Pruning climbing roses

[HH]

Should one prune climbing roses the same as bush roses? Or should they be pruned higher on the lattice to which they are tied?

[Travis M.]

Maybe you should ask in rec.gardens.roses.

[David E. Ross]

Climbers bloom from vertical shoots. To increase the bloom, you want the main branches to be horizontal. They will then produce more vertical side shoots. The longer the horizontal main branches, the more vertical side shoots.

See my . This is more about the philosophy and approach to pruning roses than it is about the technique.

[Phisherman]

I've got climbing roses. They can get out of hand without proper pruning. What you want to avoid is a "canopy" type of cover which shades the plant underneath and promotes excessive moisture (black spot fungus). First, I remove all dead canes or canes that are thinner than a pencil diameter. Too many canes close together are not good either--I select the best and prune out the others. Proper pruning will produce a better, stronger plant.