Rose Trellis
How to care for your rose trellis
A rose trellis is a beautiful way to add depth and design to any outdoor space, but there are several important things you should keep in mind when planning to use a trellis. After all, a climbing rose needs plenty of care, much like other kinds of roses, and it will need a bit of training before it will begin to climb the trellis.
Planting for your climbing roses
When it comes time to plant the rose bush, start by anchoring your trellis into the ground. Make sure that the trellis is study enough and anchored into the ground well enough to withstand rain, wind, and any other weather elements that could tear it down. Also the rose bush will be quite heavy after it gets larger and begins to take over the trellis, so make sure that it will last for years as the climbing roses grow.
When establishing your trellis, make sure to set it at least three inches away from the wall you want the roses to continue climbing up on. Then it’s time to plant the rose bush. Dig a hole that is about two feet deep. Center the hole about two feet away from the rose trellis. Cover the roots with soil, making sure that the part where the roots join the rest of the bush is just a little bit above the ground. If you live in a cold climate, then bury this area a couple of inches below the ground to protect it. After the bush is planted, fertilize it generously and water it. Then begin tying the main stalks to the trellis. Keep an eye on the climbing roses to make sure they are growing the way you want them to.
Training your roses to climb the rose trellis
One of the most important things to remember when trying to train a rose bush to climb a trellis is the need to support the plant as it grows up the trellis. There are two different kinds of shoots that come from a climbing rose bush. The main shoots are much thicker than the off shoots, so it is extremely important that you provide adequate support for these main shoots as they grow up the trellis. Part of training the bush to climb the trellis is simply providing a place for the shoots to rest as they grow up in the air instead of along the ground.
Climbing roses will produce more blooms when the main shoots are allowed to grow horizontally, which is certainly the opposite of what you are trying to do. However, you can emphasize this effect by allowing the main shoots to run horizontally on parts of the trellis where possible. For example, you might run the main shoot up one step, then across the step to the other end of the trellis, and then up to the next step. Just be careful when doing this though because sometimes the shoots can become extremely tangled. If you have a fence, then running the main shoots along the fence is a great way to get them up off the ground without forcing them to only grow vertically.