There isn't a more charming sight than a rose-laden cottage. We all love a romantic garden arch covered with a cascade of climbing roses. Roses are one of the nation's favourite flowers. They symbolise romance, love and beauty. So why not bring all of those elements into your garden this year? There are some fabulous varieties to suit all garden themes and palettes.
Regardless of how small your outdoor space is, there will be something for you. Climbing roses are an excellent way to add the wow factor to a small garden or charm to an otherwise plain brick wall to add something to your garden borders. Fragrant and colourful, this plant is perfect for gorgeous garden displays - get yours planted now ahead of spring for bigger, better and earlier show-stoppers!
Best climbing roses at a glance
• Best overall pick: Rosa Mary Delany - view at Burford
• Best medium-size climber: 'Handel' Climbing Rose - view at Dobies
• Best fast-growing climbing roses: 'New Dawn' Climbing Rose - view on Amazon UK
Samantha Richards, garden gazebo expert at Gazeboshop has helped us pull together this guide on how to find the best climbing roses and tips on how to look after them. When choosing climbing roses, Samantha says that you need to consider your climate and location - and choose varieties "suited to your local climate". For example, roses that thrive in the south, may not fare as well in wetter regions up north. Consider the location in your garden too, she adds. Does your new plant friend need full sun or can tolerate partial shade?
Consider factors such as blooming frequency, fragrance, height and spread, too. Though roses look gorgeous and smell divine, how far they will spread out is something you can't ignore. Climbing roses can range from 2.5 to 6 metres in height, says Samantha. So, make sure your variation can fit in your small garden. Below, we have chosen our favourite varieties of climbing roses for your garden.
Best climbing roses
Best overall pick
Burfordwww.burford.co.uk
This Rosa Mary Delany climbing rose has few thorns compared to other roses and has an Old Rose scent with hints of fruit. Bearing large sprays of loosely double, soft pink flowers, this climbing rose attracts bees with its classic fragrance. And, it's also thornless if that's something you prefer. Named after Mary Delany, an English artist and Ken gardener, this rose has been awarded an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. So, you can't go wrong with this pick.
Pros
- Long flowering period - late spring to first frost
- Recipient of the RHS AGM, for all-round excellence
- Very healthy, repeat flowers well and attracts bees
Cons
- Growth height is higher than most on this list
| Type: | Potted Rose |
| Colour: | Light pink |
| Expected flowering period: | May-October |
| Sunlight exposure: | Sun, partial sun or shade |
| Growth height: | 3.75 metres |
Best medium size climber
Dobieswww.dobies.co.uk
The 'Handel' climbing rose adds height and drama to your garden with the delightfully unusual two-tone flower. In the summer, it looks exceptional and still has a traditional feel to it. Vigorous and relatively thornless, this variety will serve you well through summer and autumn, wall or fence. Plus, the blooms are lightly scented and perfect for cutting. Medium in size, Handel is tolerant of partial sun and poorer soil, too.
Pros
- Stunning and ideal for walls and fences
- Repeat flowers throughout the seasons
- Tolerant of poorer soils and partial sun
Cons
- These will enjoy rich, fertile and well-drained soil
| Type: | Bare root plant |
| Colour: | Creamy-white and rose-pink |
| Expected flowering period: | May-October |
| Sunlight exposure: | Sun or partial shade |
| Growth height: | 3 metres |
Best fast-growing climbing roses
This stunning climbing rose has a wonderfully sweet scent and was voted the World's Favourite Rose in 1997, as well as achieving the RHS Award of Garden Merit. See it burst into life by June, perfect for growing over a pergola or trellis. Beautiful, with pale pink flowers and a highly fragrant scent, this climbing rose is fast-growing and will look fabulous on a pergola or trellis. For impressive blooms across summer and autumn, it's a great pick.
From over 350 reviews on Amazon UK, customers love the appearance of this climbing rose. They mention that their roses grow to be healthy, with glossy leaves, and produce great blooms, which smell amazing. However, some customers have had issues with growth.
Pros
- Pale pink flowers and a highly fragrant scent
- Impressive blooms, across summer and autumn
- Fast growing, looks superb growing across a trellis
Cons
- Opinions are mixed on the growth
| Type: | 3L potted multi-branched plant |
| Colour: | Pale shell-pink |
| Expected flowering period: | May-October |
| Sunlight exposure: | Sun |
| Growth height: | 3 metres |
Best climbing roses for fragrance
Burfordwww.burford.co.uk
Always one of the first English Roses to start flowering, the scent of this climbing rose is often described as being the quintessential Old Rose fragrance. Ideal for walls, fences, obelisks or doorways. Twice voted the nation's favourite rose by BBC Gardeners' World, the Gertrude Jekyll Climbing Rose comes from David Austin - and is a medium-sized shrub. It will look great trained over a pergola or along a fence - and will produce tightly scrolled buds with a classic rose fragrance, from June to September in all soil types and full sun or partial sunlight.
Pros
- Twice voted the nation's favourite rose by BBC Gardeners' World
- Robust and reliable, it is a medium-sized shrub for rosette flowers
- Tightly scrolled buds with a quintessential old rose fragrance
Cons
- Recommended to use Mycorrhizal Fungi to promote root growth - extra cost
| Type: | Potted Rose |
| Colour: | Bright pink |
| Expected flowering period: | Repeat, June - September |
| Sunlight exposure: | Sun or partial sun |
| Growth height: | 125 cm / 4 ft after 2-5 years |
Best pink-orange climbing roses
www.thompson-morgan.com
This heavenly-scented rose was voted Rose of the Year 2017 and won a 'fragrance prize' in the Paris International Rose Trials. Not only does this rose form gorgeous pillars of apricot-orange blooms, but it's also highly disease-resistant. Supplied as bare root plants, the roses have a rich, fruit fragrance - a bonus which will make a gorgeous addition to your space. Dense and glossy leaves meet salmon-pink-orange hybrid-tea-rose blooms. What's not to love?
Pros
- Stunning semi-double salmon-pink-orange flowers
- Produces a really strong, 'heavenly' perfume
- Attractive hybrid-tea-rose-shaped blooms
| Type: | Bare-rooted plant |
| Colour: | Apricot-orange |
| Expected flowering period: | June-September |
| Sunlight exposure: | Sun |
| Growth height: | 3 metres |
Best climbing roses for pillars
www.thompson-morgan.com
This eye-catching climbing pink rose boasts a strong fragrance and gorgeous double flowers that'll provide years of enjoyment watching them bloom. Star Performer is a repeat flowering and delicately fragrant, says Thompson and Morgan. Bringing colour to your outdoor space from early summer to autumn, this climbing rose is better suited for smaller spaces - with a neat, compact habit - perfect for pillars, walls and fences.
Customers adore this variation - claiming the plants are strong and grow well. Not only do they arrive quickly and in great condition, Star Performer is delicate and fragrant.
Pros
- Ideal for training on pillars, walls and fences
- Delicately fragrant, bringing scent and colour
- Shapely satin pink double blooms
Cons
- Some customers had issues with growth
| Type: | Bare-rooted plant |
| Colour: | Pale pink |
| Expected flowering period: | June-October/November |
| Sunlight exposure: | Sun or partial shade |
| Growth height: | 1.8-2.5m height |
FAQs
Should I choose climbing or rambling roses?
It can sometimes be hard to distinguish between a climbing rose and a rambling rose. Both can be trained to grow on supports with long, flexible stems. According to the Royal Horticultural Society, the easiest way to tell the difference is to take note of the flowering time. A climbing rose will repeat-flower almost all summer, while a rambling rose usually flowers only once, normally around June. Rambling roses can also grow more vigorously compared to a climbing rose which behaves much more like a standard shrub rose. For this reason, we would choose a climbing rose for beautiful flowers that will continue to bloom, and not become unruly, each year.
How best to support climbing roses.
Climbing roses aren't self-clinging to walls or surfaces, so you'll need to support them as they grow. There is a huge range of support solutions great for making your roses shape the way you want in your garden. If you're looking to grow your climbing roses on the side of your house or a fence, options include using garden wires, string and canes or growing on a trellis where shoots can be tied. This is also a great solution if you're low on space in your garden.
Monty Don, horticultural writer and broadcaster, recommends training the main structural growth of your rose plant to grow at a 45-degree or horizontal angle. This will let your side shoots be as upright as possible so they are stronger and in abundance on your garden wall. If you've got space to spare, grow on garden obelisks, iron gazebos or railings, pergolas or create your very own rose tunnel! There are so many options to choose from, and all produce impressive floral displays. Below are some supports you can buy to get started or to support a climbing rose that needs a little help.
How best to prune climbing roses.
Before you get started, make sure to wear gardening gloves to prune safely around the prickly rose thorns. The best time of year to prune your climbing rose is in the winter or early spring when the flowers have faded away. Remove any dead, diseased or dying branches and leaves and then tie down any new branches or shoots that need support.
Prune any side shoots back to about two inches to let them flower again next summer. At this time you can look for any strong branches which you can tie down horizontally to let the side shoots grow up when the time comes. If your climbing rose is looking too congested, cut out any old branches from the base to promote regrowth in the new season. Come summer, you should have a lovely new set of sweet, blooming roses!
Peter Seabrooke from The Gardening Channel shares his tips below on how to prune an overgrown climbing rose that needs that helping hand:
Eleanor Weaver is the Deputy Homes & Garden Product Editor for Yours, specialising in home décor, furnishings and appliances. Having worked commercially on Yours magazine and Yours.co.uk for the past six years, she's previously hosted Yours Live events and loves looking for home inspiration online.