Climbing Rose – How to grow & where to buy in the UK
Large 6-7ft Specimen Climbing Rose – Mushimara
Everyone loves roses – they look pretty and have a nice scent. But, have you heard of the acrobats of roses, climbing roses? These climbing varieties have long canes that have adapted to training on gazebos, arbors, fences, and even pillars.
A lot of climbing roses are actually variations or mutations of bush-type varieties. Plus, they have either clustered blooms or single, large flowers on their stem. Even more, they may either bloom continually or once a season – this all depends on the variety.
To make these climbers bloom heavily, you can lead their canes so that they follow a horizontal path – youth plants climb better when they are anchored loosely to a support.
Love climbing roses? Then, you can grow different climbing varieties in your garden. If you plant them now, by summer, you’ll see them cladding pergolas, archways, and walls with curtains of flowers, filling the air with a nice aroma.
If you need ideas for your rose garden, you need to take out time to choose the best climbing rose that fits into your nig picture. True, the colour of their flowers varies, but so does their scent – some don’t have any at all – their flower shape, health, height, and the hue of their foliage.
Colourful Combinations of climbing rose
Like we mentioned earlier, the blooms of your climbing rose depend on the variety you picked out. It’s common for these climbers to bloom heavily in spring and then become sporadic for the rest of the growing season.
To encourage continuous bloom, you can deadhead the flowers. Also, by pruning your climbing rose in winter just before the first bloom, you can boost the amount of blooms you get later.
Even though there are a lot of varieties to choose from, let’s look at some of the popular climbing roses.
Penny Lane climbing rose
Penny lane is a repeat flowering climbing rose with soft apricot-coloured, ruffled, large blooms – these blooms are produced repeatedly in summer and even into autumn.
The blooms of this climbing rose produce a pleasing scent. Even more, its foliage is healthy, glossy, and dark green – this foliage clothes the plant densely. More so, Penny lane is hardy, disease-resistant, and grows up to 4m tall.
The penny lane is a fantastic climbing rose and has been around for a while – it even won Rose of the Year back in 1998 and still performs well to date.
Coupled with its free-flowering ability, this climbing rose produces large, fruity-scented blooms that come in flushes of champagne and blush. Even more, it starts flowering early and has pliable stems that you can easily train.
Large specimen Linda Rose climbing rose
Regardless of the season, apricot-coloured flowers are always popular – they have become especially fashionable with lots of peach and apricot tones being featured at the Hampton Court and Chelsea Flower shows.
Also known as Dixieland Linda, this gorgeous plant has large double rose flowers that come in three tones – this is why it’s also referred to as Apricot Shades. It is also great for wall-training rose pergolas and arches.
The colours you’ll find on this climbing rose include apricot peach and pink. Plus, its blooms form neat bundles of around 3-5 flowers that are extremely scented. So, it’s best if you place this climber in a sunny part of your garden where you can smell it anytime you walk by.
Where can I buy Climbing Rose in the UK?
Specimen Climbing Roses: A Stunning Vertical Accent for Your Garden
Specimen climbing roses are a captivating addition to any garden, transforming vertical spaces with their elegant blooms and enchanting fragrance. These versatile plants provide a stunning focal point, drawing the eye upwards and adding dimension to your landscape. Here's a brief overview of specimen climbing roses and their potential uses in your garden.
Characteristics of Specimen Climbing Roses
Climbing roses are characterised by their long, flexible canes, which can be trained to grow on various support structures, such as trellises, arbors, pergolas, or fences. They produce large, showy flowers that come in a wide range of colours, from subtle pastels to vibrant hues. The blossoms can be single or double, and some varieties are renowned for their exquisite fragrance.
Choosing the Right Specimen Climbing Rose
When selecting a specimen climbing rose for your garden, consider factors such as the mature size of the plant, flower colour, fragrance, and disease resistance. Additionally, take into account the growth habit of the climbing rose, as some varieties are better suited for specific support structures or for covering large areas.
Planting and Care
Climbing roses thrive in well-draining soil and full sun, with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. To encourage strong root development, plant the rose so that the bud union (the point where the rose stem joins the rootstock) is about 2-3 inches below the soil surface. Adequate spacing between plants is essential to promote air circulation and prevent disease.
Regular pruning is necessary to maintain the shape and health of your specimen climbing rose. Prune in late winter or early spring, removing dead, damaged, or crossing canes. Training the canes horizontally encourages more flowering shoots to develop, resulting in a fuller display of blooms.
Design Ideas for Specimen Climbing Roses
- Create a fragrant, flower-covered archway by planting climbing roses on either side of an arbor or pergola.
- Train climbing roses along a fence or wall to create a vibrant, living privacy screen.
- Combine climbing roses with other flowering vines, such as clematis, for a stunning display of contrasting colours and textures.
- Use a single specimen climbing rose as a striking focal point in a small garden or courtyard, trained to grow up an obelisk or decorative trellis.
Incorporating specimen climbing roses into your garden design adds beauty, charm, and vertical interest. Their remarkable blooms and alluring scents are sure to captivate visitors and create a truly enchanting outdoor space.