David Austin Chris Climbing Rose - help please

Hi, I wonder if you can help.
I am a novice rose gardener. Three years ago I bought a Chris rose, and thought I was doing a good job of supporting it on my arch.
It is flowering a lot and I love it, however I know I have done something wrong as it is only flowering on the top quarter.
Any suggestions what I can do to make it better for next year.

thank you very much

 

I think that it's because the canes are growing straight up and the flowers are at the top. It's better if they grow horizontal that way it will shoot from the leaf joints.
And welcome to GC forums

 

Hello CrystalT and welcome to GC. Logan's spot on. Perhaps the existing stems are too rigid now to bend around the archway, but when this flush of flowers has finished, prune a third of them low down, to just above a healthy bud. Feed and water and then, when you have young, strong new stems, gently bend them over and tie them into the support. They'll reward you with flowers all along the stem

 

Thank you Noisette47 and Logan.

I wish I had asked how to do this when the plant was young!

so I cut down the vertical stems by a third to a heathy bud, thank you - would this not still leave at least the bottom half of the arch bare of flowers, or am I training the new stems horizontal and then down? Sorry for the silly questions

 

Not silly at all Badly explained on my part! Depending how many old stems you've got, chop one or two low down (as low as you like as long as there is a bud which will provide new growth). The feed, whether liquid, granules or manure, will give the rose a boost to produce the new growth. These new stems will be quite soft and fragile, but when they're about 2-3 ft long, you can bend them gradually and tie them in with soft string. Even a gentle angle will help divert the flowering hormones all along the stem.

 

Ah amazing, that makes sense to me , thank you very much. I will try that when the first flush of flowers has finished.
You are a star

 

Let us know how it goes......

 

I certainly will.
Can I ask you about a new climbing rose I have, I want to avoid the same mistake this time.

The red stem, will this become a main stem and is this what i should train horizontal when it’s longer? The red dot is to show a rose further along the green stem.

 

Yes it looks like it.

 

Hello again! Yes, that's a lovely new stem, but 'horizontal' is a bit ambitious It's more a case of gently and gradually coaxing it to arch, then when it's accepted that without snapping, perhaps bending it around the archway and tying it in.

 

Ambitious - yes! I so want to do it the right way this time
Thanks again, perfectly explained to me .

 

Quite excited to be honest, I followed your advice and look ........

 

That's great news @CrystalT