How to plant climbing Roses

TIPS ON PLANTING CLIMBING ROSES Now is an ideal time to plant climbing roses to beautify that wall, trellis or arbour. The billowing mass of a rambler in full flow is a sight to behold, or maybe your prefer the bolder classic outline of a large flowered rose in climbing form? Either way there can be few finer ways of clothing that wall or pillar. During the winter you will buy bare-root roses which establish easily and receive minimal check after planting; that’s why it is the traditional time to plant them. The climbers you will almost certainly get blooms from next summer, ramblers usually wait a season before blooming as they need to throw up long canes from the base which mature to flower the next year. After receiving your roses place them in a bucket of water for a few hours. Dige a hole approximately 18” away from the wall or support, and about 6” wider than the roots and deep enough to accommodate; throw a couple of handfulls of good compost and a dusting of growmore into the hole. Make sure the base of the hole is loose and friable; you don’t want to plant into a ‘pan’ which could impede progress of the roots as they grow. Place the rose so the graft point [clearly visible as the part where the new green stems join with the root] is just BELOW the soil surface. You can tilt the bush towards the wall or support so it is easier to tie it in as new growth appears next Spring. Make sure the roots are as fanned-out as possible, fill in with fresh soil and firm very well. Water thoroughly; this might seem odd given that the soil is probably already quite moist, but it serves to settle the soil around the roots and helps make sure there are no air pockets. Watering is especially important when planting next to a wall as the soil is often quite dry there if sheltered from prevailing rains. Next Spring you will need to water the new rose during dry spells until it is established fully – probably June. Beautiful blooms such as this depend on proper care and planting in the beginning.