Climber help please!

Hi
I have a Golden Showers climbing rose that I have been hoping to train over an archway.

I am obviously doing something wrong as I have all the growth at the top of the plant - and it is yet to make its way " along the top" of the arch.
It is about to flower so I am wondering if there is anything I can do to it after flowering.
I did trim it back in Feb. Hoping to make a better framework but it hasnt worked!!
It has one main branch ( probably the problem!) and one little one that I dont think will produce much. This stands about 3 ft.

To summarise, all the growth is at the top of the plant - flowers too!! I will need a step ladder to see and smell them!

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Thanks so much! I will try to bend the stems horizontally after flowering. Should I prune then do you think?....at present this years stemss are very long and are sticking out of the top of my archway!

I will try and work out how to get a picture on here and post it for you - it may take me a few days!!

 

I am glad that I came to this thread as I have the same problem

THANKS WOO

 

Right - this is my first picture on here, so I hope it works!
The rose is about four years old.
Thanks so much in advance

 

Thanks!!.......er.....when would the time be right?. As you may have noticed I am not much good with roses!!

 

I'd suggest tying the top over the arch, it will be more flexible now while the growth is still young, if you wait until later in the season it will start to harden.

From my experience with golden Showers (3 plants) one is leaping up, one was only planted last year so is not really established yet, the other took exception to the water butt overflowing and drowned. Golden Showers usually blooms through most of the season.

Prune February ish cut back by about one third of the previous years growth plus remove any branches growing close to or across others.

Is it Christchurch as in 't'other side of Bournemouth from me?

 

Hi Dorsetmike
Yes, i am on t'other side of Bournemouth!
Thanks for the advice. As you can see I have very little " going on" up the side of the arch, too keen to get the rose growing I just let it go.Now i have one long stem. Should i cut that back in Feb to encourage more growth?
I will try and tie in the top while the stems are soft.
Thanks!

 

Clipping off the dead flower heads acts like a mini pruning and may encourage some side shoot growth, if you tried a major pruning now you would lose a lot of this seasons flowers.

Initially a good strong main stem can be an advantage, all the plant's strength goes into extending it, once it gets to the top of the trellis/arch like yours then cutting it back by a half or more will result in a number of side shoots, let these grow for that year (unless you get some going where you don't want them you then have to choose the best of these the following year and chop out those that spoil the shape or are weaker, and trim back the ones you are retaining by 1/3rd.

Adding a surface mulch of some well rotted farm muck always seems to help my plants, also some rose fertiliser at intervals during the growing/flowering season.

 

Thanks Mike.
I will tie on for now and wait until February to cut back the main stem. There is a rather puny little stem lower donw but it really isnt doing much.
I will also give it a good feed although i did feed it in the spring.
Regards

 

wilroda,the rest of your garden is just lovely,good luck with your rose kathy:thumb:

 

Hi again
The rose has finished flowering now and I am wondering if it would be a good idea to prune the main stem back. It has produced a good looking shoot about halfway up the main stem since i last wrote.
From my experience with this rose it doesnt flower again for a while, if at all.
The smell is lovely but the neighbours were wondering what i was doing jumping up and down to try and reach a bloom for a sniff!!
Thanks