Creating A Cascading Rose

Unruly, vigorous annual growth

The climbing rose that grows in the garden above the herbaceous border, affectionately known as the Secret Garden due to its hidden position behind a wall, has been causing the gardening team a bit of a headache when dealing with it's unruly, vigorous growth that it produces every year. Two years ago the way it was pruned was changed and, to make use of the long stems, wires were added to the wall for support. 

Last year's long, vigorous stems tied to the wires.

Planted against a small wall, waiting to be pruned

Planted in the garden, up against a wall of only four foot in height, the rose's vigorous stems are between 10 to 15 foot long, far too tall for the wall, hence the problem, a very messy looking rose producing very few flowers. By adding horizontal wires to the other side of the wall, the very tall side, the long stems could be bent over the top, down the wall and tied on to the wires. 

Last year's flowering stems

When the rose is pruned each winter the previous year's stems are removed to clear the wall and the strongest, new stems are bent down on to the wires to replace them. The remaining, unwanted stems are cut off and a few old, woody stems are cut out to encourage new growth for future years. 

Last year's stems cleared from the wall

Stems bent over the top of the wall

New stems bent down on to the wires

Pruning the rose today, a dozen stems, no longer flapping about in the breeze as in the past, now cascade over the top of the wall. The pressure from the bending of the stems over and down the wall will cause the many buds to burst into life and produce the flowering stems for next years flowers.

Stem tied to the wire with a bud waiting to burst

New stems tied to the wires

Pruned rose, Secret Garden side