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alwaysundecided7b

How to fix badly pruned climbing roses?

2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago

When I plan to prune my two climbing roses today, which were planted last March, to my surprise, my yard guy has already pruned them along with my other shrub roses using shrub rose pruning style. The climbing roses are 'Teasing Georgia' and 'Pretty in Pink Eden'. Here is how one of the climbing roses look like right now. I am very new to roses. I know this is not how climbing rose should be pruned, but not sure how to fix it.

1) Since all the main canes have been pruned, will this cause long-term damage to the roses other than no flowers this year? Both climbing roses have only produced very few flowers since planting last March.

2) Many branches have grown away from the fence, which, according to instruction videos posted on YouTube, should be completely cut off during pruning. Since they were not cut off by the yard guy, should I go ahead cutting them off? Or just leave it the way it is and make it right next year.

Thanks for your help.



Comments (15)

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    I wouldn't prune off anything else right now. And if your rose is a repeat-blooming variety, you'll probably still get blooms this year.

    Edit, duh I see the rose names now. You'll still get flowers.

    alwaysundecided7b thanked Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
  • 2 years ago

    Ok, your Teasing Georgia will be fine. I pruned my more like a shrub and by mid summer it had long canes winding all through my trellis. At least that one should revive


    alwaysundecided7b thanked Kristine LeGault 8a pnw
  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Before the prune, both of my climbing roses had already grown above the 6 feet fence with long canes growing in many different directions. They looked very messy and I could not even work around that area. I had imagined a fence full of flowers this summer. Now they are all gone thanks to the yard guys. For those pruned main canes, are they useless now? I guess only the new main canes growing from the base will have laterals that will produce flowers? Maybe at this point, it is not whether they will flower. It is whether they will survive. I had asked the landscape company to spare my climbing roses in the future.

  • 2 years ago

    Oh, I hate workers in my yard. Last spring some workers came to fix our sewer, and they put a pile of timber right on my Renae that broke two main canes from the crown. Fortunately the little thing was tough enough and then shoot another long cane out and still bloomed for me. TG is a tough one too so I think it will be ok.

    alwaysundecided7b thanked Feiy (PNWZ8b/9a)
  • 2 years ago

    They'll survive.

    alwaysundecided7b thanked Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
  • 2 years ago

    Thanks for all the advice here. Looks like I should just leave them alone in current state and no more pruning.

  • 2 years ago

    I wrapped survey tape around a few roses before tree guys came to alert them not to damage them. I think it helped. No damage.

    alwaysundecided7b thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Eden actually blooms quite well as a bush! I would not have thought so but I’ve seen it for myself. This is three Edens planted very close together, trimmed as bushes, in Schoenbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria:



    While some roses must be grown as climbers with canes trained horizontally, many don’t. Abe Darby , Eveyn, Golden Celebration, Lady in Red, Lavender Crush all bloom well either as a bush or climber.

  • 2 years ago

    The bush looks very lovely. Mine is not exactly Eden. It is 'Pretty in PInk Eden'.

  • 2 years ago

    I've grown my Eden in the ground for ~20 years on the north side of a 6" wooden fence. I've never trained it, nor pruned it much. It grows as a 8-10 ft shrub and blooms ~ 4 times per year. It has gotten shaded recently by a 20-25 ft ficus tree in the neighbor's yard directly over the fence, so my intent was to really hack it back this winter for renewal and to remove dead canes. Alas, I have had major health issues that has prevented that so far. Fingers crossed for still pulling it off in March once I regain the sight in my left eye. The weight of the canes makes it a really good prospect as a large shrub, with most of the blooms at eye level.

  • 2 years ago

    I hope you continue to get better Susan

  • 2 years ago

    Me too.

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Susan, I hope you will recover soon. Working around my gardens always makes me feel better.

  • 2 years ago

    Good luck for 2022 Susan. So sorry you have had these challenges.