Training a large climbing rose against a fence

[Susan BBPM]

Last year I planted a Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose against my NW facing fence.

The rose is vigorous, reaching 25 feet (quickly I read).

The fence is around 6 foot high. My goal is to create privacy at one small area where we're very overlooked, and then generally for the rose to run along the fence and do as it pleases.

Current thinking is to create a fan trellis out of 8 foot strips of wood. It can be attached to it's own posts so as not to strain the fence. I'm thinking that this will give height where I need it and the rose can then continue growing along the fence.

So, I'm thinking I train the canes along the 'spokes' of the fan trellis. When the outer ones reach the fence they can be trained along it. But what do I do with the canes on the central 'spokes' of the fan trellis? Do I just cut them off at 8foot when they reach the top?

 

[Toddz]

You can continue to train them laterally.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I would re-think wood for the trellis. it will rot out in time.

 

[Susan BBPM]

I would re-think wood for the trellis. it will rot out in time.

The alternative would be the wooden fence. At least by building a trellis with it's own posts it would last longer than the 20 year old wooden fence? We plan to make the trellis ourselves - so not flimsy.

In the UK you'd need to pay a fortune to get anything made of metal that didn't rust and fall apart in the first year.

 

[Susan BBPM]

You can continue to train them laterally.

I haven't explained myself very clearly. The outer 'spokes' of the trellis will end at the top of the fence and the canes that are tied to them can indeed continue along the fence.

But the central spoke of the trellis will be about 3 feet above the top of the fence. It's the cane's attached to that that I'm not sure what to do with.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

The alternative would be the wooden fence. At least by building a trellis with it's own posts it would last longer than the 20 year old wooden fence? We plan to make the trellis ourselves - so not flimsy.

In the UK you'd need to pay a fortune to get anything made of metal that didn't rust and fall apart in the first year.

was thinking of a black rod iron. I have a climbing rose on a black rod iron.

 

[Tetters]

Hiya Susan, what a lovely choice - old fashioned, not many thorns, lovely scent and strong growing! I don't know why I haven't got one..... out with the must have list A newly planted one of these shouldn't be pruned at all in the first few years, and then, only thin out the dead or diseased bits. When it reaches the top of the trellis, I reckon you might as well just let it do its own thing. If it lollops over next door, he can think how jolly lucky he is to have a lovely neighbour like you who doesn't mind sharing
Actually I have a rambler just outside the kitchen door which also has a lovely scent. It grows alongside a clematis montana. When it gets to the top of the fence, we just tie it in and it gets taller and taller in layers. It seems happy enough along the top of all the other growth.

 

[Tetters]

It looks like this one got to the top, and as it's a strong grower it just kept growing upwards. That would just be a bonus !?

 

[Susan BBPM]

Thanks Tetters - that's exactly what I want to hear!! The neighbour on this side is lovely - in fact, lots of her plants grow over onto my side. So I'm very happy for this to look good for her. And as she's on the South side she'll probably get the best of it!!

I've never grown roses before and whilst I've read about training and pruning I can't quite picture in my mind how it will all work out.

I have a rambler on the other side - Bobbie James. That's going up onto a newly built pergola.

 

[Susan BBPM]

was thinking of a black rod iron. I have a climbing rose on a black rod iron.

I doubt you'd get anything like that in the UK. Or not at an affordable price. I think UK is very different from US in some respects. Most of what we buy nowadays is cheap junk from China (with a hefty price tag).

Someone may well correct me if I'm wrong about this.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I have a Zephirine. its thornless. on the west side of the deck on a Obolisk (spelling).

 

[Tetters]

Thanks Tetters - that's exactly what I want to hear!! The neighbour on this side is lovely - in fact, lots of her plants grow over onto my side. So I'm very happy for this to look good for her. And as she's on the South side she'll probably get the best of it!!

I've never grown roses before and whilst I've read about training and pruning I can't quite picture in my mind how it will all work out.

I have a rambler on the other side - Bobbie James. That's going up onto a newly built pergola.

He he, I think you picked the right plants for each side. I would rather be the other neighbour with the pretty pink one. I have a ''rambling rector'' on my bottom fence dividing us from the school next door for special needs youngsters. I believe these two roses to be fairly similar. Bobbie James is another great big one, and oh boy will it ramble - that'll teach him! Don't be in too much of a hurry to prune that either. Ramblers sulk big time when they are pruned, and refuse to flower. They need to use some space, and pruning becomes quite a job when/if the time ever comes. For example, if ever you had a different neighbour that you wanted to chat to over the fence, you might even cut it down to the ground.

 

[Tetters]

By the way, I find that those metal obelisks that we can get here, are not too clever for supporting roses at all. The plants aren't so easy to attach, and those supports are a preference for twining plants.
My trellis is all made from roofing battens. They are very sturdy, and have a rather more rustic look - and they last for a surprisingly long time.

 

[Susan BBPM]

He he, I think you picked the right plants for each side. I would rather be the other neighbour with the pretty pink one. I have a ''rambling rector'' on my bottom fence dividing us from the school next door for special needs youngsters. I believe these two roses to be fairly similar. Bobbie James is another great big one, and oh boy will it ramble - that'll teach him! Don't be in too much of a hurry to prune that either. Ramblers sulk big time when they are pruned, and refuse to flower. They need to use some space, and pruning becomes quite a job when/if the time ever comes. For example, if ever you had a different neighbour that you wanted to chat to over the fence, you might even cut it down to the ground.

I don't think I'm fully appreciating how big these things get!!

As I explained, the 'bad' neighbour built a raised deck that overlooked our entire garden. Legally you can only build a fence 6 foot high, but you can build an 8 foot pergola (within a metre of the fence) that can be up to 10 foot high over a metre from the fence, so we built a pergola that's 40 foot long and 5 foot wide running beside the fence. The rambling rose (along with a few group 3 clematis) will sprawl over that. We planted it all last year and it didn't grow much - I know in the first year it doesn't, but even so, I expect I'm in for a shock when it does start to grow!!

 

[Tetters]

Don't worry, it will be a lovely shock - more importantly it will certainly help to do the job you need it for.
I would speak nicely to it every day if I were you and give it all the encouragement it needs.