Growing roses to the top of a pergola upright support

[Humblegrower]

Hello All, and thanks for all the info in your posts. I wonder if someone can help with this, please.

I have recently had a pergola installed across the width of the garden and want to grow Open Arms roses vertically up the two central upright supports so they provide a "cladding".

These uprights provide passage through to the back section of the (long) garden so the space between them needs to remain unobstructed and so disallows horizontal training.

What do you experienced rose growers consider is the best way to do grow these pretty roses vertically so they reach the top of the pergola? The uprights are sunk into concrete.

At one end of the pergola, as a shield on the neighbours' side, I have planted Mme Alfred Carriere and that's fairly easy to manage - I think! - as I can train her skywards using horizontal wires.

Your wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

[hannes]

Hello Humblegrower,
a warm welcome to the forum! I don't have experience with growing 'Open Arms' but I think it is an excellent choice for your pergola. You can grow the roses like a pillar rose, train the canes up your upright supports in a graceful spiral. You can bring the canes around your support in the same direction or train half going one way and half the other. The trick with growing roses on any structure is not to let them grow vertical to fast just to reach the top. So you shorten (at least some) canes and try to train them in a more or less horizontal way in order to promote the the development of flowering laterals. These you can also tie to your support or allow them to spill out. Prune off any canes that can't be tied in and would obstruct passage between your two supports. There are different methods to attach a rose to the support/pillar, usually depending on the material of the post. If it's pressure-treated lumber you can drive in nails or screw in eye-hooks and tie the canes with jute garden twine or any other soft ribbon, if the supports are made of metal you can attach some bands around the supports (wires that blend with the colour of the post for example) and tie the canes to the bands.

Has this been helpful for you?

greetings
Hannes

[cyndyp]

Hello,

Welcome to the forum from me, too. I've just looked up the rose you mentioned on HMF. What a lovely choice. I'm just learning this stuff myself, but wanted to wish you all the best in your endeavor. How nice to have a pergola! I look forward to hearing more about your garden.

Cyndy

[Humblegrower]

Dear Hannes, Your advice is brilliant. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain in detail how to get the best out of Open Arms. I shall get to work at the weekend. I've got the well-rotted manure and new topsoil and will decide on whether hooks or nails. How can I fail(?) when using that wealth of knowledge.

Thank you also Cyndy for your encouragement. The roses are quite small right now so it will take them a couple of years to get some height, I guess. Hope to show you the results one day.

I shall dip in and out of the forum to see what everyone else is doing. There seem to be some fascinating stories catch up on. It's good to know there is a home for roselovers.

Best wishes to all.

[admin]

Hannes has a tendency to brilliance :D Great post Hannes, totally spot on again!

Be patient with the rose and encourage the horizontal branches and the rose will repay you 100x over with blooms from top to bottom.

Welcome to the forum, glad to know you like it!

Pete
IT Manager