Climbing Roses are quintessentially English. They are often found in gardens across the UK and are a popular plant for cottage-style gardens as they add height to your garden. However, they can sometimes be difficult than some plants to grow, confusing many of us who are new to gardening.

That's why we’ve gathered our expert knowledge to help those at any level achieve the cottage-style aesthetic they’ve always dreamed of. From planting to caring for your roses, we’re going to talk you through the entire process in this handy guide.

How to Plant Climbing Roses

Firstly, you need to decide what kind of roses you’d like to grow. Climbing roses are available in many popular rose variants, including English, single, double, scented, etc. You want to make sure you pick the perfect rose for you as they can last for decades.

A rose plant in its bare root form

Our climbing plants are sent in bare root form in mid-autumn. To plant your roses, dig a hole twice the depth and width of the root ball. Gently tease out some of the roots and place them in the hole; cover with soil and water once finished.

To train climbers up trellises and walls, put supports in place and prune out stems that start to grow in the wrong direction. Eventually, the rose plant will grow in one direction, needing pruning every so often.

Where to Plant Climbers

Climbers can be trained to grow on walls, fences, pergolas, and trellises.
When thinking of how and where to plant your roses, make sure you pick the area that catches a lot of sunshine and is planted in well-drained soil.
Ensure that you have chosen the ideal place for your roses, as they can become quite unruly. This suits the cottage-style aesthetic perfectly but can become hard to manage if you don’t keep your eye on it throughout the seasons.

When to Plant Your Roses

Bare-root roses should be planted in late autumn and early winter before growth resumes in the spring. Avoid planting them when it’s icy in the deep winter months, as this will affect the plant and will stop it from growing in the springtime.

Caring for Your Rose Plants

Once your Climbing Roses have been planted, the most care they need is to be trained up their supports. Pruning and caring for your roses usually comes a year or two after planting, once they’ve grown to a certain point.

Climbing plants tend to grow horizontally, as it is their natural response to do so. They can grow upwards with the use of supports and gentle encouragement.

Eventually, the stems should develop shoots that grow vertically, which will carry the flower heads of the plant. Once this happens, you can prune back the horizontal stems, encouraging the flower to grow upwards in future seasons.

Shop our full range of Climbing Roses online.