Think Beyond the Border

With a simple shift in how you prune and train them, several exceptional English Shrub Roses can be guided to grow as magnificent short climbers. They offer a wonderfully versatile, space-saving option for compact gardens, bringing height, structure, and elegance without the overwhelming scale of a traditional climber.

With a simple shift in how you prune and train them, several exceptional English Shrub Roses can be guided to grow as magnificent short climbers. They offer a wonderfully versatile, space-saving option for compact gardens, bringing height, structure, and elegance without the overwhelming scale of a traditional climber.

• The Shrub Approach: Typically, an English Shrub Rose is pruned by reducing the previous season's growth by one-third to one-half. This maintains a rounded, bushy shape ideal for the middle of a border.
• The Climber Approach: To encourage upward growth, a much lighter touch is required. Rather than shortening the stems, allow the strongest, longest shoots to develop their full length, gently tying them into your support structure as they grow. Remove only dead, damaged, or crossing wood, and lightly trim the side shoots.

Over time, these longer stems establish a permanent framework. They will gracefully wrap an obelisk, frame a doorway, or blanket a sunny wall in an abundance of blooms.

To achieve the most spectacular display, avoid training the main stems completely straight up. Gently pulling and tying the stems at a 45-degree angle or horizontally alters the flow of sap within the plant. This encourages the rose to produce flowering side shoots along the entire length of the stem, rather than just at the very tip, resulting in a dense wall of colour.

One of the greatest joys of cultivating roses is their adaptability. With a simple change in pruning technique, a favourite border plant can take on an entirely different role in the garden, adding height and interest where a larger climber might prove too dominant.

This versatility works both ways. Many traditional English Climbing Roses were originally bred from shrub varieties and can be grown as large, arching shrubs simply by pruning them back firmly each winter.

Before searching for a brand-new plant, it is always worth looking closer at your existing borders. The perfect climbing display may already be waiting in your garden.