Climbing roses are a variety of roses that have long stems. The length of the stems can reach several meters. They definitely need support. The flowers are large and of various colors and appearance.
Climbing roses in landscape design are used for vertical gardening of small architectural forms: arches, pergolas, arbors, rotundas, and so on, decorate the walls of buildings and structures, performing the function of dividing into zones or hiding household buildings.
Climbing roses in appearance may vary, they are conventionally divided into 3 groups:
- Climbing – the length of the stems reaches 3 m. They were formed from crossing rambler roses and hybrid tea roses, as well as floribunda roses and remontant varieties. Received the name climbing or climbers. Climbing roses bloom twice a season with large flowers similar to tea roses. Winter is tolerated if there is shelter;
- Semi-climbing – climbing, stem height from 1,5 to 3 m, formed as a result of mutations of floribunda, grandiflora, hybrid tea roses. They differ from their ancestors in high growth, larger flowers. Grown mainly in the southern regions;
Curly or rambler roses – the length of bright green stems can be up to 15 m, the leaves are leathery, small. Flowers with a subtle aroma, simple or double or semi-double, are located along the entire length of the climbing stem. The plant blooms profusely in the second half of summer for a month, it is frost-resistant and needs only light shelter.
Climbing roses have a constant growth of shoots, so the buds are formed throughout the growing season. Flowering lasts until frost. This is one of the specific features of climbing roses.
Climbing rose care in autumn
In order for the climbing rose to smoothly complete the growing season, preparations for winter should begin as early as the end of August. The plant ceases to be watered and loosen the soil under it. Nitrogen is excluded from top dressing, as it contributes to the growth of leaves and shoots. In top dressing, they rely on potassium and phosphorus. They strengthen the lignified part of the trunk and the root system. Care in the fall is aimed at preparing climbing roses for winter.
In a climbing rose, the unripened part of the shoots, most of the leaves and all the buds are cut out. Conduct a sanitary inspection and remove damaged shoots: broken, and infected with diseases. Caring for a climbing rose in autumn comes down to pruning a bush and sheltering it for the winter.
Pruning a rose bush should be given special attention, since the correct pruning determines how abundantly the bush will bloom in the next season, its decorative properties.
Climbing roses form buds on last year’s shoots and bloom once a season. Therefore, the shoots on which there were flowers should be removed completely, under the root. The best time to remove is autumn. During the vegetative season, about 10 replacement shoots grow, on which flowers form in the next season.
Another group of weaving roses blooms twice a season on shoots of different ages. With age, the shoots weaken, less and less flowers are formed on them. Shoots at the age of 4 years or more should be cut completely, to the base. The flower has about 3 recovery shoots at the age of 1-3 years, and 4-6 main shoots.
In climbing roses that bloom twice a season, only sanitary pruning is carried out in the fall, removing damaged shoots. In the spring, depending on how the plant overwintered, shoots are cut out for age and those that did not survive the winter well. And also shorten the tops of the shoots.
Further, they are removed from the support, bent to the ground, tying the climbing shoots together. If the bush is separately growing, then it is fixed with brackets. If several climbing roses grow in a row, then the bent plants are fixed for each other. A layer of dry foliage or spruce branches should lie on the soil.
This must be done at a positive temperature, when a minus occurs, the shoots become brittle, easily damaged.
In a bent position, without shelter, climbing roses can be up to 2 weeks. Only with the onset of a temperature of -5-7 ° C, you can start covering the plants. From above, the bushes are covered with spruce branches, and then with lutrasil or spunbond.
Another way to prepare for winter: set the arcs along the entire length, and pull the covering material on top, securely fixing it from the edges. If you use agrofibre, then they should be covered tightly, without leaving holes, the material itself allows air to pass through. In the case of using plastic film, vents should be left so that the plants breathe and do not rot.
A reliable way to protect a climbing rose from the winter cold is to build a hut from wooden or plywood shields, which are covered with roofing material or agrofibre from above. In such structures, there must be enough space for a layer of air. The height from the cone to the lying bushes is at least 20 cm. Huts are built at a positive temperature until the temperature reaches -7 ° C, the ends of the shelter are not closed.
At positive temperatures, the soil around the near-trunk circle and the plant itself are sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture or copper sulphate as a prevention of fungal diseases.
In the shelter of a climbing rose for the winter, be sure to lay out preparations to repel rats and mice. The temperature in a good shelter does not fall below -10 ° C, rodents are attracted to such a climate. They dig passages, damaging the roots.
The base of the stem is covered with compost, sand, peat or soil. The height of the mulch layer depends on the expected winter temperatures. The colder the winter, the higher the layer of mulch, maybe from 30-50 cm.
In winter, during thaws, you can slightly raise the covering material to allow fresh air to enter. There will be no harm, the roses are securely covered with spruce branches. The benefit is obvious. Saturated with oxygen, winter air will improve the internal environment.
With the first signs of spring warmth, the shelter is removed from the plants, but the spruce branches or foliage are left.
Watch the winter preparation video:
Planting climbing roses in autumn
How plants will endure the winter depends largely on their growing conditions. The flowers need a lot of light, but direct sunlight at midday can cause burns. Not suitable for planting and that part of the garden where drafts walk or northern air currents pass.
The climbing rose feels good under the protection of the southern part of the walls of buildings and structures, provided that at least half a meter of free space remains before them. Soils are chosen for planting well-drained, if there is stagnant water, then for weaving roses you will need to create a flower bed on a hill or on a slope. It is also necessary to take into account how groundwater flows. The roots of the plant go deep into 1,5-2 m.
Loamy soils are most suitable for climbing roses. If the soils are sandy, then clay is added to them during planting, and if they are heavy clay, then they should be lightened by adding sand. Humus, compost, bone meal are added to the planting pit. The mineral dressing will nourish the plant for the next 2-3 years.
For climbing roses, the end of September-beginning of October is most suitable for planting. Features of planting and care depend on which seedling is purchased. There are self-rooted seedlings, which are grown from cuttings of roses or propagated through layering.
And there are seedlings that are obtained by grafting on the roots of wild rose. In the seedling, in fact, 2 plants have grown together, the roots from the wild rose and the stem of the rose. The peculiarity of planting such seedlings is that it is required to deepen the grafting site so that the rose cutting can form roots on its own. Gradually, the roots of the wild rose will die off.
If the root system of the seedling is open, then it is soaked for a day in water, then the leaves are removed, the damaged shoots are removed, the existing healthy shoots are shortened to 30 cm, the buds that are located below the grafting site are removed so that rosehip shoots do not grow from them.
For planting, a 50×50 cm hole is prepared, filled with compost mixed with soil, watered well, the soil will settle, and planted the next day. The roots of the seedling are shortened, straightened and placed in a planting hole on a mound of soil. They fall asleep with prepared soil, compress it well so that voids do not form. Can be watered with a solution of heteroauxin for better rooting.
After watering, the soil may settle, then you should add soil to the trunk circle. Further care for young roses in the fall comes down to watering, only in the case of a dry autumn. Before the onset of frost, the plants are spudded to a height of no more than 20 cm. They are covered with dry foliage or covered with spruce branches. A frame is installed on top, over which a covering material is pulled.
At first, roses grafted onto wild rose need to remove shoots. The roots of the stock will develop and sprout until the scion develops its own root system. So, it will last 1-2 years, after a while the stalk of the rose will begin to give its shoots.
When planting climbing roses, it is imperative to take care of the future support for the plants. The types of supports are diverse and amaze the imagination. It can be a column, an arch, a trunk of a dry tree.
Climbing roses are especially good for decorating arbors, walls of houses. The rose is planted at a distance of 0,5-1 m from the wall of the house. A lattice or guides are attached to the wall, to which the flower will be attached. For fastening it is better to use plastic clamps. If you plan to use a free-standing support, then it is installed at a distance of up to half a meter from the bush.
Conclusion
Growing and caring for a climbing rose is very exciting. And the result is worth it. Beautiful flowers will decorate any corner of the garden or recreation area. It should only be more attentive to the climbing plant in preparation for winter.