Pruning climbing roses over arch

(Image credit: Lex20)

Pruning climbing roses is a little different from pruning other roses. There are a few things you need to consider when cutting back a climbing rose bush.

Let's look at how to prune climbing roses.

How to Prune Climbing Roses

First and foremost, a good rule of thumb for pruning climbing rosebushes is to not prune them for two or three years, thus allowing them to form their long arching canes.

How to prune climbing roses in autumn

Some die back pruning may be required but hold it to a minimum! The two or three years is a “training time” for you to keep them trained to a trellis or other feature of your garden; keeping them tied back and growing in the desired direction early on is of the highest importance.

Not doing so will cause you much frustration in trying to train the rosebush to go where you want it to once it has grown truly out of control. Once it is time to prune a climbing rose bush, I wait until their new foliage has come on well enough that they show me where to prune them back.

Pruning some climbing roses too soon will greatly diminish the blooms one gets for that

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