"FEDUP" wrote in message
...
I have this climbing rose that puts out a great show every spring. It is
growing like crazy and i want to prune it and arrange it. I know it
blooms
only on the new growth for next year. Any do's and don'ts?


It is generally recommended that roses, including climbers, be pruned in
early spring. In very mild climates this is sometimes moved up to midwinter,
but early spring is the norm. Climbers usually are not pruned as severely as
say, hybrid teas. You want to encourage long canes which when trained
horizontally, will produce numerous lateral shoots that are the source of
the flowering stems. If the rose is well established, periodic removal of
the oldest canes will encourage the production of new, more vigorous canes.

I have an antique rambler, which, while not a true climber, is trained to
grow in a similar manner. This is a single bloomer that produces literally
thousands of blossoms and extremely vigorous growth. I prune it back hard
each season immediately following tis bloom period. This keeps the plant in
check - it takes over a considerable portion of my garden, otherwise - and
still provides enough time for the plant to develop new growth during the
season to support the next summer's flowers.

While midseason pruning of modern climbers is not a general practice, the
response of the plant to this process depends a lot on the specifc rose in
question and the aftercare given

pam - gardengal