5 Tips for Growing Climbing Roses Zone 5

All photos are of my own plants/garden.

Let’s just get right into it. I want to talk about climbing roses in particular because I do have a few extra steps that I take to keep these extravagant plants happy and healthy, especially through a Canadian winter.

For the purposes of this article, I am referring to my experience of growing David Austin climbers. When these roses are happy and healthy, they will grow quickly and proficiently, showering you will delicate petals of fragrant heaven.

1. Choose a sunny spot that will get at least 6 hours of direct sun.

This one is a no-brainer to someone with rose experience, but if you are just starting out, it’s probably the most important tip when it comes to growing most varieties of roses, including climbers. Placing your roses in a mainly sunny location will give you the best opportunity for lots of blooms and vigorous growth. This is recommend for Zone 5 where we are (Ontario, Canada), but if you are in a hotter climate, you may want to provide a bit of shade with of hot afternoon sun, especially with the David Austin types.

2. Provide a strong growing structure

Climbing roses will need a structure to climb. This can be a sturdy fence, deck railing, an obelisk or trellis. My husband and I made these two obelisks for my Crown Princess Margaretta roses and they were quite simple to make. Climbing roses can reach anywhere from 8ft - 12ft, so giving them this ability to climb is going to be crucial for their success. If you don’t have the space or ability to provide a growing structure, try for one of the many beautiful shrub varieties that don’t have this requirement! Gentile Hermione is one of my favourite shrubs.

3. Provide winter protection

The structure you are using to support your climbing roses can do double duty to help winterize your roses. Because climbing roses tend to have long canes, if they are not properly secured to the structure, they can become broken and damaged by strong winter winds. I also wrap the entire structure with burlap to add an extra layer of protection from winter weather. BUT the timing of wrapping the burlap is important. I actually waited until January to wrap mine this year. We had a fairly mild start to the winter and I didn’t want to wrap them until they were fully dormant. Also, any excuse for me to garden in January is welcome. I will take the burlap off in late winter when the extreme dips in temp are over. And ONE more tip for winterizing with obelisks in particular - the structure itself can prevent snow from reaching the base of the plant and snow is a fabulous insulator for perennials. If it’s getting really cold out there and you are able to shovel some snow to cover the base of the plant, particularly the crown, your rose will thank you when those temps dip. You can also acheive this with mulch or leaves,

4. Speaking of Leaves… Clean up the bad ones!

OK, so yes, you can use fallen leaves from surrounding trees to insulate your roses for winter. But, it’s always a good idea to clean up the leaves that have fallen from the rose plant itself before winterizing. For example, I had a climbing James Galloway that had black spot last season. This happens from time to time and preventing further contamination is important. If the infected leaves are not cleaned up in the fall, they can reinfect the plants as they decompose into the soil and you’ll have black spot again in the spring. More on that in another post!

5. Food!!

So this is not pertinent to climbing roses in particular, but most varieties in general.. I fertilize once in the early spring to help pep them up after a sleepy winter and then again after their first summer flush is done. For the past twelves years of growing roses I have used the Acti-Soil Rose pellets. This is an organic, all natural, slow-release fertilizer made mostly from hen mature. Sidenote: if you have a goofy dog that likes to eat manure, watch out for that… Last summer I also started doing a seaweed foliar spray with Marini liquid plant food. Another all natural and effective way to add nutrients to your fast-growing climbers throughout the summer months!

Share your best rose tips we me!