I have a climber too, "Forth of July" but I did not cut this nearly so
low, left about 3" above the knot. I planted it last summer but had a
lot of troubles with rabbits eating the leaves, so I put 3 foot high
chicken wire around them. The roses took a lot to recover from the
rabbits and whatever did bloom was hidden by the fence. Bummer. I like
the roses they look nice all summer. I just need to learn and read
more.