Hello everyone! Today I’m thrilled to share part of my dream-come-true cottage garden story! This post (& VIDEO) covers some practical tips on the care & propagation of climbing roses in the cottage garden. I hope you enjoy & find some helpful tips!
A Vigorous Red Rambler
To say this rose is vigorous is an understatement…
Matt & I always say we’d rather have plants we have to beat back rather than play nursemaid to & this rose fits that bill! Three years ago my Dad gave me several cuttings of this rose from his own bush back in Texas. The cuttings were wrapped in a damp paper towel & I was so excited to give them a try!
My Dad’s Rose Propagation Method
I called my Dad recently to get his method for rose propagation ~ here are his tips:
Rose Propagation, Step by Step
- Choose canes the size of a straw about 6 – 8 inches long
- Be sure your canes have buds
- Dip canes in water, then in a powdered root stimulator
- Plant right side up in a sandy, loamy soil & expect about 75% to take root!
The Red Lady
The name of this red rambler has been lost, but we call her the Red Lady. She is romantic, graceful, & resilient ~ just like a Texas country girl should be!
An Heirloom Miniature Pink Rose
In addition to cuttings of the Red Lady my Dad also gave me cuttings of a delicate miniature pink rose from my great-grandmother. Nearest I can tell this rose resembles The Fairy in most rose catalogs.
Having this legacy rose in my garden is such a treasure! You might enjoy the post on this rose: Caring for Your Roses ~ A Growing Legacy.
Easy-Keeper Vinca to Fill the Gaps
These bright red-eyed white Vinca make an appearance in my garden every year as they have proven to be easy keepers. We usually pick up a ten or so and use them to fill in spots where we know the perennials will die back.
You may have noticed the Vinca in our recent Handmade Cottage Garden Window Boxes post.
Choosing a Climbing Rose for a Cottage Garden
Choosing climbing roses is one of those lovely gardening decisions that mixes beauty with a little practical planning. Before a color or flower steals your heart, check whether the roses you’re looking at are climbers or ramblers.
Climbing roses usually have stiffer canes & flower repeatedly through the season. Ramblers are often much more vigorous, blooming once in one great, glorious flush on last year’s wood. These are the romantic roses that can swallow an arbor if you let them!
You may come across several well-known repeat-flowering climbers. New Dawn has pale pink flowers and is very hardy and forgiving. Zephirine Drouhin is deep pink, fragrant & nearly thornless, making it a lovely choice near a doorway. Eden, also sold as Pierre de Ronsard, has beautiful, full, old-fashioned blooms that look right at home in a cottage garden.
The Fairy is a little different. It’s a low-growing polyantha shrub with clusters of small pink flowers. Because it’s often trained along a fence, it has that soft, rambling look we love. That’s why it looks so much like my great-grandmother’s miniature pink rose.
As you’re choosing, look for fragrance and disease resistance on the label. Most of all, check the mature size before bringing your rose home. A rambler can reach twenty feet, which may be perfect for a large arbor but overwhelming beside a little gate.
Think about the space you have & how much tying and pruning you’d like to do. The right rose should feel charming in your garden, not like a constant battle!
When & Where to Plant in the Cottage Garden
Roses love sunshine, so choose a spot that receives at least six hours of sun each day. They also appreciate moving air around their leaves. A little breathing room makes a wonderful difference, especially as your rose begins to fill out.
You can plant your climbing rose in spring after the danger of hard frost has passed. Fall planting also works beautifully, but the roots need enough time to settle before freezing weather arrives. You don’t want to rush a new rose into the garden just as the cold is setting in.
Dig a hole wider than the pot and loosen the soil along the sides. Work some compost into the soil to give those new roots a welcoming place to grow.
If your rose will climb a wall or fence, plant it about twelve to eighteen inches away from the structure. The narrow strip directly beneath a wall is often dry because rain never quite reaches it. Moving the rose out a bit helps it receive the water it needs.
Now is also the time to install your trellis or other support. Put it in place before planting the rose. It’s much easier than trying to work around established roots and canes later!
Once your rose is planted, water it deeply. Add mulch to protect the soil, but keep it away from the stem. With a little care at the beginning, your rose will soon be adding that lovely cottage-y charm!
Training Climbing Roses
The most useful trick for a flower-filled climbing rose is surprisingly simple: train the main canes as close to horizontal as they’ll comfortably go.
You can guide the canes along a fence or fan them across a trellis. When a cane bends sideways, it breaks bud along its entire length. An upright cane tends to bloom only at the top. That little change in direction can give you flowers across the whole support instead of a few blooms waving far above your head!
Always work gently with the canes. Soft ties work well, and you can also use strips of old cloth or garden twine. A figure-eight tie is especially helpful. Loop it around the support and the cane, leaving enough room so the tie doesn’t saw into the rose as it grows.
If you’re placing a trellis against a wall, leave a few inches between the trellis and the wall. This gives air room to move behind the leaves. You’ll also have space to guide and tie the canes.
Training isn’t a one-time garden job. As fresh canes appear, keep guiding them while they’re still green and flexible. Little by little, you can fan them across the available space and create that full, romantic cottage garden look.
Each spring, check your ties. Loosen or replace any that have tightened around the canes. It’s a simple task, but an important one.
This gentle, ongoing training is part of cultivating the art of home outdoors. You’re shaping the rose over time, one flexible cane & soft tie at a time!
Pruning & Feeding
When a climbing rose is young, resist the urge to prune it heavily. Leave it mostly alone for the first two or three years while it develops its main framework. During this time, remove only dead or damaged wood. Those main canes will eventually carry the side shoots and flowers you’re hoping for.
Once a repeat-flowering climber is established, prune it in late winter or early spring while the plant is dormant. Begin with dead wood, then remove weak canes and any that cross. Next, look at the smaller side shoots growing from the main canes. Shorten those shoots to two or three buds.
A once-flowering rambler follows a different schedule. Prune it just after it finishes blooming. Next year’s flowers will grow on the growth it makes this year, so pruning at the wrong time can remove the wood that would have carried those lovely blooms.
You can deadhead repeat bloomers throughout the season. Removing the finished flowers helps keep them blooming instead of leaving all those spent flowers in place.
Feeding is simple when you follow the rose’s natural rhythm. Feed in early spring, then again after the first flush of flowers. Stop feeding about six to eight weeks before the first frost. This keeps the plant from producing tender new growth that could be caught by the cold.
When watering, direct the water toward the base of the rose instead of over the leaves. A deep drink at the roots is much more helpful than wet foliage.
Pruning can feel a little intimidating at first, friend, especially if you’re new to gardening, but you don’t have to make it complicated. Begin with dead or damaged wood. Then learn whether your rose blooms once or repeats, and follow its natural schedule. Curating a garden is a skill you build one season at a time!
Common Problems (and the Honest Drawbacks)
Even the loveliest climbing roses can have a few problems. Black spot and powdery mildew often appear on roses when leaves stay wet or plants become crowded without enough moving air. Water at the roots instead of over the leaves, and give your rose plenty of room. It also helps to clear away fallen leaves around the plant.
Aphids sometimes gather on fresh new growth. A hard spray of water can wash them away. Japanese beetles can be picked off in the morning and dropped into soapy water. These are simple jobs, although you may need to repeat them.
Now for the honest drawbacks…
Thorns can be troublesome near a path or gate, especially where you’ll brush against the canes. A vigorous rambler may also grow much larger than expected. Remember, some can reach twenty feet! Each year, you’ll need to tie new canes into place, check the old ties & keep everything guided across the support.
A once-blooming rambler also gives you three glorious weeks instead of flowers throughout the season. Those weeks can be absolutely beautiful, but it’s something to consider if you’re hoping for color all summer.
Still, Matt & I have always preferred a vigorous plant that needs some guidance and trimming over one that must be constantly nursed along. A strong rambler asks for yearly tying & pruning, along with a little patience. In return, it gives you that wonderfully abundant cottage garden feeling we love.
Every rose has its tradeoffs. Choose the right location and learn its growing habits from the beginning. You’ll enjoy all that beauty without being quite so surprised by its enthusiasm!
Add Climbing Roses to Your Own Cottage Garden
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post & have gained some simple tips & inspiration to add climbing roses to your garden!
Thank you so much for stopping by our little cottage! until our next visit ~ take care!
