How to Grow Climbing Rose
Climbing Rose At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Vine
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -29°C
Plant Family
Rosaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Buy a climbing rose bare-root or in a pot and plant it in spring, about 3 weeks before your last frost if bare-root. Soak bare roots for a few hours, set the plant about 150 cm from its neighbours and 30 cm out from the wall or fence, and water deeply. In cold areas, choose a very hardy kind such as John Cabot or William Baffin, or bury the graft bump about 5 cm below the soil.
A climbing rose turns a wall, fence or arch into a sheet of flowers. The single best trick is to tie the long main stems sideways, as close to flat as you can, because sideways stems sprout far more flowering side shoots than stems left to shoot straight up. Climbing roses do not cling on their own, so they need ties and a support.
When To Start
Climbing Rose needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Climbing Rose?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Climbing Rose Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Climbing Rose Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Plant your climbing rose a short way out from its support
3 weeks before your last frost
Prune your climbing rose: shorten side shoots, keep main stems
30 days before your last frost· every year
Snip off faded roses to keep new flowers coming
90 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Water your new climbing rose plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your climbing rose settling in? Water deeply once a week while its roots grow.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your climbing rose is getting established. Tie the long new canes loosely to the support as they grow.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Climbing Rose's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
150 cm
Plant Spacing
200 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
Yes: it's a climber; give it a sturdy support to start with.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Plant your rose where it gets at least 6 hours of sun a day and air can move freely around it.
- 2Mix plenty of compost into the soil and keep a layer of mulch over the roots.
- 3Water deeply at the base once a week, never on the leaves, which helps prevent black spot (dark spots that make leaves yellow and drop).
- 4Feed with compost or worm castings in spring and again after the first big flush of flowers.
- 5Tie the main stems sideways along wires or a fence as they grow.
- 6Pick Japanese beetles off by hand into a bowl of soapy water, spray aphids off with water, and rake up any fallen spotted leaves.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
400 cm
Mature Height
250 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
When to Pick
Repeat-flowering types bloom all summer if deadheaded; once-bloomers flower in a single flush
How to Harvest
- 1Cut flowers for a vase in the morning, just as the buds start to open.
- 2Snip off faded flowers through summer, cutting just above a leaf, to keep repeat-flowering kinds blooming into fall.
- 3Keep tying in new stems sideways as they grow.
- 4In late winter or early spring, cut out dead or weak stems and shorten last year's flowered side shoots to 2 or 3 buds, leaving the main framework alone.
- 5In cold areas, mound soil or mulch over the base of the plant in late fall to protect it through winter.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
Still have a question?
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