at the same time. A pair of sharp, clean pruning shears is ideal for this.

Hardy varieties

Opinions are often divided on the question of whether climbing roses are actually hardy. In principle they are, but it depends on the winter. Extremely cold winters with a lot of frost can therefore take a toll on the plants. Regardless of the variety, the climbing rose bushes should be well covered with mulch, leaves, brushwood or a net during the winter months. If you really want to be on the safe side, it is best to get varieties that are considered to be particularly robust. Here is a small list of varieties that cope well or very well with winter conditions. The note "top" in brackets means that this is a very robust variety:

• Aloha
• amadeus
• facade magic
• Golden Gate (top)
• Guirlande d'Amour (top)
• jasmine
• Kir Royal
• momo
• Rosanna
• Rosarium Uetersen (top)

All of these varieties are repeat flowering and grow to between 2.5 and 3 meters tall. They have different flower colors. In addition, these ten varieties are characterized by a high resistance to diseases and pests.

Overwinter in the planter

Anyone who has decided to place one or more climbing brackets in the planter instead of in the garden cultivate, of course, must also think about overwintering, regardless of the selected variety make. If the plant pot is to remain outdoors during the cold season, it must be packed well.

It is also advisable to place it on an insulating base if possible. A thick styrofoam plate is perfect for this. If it is possible to overwinter the bucket indoors, a cool place must be chosen for it. In addition, watering must not be forgotten during this time. However, special protective packaging is not required.

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