Climbing Roses
Climbing & Rambling Roses
Increasingly popular in Britain, climbing and rambling roses are an excellent way to make up for a lack of garden space. They can be seen growing up walls, pillars and trellises, but also over arches.
Ramblers are the oldest group of roses having achieved peak popularity in Victorian times, but have been eclipsed as of late, by climbers. Come summer, they produce a mass of colour in a single burst.
Ramblers have two drawbacks. Firstly, their flowers are born on new stems which require pruning every year. Secondly, they are vigorous and susceptible to mildew so will need attention to prevent a tangled mess. However, both of these "drawbacks" are of little trouble to most gardeners.
Climbers, on the other hand, bear flowers from mature wood which facilitates maintenance. With larger flowers, most cultivars are likely to repeat flower; hence, their popularity. Climbers are divided into four groups: large-flowered, cluster-flowered (similar to floribundas), species clumbers (similar to wild roses) and miniature.
