I inherited a very mankey looking climbing rose on an east facing brick wall last year. When I sorted it out I was left with only two live stems, both of which rise vertically to about 5 feet. The laterals that have come off them this year have all pointed in the wrong direction - into the wall, at 90 degrees to the wall, etc. Meanwhile, a third stem has popped up to about 3 ft. I know the theory about training climbers onto a wall, but this bugger has me foxed. Should I prune the verticals, and, if so, to what, given that there are no signs of any live buds?

The message
from Janet Conroy contains
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I inherited a very mankey looking climbing rose on an east facing brick
wall last year. When I sorted it out I was left with only two live
stems, both of which rise vertically to about 5 feet. The laterals
that have come off them this year have all pointed in the wrong
direction - into the wall, at 90 degrees to the wall, etc. Meanwhile,
a third stem has popped up to about 3 ft. I know the theory about
training climbers onto a wall, but this bugger has me foxed. Should I
prune the verticals, and, if so, to what, given that there are no signs
of any live buds?

I'd remove the two old ones and if the laterals on the new growth are
gong the wrong way, take a spanner to it...

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
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