How-to Guide
How to Grow and Train Climbing Roses
The short answer
The single biggest lever with a climbing rose is not pruning but training: when main canes are bent toward horizontal, they break into flowering side shoots all along their length instead of blooming only at the tips. The RHS approach is to fix horizontal wires to the wall or fence, the lowest about 45cm (18in) off the ground and the rest about 30cm (1ft) apart, then fan the main stems out along them as close to horizontal as they will comfortably go.
Tie canes to the support with soft ties (twine or plant tape), never bare wire, which cuts into the canes as they thicken. On pillars, arches, and pergolas, spiral the main shoots gently around the upright to get the same lateral-producing effect.
What makes a climbing rose different
Climbing roses are not true vines: they have no tendrils and cannot attach themselves, so everything they do on a wall is done by you with supports and ties. They produce a framework of long main canes plus flowering side shoots (laterals), and modern climbers mostly repeat-bloom on the current season's laterals, while ramblers typically flower once, spectacularly, on older wood.
That framework-and-laterals structure is why training pays off so heavily: your job is to build and keep a well-spaced fan of main canes and let the laterals do the flowering.
Setting up support and training
- 1Install wires or trellis — On walls and fences, run horizontal wires: lowest at about 45cm (18in), then roughly every 30cm (1ft) up. Keep supports slightly proud of the wall for air circulation.
- 2Fan canes toward horizontal — Spread the main canes into a fan and bend them along the wires between 45 degrees and horizontal; angled stems produce far more flowering laterals than vertical ones.
- 3Tie in with soft material — Secure canes with twine, plant tape, or fabric strips, spaced evenly along each cane; tie firmly but with room for the cane to thicken. Avoid wire ties.
- 4Keep tying through the season — Tie in new canes while they are young and flexible, and check ties yearly so none cut in.
✔ On a pillar or arch, wind the main shoots around the upright in a spiral rather than running them straight up — the same horizontal-ish angle trick, wrapped around a post.
Growing basics
Climbers want what all roses want: plenty of sun, fertile well-drained soil, deep watering while establishing, and mulch. Plant a small distance out from walls, where soil is less dry, and lean the plant toward the support. Feed in spring and deadhead repeat-bloomers to keep flushes coming.
Pruning, briefly
Once the framework is trained, routine pruning is simple and happens in winter: keep the main canes, and shorten the flowering side shoots that grew from them, removing dead, diseased, or crossing growth. For the full method and timing detail, see our rose pruning guide; this page's job is the part that comes first, building the trained framework those winter cuts rely on.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- Royal Horticultural Society — Rose Pruning: Climbing Roses — Wire spacing (lowest 45cm, then 30cm apart), training main shoots toward horizontal (45 degrees to horizontal produces more flowering laterals), spiraling shoots around pillars, winter pruning of side shoots
- University of Connecticut Home & Garden Education Center — Tying Climbing Roses — Use soft ties (twine, plant tape, fabric strips) spaced evenly along canes; avoid wire, which damages canes