question on cutting back climbing rose

8 years ago

Hi all!

I have never grown roses, but I'm sure it's a type of flower that has its own set of practices and do's and don'ts...

That said, I am familiar with growing perennials in general, and I know that in many instances, old growth can be cut back, and that new growth will do just fine, re-appearing each successive year. However, I know there are other plants (i.e., hydrangea, blueberry shrubs, etc.) where you need a mix of old growth and new growth to ensure flowering each year.

So.... I just bought a climbing rose. My plan is to keep it in a large pot alongside a trellis of sorts, on my rooftop. However, it's entirely possible that from time to time I may have to move the pot to another location on the rooftop, or else on my balcony.

Once the plant has established itself and started growing onto the trellis, if I need to move the pot, ergo cut back all the stems to say 6" or so from the soil line, will that compromise the overall plant, or should it have no problem growing again and developing flowers?

Thanks!!

https://www.prairienursery.com/store/native-plants/climbing-prairie-rose-rosa-setigera#.W6fPmWhKg2w

Featured Answer

Lynn Nevins
Original Author

8 years ago

Thanks for the replies. I am in Zone 6 in NYC. I know a while back I'd seen new zones of 6a and 6b, and in fact a search just now is showing my Zone as now 7b (apparently an 'update' made in 2012) but...I always prefer to err on the side of caution, esp. since all my plants are in pots and therefore need more protection from the cold. So net, net, I'm in zone 6, with the plant I purchased being hardy to Zone 4.

I think I get now, what you are saying regarding simply untying the canes from the trellis. I think I was originally getting confused, and thinking that this 'climbing' plant would behave similar to say a morning glory, where the stems twirls all around the trellis and so a potted morning glory is impossible to move without cutting back all the stems. But yeah, now that I think about it, rose trellises that I seem to recall seeing, do not behave that way. The stems more or less remain flat, and not 'twirling' around any trellises, etc.

So.... is there a particular way folks would protect such a potted climbing rose plant? I'm familiar with processes (for the pot and soil and roots themselves) such as....adding layers of dried leaves, mulch etc. to top of soil.... perhaps sitting the pot on top of a big piece of burlap...adding more dried leaves all around the side of the pot...maybe adding a piece of bubble wrap as well....and then bringing all of that up and around the top of the pot... securing it all within the burlap....and tying it up somehow..so the entire pot is 'insulated'. Does that sound like a good approach?

And then for the plant itself...the stems....would I just wrap it in burlap as well..and then if so...what about when it snows and accumulates, and I possibly have a heavy, wet mound of snow on top of the stems and burlap cover...what if the weight causes the branches to break? Or should I worry more about protecting the pot itself...the root ball...and just leave the branches bare? (I feel like snow is more problematic for branches when the branches are covered in burlap...because then the burlap acts like a 'canopy'....collecting more snow.

Thanks!

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Comments (7)

Dingo2001 - Z5 Chicagoland
8 years ago
Hi Lynn! Where do you Live? You can probably untie the canes from the trellis if you need to move the pot. Some roses don’t bounce back so well from being cut back. The rose you linked to is a once bloomer I believe, and may not flower if it’s cut back at the wrong time.
seil zone 6b MI
8 years ago
I agree with Dingo. Without knowing your location it's hard to give you an answer. That nursery is in Wisconsin. Do you live in WI or just ordering online from them? If you live there a potted rose on a rooftop will never survive a WI winter. Potted roses in cold climates need extensive measures in winter protection. Even planted in the ground, climbers need extra winterizing in cold climates if you want any cane length to survive the cold. However, in a warm climate you may well be able to do what you are proposing without any problem. Please let us know at least what zone you are in if nothing else.
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jc_7a_MiddleTN
8 years ago
Lynn, I think I have read that snow accumulation is actually better for the roses that freezing cold without snow. Something about the snow being an insulator? I'm not sure because I get the freezing wind with no snowcover so I didn't pay much attention to that topic.
Lynn Nevins
Original Author
8 years ago
jc.... yes, that could be entirely possible. But I also know (at least with Japanese maples) that heavy accumulations of snow on the branches can sometimes cause the branches to break. So for my maples, I'd have to go out and periodically shake off the new snow, to ensure there was not so much weight that some branches might break.
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
8 years ago
Let's start all over again. Most of what has been said already is specific to marginally hardy, heavily hybridized roses. It has nothing to do with a very hardy species rose. This is a legitimate zone 4 plant. Also, it will want to get big.

Setigera blooms on old canes. So don't expect much the year after you cut it back. I don't expect much trouble with snow breakage on one that has been kept in a pot. I also don't know how well I expect it to do in a pot. I've grown it from seed, but don't remember keeping them in a pot forever.
Lynn Nevins
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks mad. I was getting confused and thinking that because this rose is a 'climber', that that meant it winds all around the trellis, like a morning glory might do... but now I understand that this rose simply uses the trellis for 'support', and that the stems don't 'sucker' around the trellis, or wind around it. So... I therefore won't have any need to cut back the stems, if I need to move the planter. I can simply remove any 'ties' that I may have used to help secure the stems to the trellis.

Either way, I do understand that this plant may need a pretty large planter in which to grow/expand.