Thank you! So it is a climbing rose according to you? The first problem I ran into when googling was that I'm not sure if it's supposed to be climbing, rambling or a bush... I tried to identify it with an app which suggested it was a China rose, but I'm not sure it fits the description. Yet it also doesn't look like it's inclined to climb as the branches are quite stiff and it hasn't attached itself to the wall at all. But maybe that's just because it has grown for so long without being trained?
Climbing roses don’t attach themselves like a clematis for example, they need tying in. As a general rule If you pull it down to just above horizontal (so the sap can go up the stem) it’ll send out vertical stems and you’ll get lots of flowers. Happy roses are pretty tough, you can be pretty brutal in your pruning if you are not happy with the shape and it’ll comeback back strongly next year
I can't see all that much in the photo - or the extent of the rose - but the advice I have read is to see climbing roses as continuously renewable plants. You can take out, at the base, the cane that's most woody each year (if that's feasible). This should encourage new, whippy shoots to grow and keep the vigour of the plant. This new growth is supple and easy to train (usually early in the year). From what I can see if the pic, the cane on the left looks older and woodier than the green one next to it. It could perhaps come out (just guessing). Are there any horizontal tight wires on the wall behind? It might be useful to put some in if there are none, so that you can get the roses supported to grow laterally (where climbing roses are happiest). I see a piece of green garden wire on the right, but you might need something pretty strong and taught to hold the weight. I hope that's helpful.
I have had a climbing rose in my centre border for over 25 years now ; no trellis , no framework , in fact no support whatsoever ; the variety is 'Parkdirektor Riggers' .
With judicious Spring pruning every year , and kept to around 8-feet high , it has in time formed a self-supporting (albeit vicious) trunk . Never feed it , yet an abundance of flowers annually , followed by red fruits that last throughout the Winter .
Thanks so much everyone! That's super helpful. What do you think would be the best time of the year to prune it? I've seen anything from just after it flowers to just before new growth in the spring...
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Happy roses are pretty tough, you can be pretty brutal in your pruning if you are not happy with the shape and it’ll comeback back strongly next year
Climbing roses don't attach themselves to anything ... they need tieing in to a trellis or wires or some other form of support.
This is another video which should help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o-o_FHPoEU
I'd also give it a feed with some Fish, Blood and Bone general fertiliser, and a feed of tomato fertiliser will help with flowering.
A mulch of well rotted farmyard manure around it's base (not touching the stems) will also help.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
With judicious Spring pruning every year , and kept to around 8-feet high , it has in time formed a self-supporting (albeit vicious) trunk . Never feed it , yet an abundance of flowers annually , followed by red fruits that last throughout the Winter .
https://www.britishroses.co.uk/acatalog/Parkdirektor-Riggers.html
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.