Climbing Roses
Climbing roses have long, stiff shoots bearing either small clusters of blooms or single large flowers. Some varieties flower just once in summer on old established wood, whilst others bloom more than once in a season, both on established stems and on the current season's wood.
Initial Pruning
Neither variety of climbing rose should be pruned during the first two years of growth, other than to remove dead, weak or diseased stems.
Training
However, climbing roses will need to be trained as soon as their shoots are long enough to reach the supports; this will help them to increase their flowering potential. It is always easiest to train new shoots whilst they are still young and flexible in the direction of their natural growth. Build the framework up by tying the stems into the support, pulling them so that they run as horizontal as possible; the more horizontal a potential flowering shoot is, the more floriferous it will be.
Climbers that flower repeatedly during a season should be deadheaded regularly to improve the flowering display.
Maintenance Pruning
After two or three years, climbing roses may be pruned in autumn after their blooms have died down. Cut back any twiggy, non-productive growth, along with any damaged, diseased or dead wood to a main or healthy shoot.
Flowered sideshoots should be cut back to within three buds of the main framework to encourage a good coverage of blooms the following year. When main shoots reach the top of their vertical support, prune them back regularly to restrict to this height.
If any of the main stems have lost vigour, making the base of the climber look bare, they may be pruned to 30 cm (12 in) from the ground to encourage new growths to come up in spring. However, do not cut back more than one-third of the main stems.