How to train a climbing rose?

Climbing roses do not cling to their support on their own, unlike ivy which has adhesive hairs to attach itself to a wall. This is why it is necessary to train climbing roses and guide their main branches, called "structural branches", in a harmonious manner. Additionally, bending the rose's branches horizontally encourages the growth of new lateral stems that will bear the roses. This is the principle of "espalier training".

Climbing roses can be trained on various supports: walls, posts, trees, pergolas, wooden structures (trellises, pyramids, arches, etc.). In this tutorial, we will explain how to train a climbing rose on a wall.

Climbing rose, training a rose on a wall

When to train a climbing rose on a wall?

Climbing roses should be trained:

when planting the rose: you should then prepare a securely fixed support system. Indeed, climbing roses are large in size, so the support must be able to bear the weight of the plant when mature.
when pruning the rose: repeat-flowering climbing roses, which bloom several times a year, should be pruned in late winter, while non-repeat-flowering roses, which bloom only once a year, should be pruned after flowering. For more information, check out our guide on pruning climbing roses.
during growth: if the rose is planted near a pathway, train any overly vigorous or drooping branches that may cause injury or become obstructive.

Climbing rose trained against a wall

What materials are needed to train a climbing rose?

Climbing roses can be trained on a wooden trellis fixed to a wall. However, the most common solution is to attach horizontal steel wires at regular intervals to secure the rose.

First, equip yourself with thick gloves and cover your arms (with a jumper or jacket) to protect yourself from the rose's thorns. On our website, you can find long gloves that cover the forearms.

Here is the equipment needed to install the support:

stainless steel wire,
screw eyes with corresponding wall plugs,
cable ties,
turnbuckles with hooks,
sealing paste,
flexible ties with plastic or foam sleeves, or raffia,
various tools: wire cutters, pliers, hammer, drill, laser level, etc.

Do not use bare wire to tie the stems, as this could damage them.

Training materials, securing a climbing rose

Raffia, flexible tie with plastic sleeve, flexible tie with foam sleeve

How to fix the support to the wall?

Here are some tips for installing horizontal support wires on a wall:

mark the heights where the steel wires will be placed: the first wire from the bottom should be 40 cm from the ground, with subsequent wires spaced about 30 cm apart,
use a laser level to ensure straight alignment,
after drilling and cleaning the holes in the wall, inject the sealing paste and immediately insert the wall plugs by tapping them with a hammer (allow the paste to dry as per the manufacturer's instructions),
carefully screw the eyes into the wall plugs,
attach the wires to the eyes and tighten them: use a cable tie at one end and a turnbuckle at the other end of each wire.

The wires should not touch the wall to allow air circulation behind the rose.

If you wish to plant two climbing roses side by side, leave at least 3 metres between them.

You can now proceed with planting your climbing rose. Find our planting advice in our guide "How to Plant Roses".

How to train a climbing rose?

First, remove any dead or damaged branches as they can spread disease. To make the task easier, cut them in stages.

Then, gently bend the main branches as horizontally as possible. These "structural branches" are the most vigorous.

Bending slows the sap flow during growth, promoting flower buds.

Secure the structural branches to the steel wires using flexible ties, but do not tie them too tightly to avoid marking the stems.

Spread the branches evenly in a fan shape.

Finally, on these trained structural branches, prune all secondary stems above the second bud. The flowering will appear on these secondary branches, ensuring an even display. The rose will have a balanced appearance.

Tip: If an old structural branch needs removing, keep a vigorous young shoot from the base to replace it.