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Roses - leggy climbing roses

eviledna73eviledna73 Posts: 3
in Plants
Hello. I wonder if anyone has any advice please? I have problems with two climbing roses In my south facing garden. 

The first rose is an Iceberg (2 years old). It’s very spindly. I was wondering what I could do to encourage it to be stronger and bushier. 

The second rose is a yellow garden centre variety (4 years old). I’m unsure if it’s name but it smells heavenly. It’s gone very leggy suddenly. It grows profusely but these 8/9 foot vertical stems that only have leaves and flowers on the very tops. I’m wondering how I can encourage it to bush out more and get leaves lower down. What should I do with these crazy tall branches? I was wondering if I should pull them into a horizontal position and tie them in place? I tried this last year but more vertical tall stems grew from the ones I tied into horizontal positions. A few friends have suggested cutting it back to about a foot tall but I’m scared to.

Posts

  • yorkshireroseyorkshirerose Posts: 574
    I would certainly reduce the height before attempting to tie in horizontally. Take them down by about a third, and also remove and outward growing stems which cannot be tied in successfully. Fasten strong wires across your fence and carefully ease upward branches down to be tied in, do it gradually over time or you may find branches break off as you get to the crucial point (I've done it!)
    Next season, feed the plants with a rose fertiliser as new growth appears, keep plants well watered, and feed again after first flowering is over.
    Continue to tie in new growth before it gets too leggy.
    When carrying out pruning make sure you remove and dead, diseased or crossing branches which could rub together.
    Hope this helps you. Climbing roses do take a couple of years to really settle down and give their best.
    A gardener's work is never at an end  - (John Evelyn 1620-1706)
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    When you train the main canes sideways I would also shorten the flowered sideshoots back by two thirds. . That’ll give you a better shape and stimulate more flowering growth for the next year. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    Hi, just to add to the good advice already given, you might want to look at Paul Zimmerman on YouTube eg https://youtu.be/1o-o_FHPoEU. I find his videos useful.

    Also, you shouldn't cut a climber down to a foot tall - as you won't get any flowers! That sort of pruning is for shrub/bush roses. Best to prune in early spring, but you might be able to do some training of the canes now before they become too woody?

    Good luck!
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