Shrub · Rosaceae
Climbing Rose
Rosa
Tie it up, train the canes sideways, and a climbing rose will drape a wall in bloom.
Full sun
Every 5–7 days
USDA 5–9
6–15 ft · 1.8–4.6 m
Overview
A climbing rose is built from long, stiff canes, woody and arching, set with hard, sharp thorns along their length and topped by clusters of full, petal-packed blooms. It is not a true vine. Those canes carry no tendrils and no gripping pads, so they cannot fasten to anything by themselves and instead have to be tied to a support and laid where you want them. Given that structure, the canes stretch 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.5 m) up a wall over a few seasons.
The flowers do not arrive on a single schedule. Some climbers open one heavy wave of bloom in late spring to early summer and then carry only foliage, while others keep pushing fresh buds from June through fall. That difference in the canes, old wood versus new, is what decides when the plant is cut.
Up close, the foliage tells you how the plant is faring. Clean leaves are smooth and unblemished in full sun, dry to the touch, with open air sliding between the canes. Crowded, shaded, water-spotted leaves are where black spot freckles and mildew dust appear. The thorns stay sharp through it all, so gloves and long sleeves belong on your hands for the work.
Care
The short version: full sun, a deep soak at the base once or twice a week, rich well-drained soil, and the long thorny canes tied to a sturdy support and laid sideways for the most bloom.
Light
Climbing roses want full sun, ideally six or more hours a day, and the leaves and blooms are densest and cleanest where it is brightest. They will hold in part shade, but a shaded plant sets fewer flowers and shows the floury film of mildew far sooner. Sun on the foliage and open air are the plant's best defense against disease.
Water
A deep soak at the base 1 to 2 times a week wets the root zone without splashing the leaves, which suits the plant far better than frequent light sprinklings. Water in the morning so any droplets on the foliage dry fast, since leaves left wet are where the black-spot fungus takes hold.
Soil
The roots want fertile, well-drained loam worked full of dark organic matter, loose enough to drain yet rich enough to feed heavy cane growth. Roses do best in soil a touch acidic to neutral, around pH 6.0 to 7.0, with compost folded through.
Temperature
The woody canes are tough once established, holding through winter lows near -20°F (-29°C) and summer heat up to about 95°F (35°C). A cultivar matched to the local zone takes those swings without harm to the stems.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity sits fine on the foliage, so there is no figure to chase. Airflow matters more, since still, damp air trapped among crowded canes is exactly where the black freckling and gray dust settle on the leaves.
Feeding
A balanced rose fertilizer or compost worked into the soil monthly from spring through summer drives the lush, heavy cane growth. Feeding stops by late summer, so soft new shoots are not pushed out too late to firm up and harden before frost.
Pruning
The canes cannot grip, so they are tied in and the main ones are laid sideways at 45 to 60 degrees, an angle that wakes buds along the whole arching length and spreads the bloom. About six strong canes are kept and the flowering laterals are shortened to 2 or 3 buds. Repeat bloomers are cut in late winter while the canes are bare, and once-blooming types are cut right after the petals drop.
Repotting
rarely
Size & spacing
A climbing rose throws canes 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.5 m) long and spreads 6 to 8 feet (183 to 244 cm) wide, a real reach of woody, thorny growth that needs a wall, fence, or arbor scaled to it. Plants set far enough apart for air to slip between the canes keep their leaves clean.
When to plant
Climbing roses go in as dormant, leafless plants rather than seed. Set the bare, root-trailing or container plants out in early spring once the soil is workable, or in fall where winters stay mild. The heaviest wave of flower opens in late spring to early summer, and repeat types keep setting buds through the fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant dormant bare-root or container roses in early spring after the soil is workable, or in fall in mild climates.
- Harvest: Heaviest bloom in late spring to early summer (about June), with repeat flowering through fall on repeat-blooming types.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–9
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
The leaves and shoot tips show the first signs of trouble, and most of it begins where foliage stays wet and canes press together. Reading those early marks on the leaf surface lets you act before the plant strips bare. Match what you see on the growth below, then deal with it while it is small.
Black spots edged in yellow across the leaf faces
Round black spots with feathery, frayed edges and a yellow halo bleeding outward across the leaf are the signature of black spot, the fungus Diplocarpon rosae, which sets in once a leaf stays wet for more than about 7 hours. Pick off the blotched leaves, cut the marked canes back below the lesions, and rake up the dropped foliage where the spores wait through winter. Water low at the base in the morning, thin the canes so they are not pressed together, and turn to a sulfur or myclobutanil fungicide only when damp weather keeps the spotting spreading.
Fix:
- Remove and dispose of infected leaves and prune out infected canes below affected areas
- Rake up and discard fallen leaves and replace mulch
- Apply a labeled fungicide such as sulfur, myclobutanil, propiconazole, or chlorothalonil when conditions favor disease
A floury gray coating dusting the youngest leaves and buds
A grayish-white, floury film that dusts the youngest leaves, shoot tips, and unopened buds and leaves them curled and warped is powdery mildew, which creeps in over mild nights, around 70°F to 80°F (21°C to 27°C), on plants sitting in shade. Cut away the worst-coated shoots and clear the dead leaves the spores hide beneath. A sulfur spray lifts the dusting, but a sunny, open spot with air moving through the canes does most of the work and keeps the new growth clean and smooth.
Fix:
- Prune out and dispose of heavily infected shoots
- Clean up dead leaves that harbor spores
- Apply sulfur or a sulfur and pyrethrins product labeled for roses
Soft-bodied clusters packed along the tender shoot tips
Tight clusters of small, soft-bodied insects, green or pink or black, packed nose to tail along the tender shoot tips and around the buds are aphids, and the glossy, sticky film coating the stems beneath them is honeydew. A firm jet of water early in the day washes the colonies off the growth. Leaving the broad insecticides aside lets the lady beetles and lacewings, the natural hunters of aphids, work the stems clean.
Fix:
- Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water early in the day
- Tolerate and encourage natural predators such as lady beetles and lacewings
- Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides that kill beneficial insects
Toxicity
The leaves, stems, and petals carry no toxins, so the plant is safe around cats, dogs, horses, livestock, birds, and people, and the round, fleshy hips are even edible. The danger is physical, not chemical. Hard, stiff thorns line the canes and can prick skin, mouths, and paws, so wear gloves and long sleeves when you train or prune, and keep pets from gnawing the thorny stems.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
The rose is non-toxic to cats, so chewing a leaf brings no poisoning. The hazard is the hard, hooked thorns spaced along the canes, which can rake a curious paw or prick the inside of the mouth, so keep a cat that likes to chew away from the stems.
Dogs None
A dog can mouth rose foliage with no poisoning, but the stiff thorns studding a stem can score the gums or tongue. Working through a length of hard, woody cane can also leave a dog with a passing stomach upset.
Horses None
Roses are safe for a horse to graze, with no toxic compounds in the leaves or stems. The one thing to watch is the row of stiff thorns along each cane, which can prick the soft muzzle or lips.
Rabbits None
Rabbits can browse the soft rose leaves with no toxicity at all. The sharp thorns running the canes are the single thing to mind around their delicate noses and feet.
Livestock None
Goats, sheep, and cattle often strip the foliage clean and take no chemical harm. The stiff thorns lining the canes are the only catch, ready to prick lips and mouths as the animals feed.
Birds None
Roses pose no poisoning danger to birds, and many wild birds peck at the round, fleshy hips through winter. The thorny canes simply give them a guarded, prickly place to perch.
People Safe
The fleshy rose hips are edible and find their way into teas and jams, and the petals are food-safe as well. The thorns are the genuine hazard, hard and sharp along the canes, so wear gloves and long sleeves when you train or prune.
Climbing roses bear stiff thorns on their long canes that can cause mechanical injury to skin, mouths, and paws; wear gloves and long sleeves when training and pruning, and keep pets from chewing thorny stems.
Varieties
Climbing roses run to hundreds of named cultivars, and they differ most in the size, fullness, and color of the bloom. A few classics turn up again and again, and these are worth knowing by their flowers.
New Dawn
A vigorous repeat bloomer that reaches 10 to 15 feet and opens soft shell-pink semi-double flowers, the loosely petalled blooms backed by glossy, disease-shrugging foliage.
Don Juan
Prized above all for its large, fragrant double flowers, each one densely packed with petals in a deep, velvety red.
Dublin Bay
A repeat-flowering climber that keeps unfurling bright crimson-red blooms in a clear, saturated red all season.
Climbing Cecile Brunner
A very vigorous climber that smothers its canes in masses of small, light pink blooms shaped like neat little buttonholes.
How to propagate
New climbing roses can be raised a few ways, from rooting a cut length of stem to bending a whole cane into the soil. Each one asks for patience while roots form, and the method the nurseries rely on is the most exacting cut of the group.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Late spring through summer from semi-hardwood growth · Several weeks to a few months to root
Cut 6 to 8 inch tips from firming semi-hardwood growth in late spring or summer, pinch off the flowers, and coat the cut base in rooting hormone to improve the odds. The bare stem sits quietly for several weeks to a few months before fine new roots push from the base.
LayeringEasy
Growing season · One season to root before separating
The long, supple canes bend low without snapping, which makes climbing roses easy to layer. During the growing season, arch a flexible cane down to the soil, bury a section of its length, and let roots form along it while the parent keeps it fed. A full season passes before the rooted stretch is cut free as its own plant.
GraftingDemanding
Summer for budding onto rootstock · One season
Most roses on sale carry a single bud of a chosen variety slipped under the bark of a tougher, more disease-resistant rootstock. The bud is set in summer and takes about a season to knit into the stock, but the cut is fine and exacting and is usually left to nurseries.
Myths
Climbing roses cling and climb their supports on their own, the way a vine does.
Look closely at a cane and you will find no tendrils and no sticky holdfasts, none of the gripping parts a true vine carries, so the rose cannot twine or cling on its own. Each long, stiff, thorn-lined cane has to be tied to a trellis or fence and laid into place by hand. Without your ties, the canes simply flop.
Every climbing rose should get the same hard prune at the same time each year.
The right moment depends on the type of climber in front of you. Repeat bloomers are cut back in late winter or early spring while the canes are bare and dormant, but once-blooming climbers are pruned right after the flowers fade, since a spring cut would slice away the swelling buds set to open as this year's blooms.