There’s no better way to spruce up your home than including wall climbing roses.
Wall climbing roses are convenient because they take up less square footage in your garden, and they are also very easy to care for.
In this guide, we’ll be going in-depth on how to grow and care for wall climbing roses, as well as 12 stunning rose varieties you need to check out.
How To Grow Climbing Roses On A Wall
Selecting The Right Location
Rose plants for the most part will require ample sunlight in order to encourage flowering.
We recommend aiming for at least 6 hours of consistent sunlight every day.
However, there are exceptions to this rule.
Some rose varieties have more lenient requirements when it comes to sunlight and might prefer partial shade conditions.
Related post: White Climbing Roses For Shady Areas
Secondly, select the area of the wall where you intend on planting your roses.
For climbing wall roses, we suggest leaving about 8 inches of space between the plant and the climbing structure.
Preparing The Soil
While roses are famously tolerable in most poor soil conditions, the ideal soil for a rose plant is one that is fertile, well-draining, and slightly acidic.
This is a winning combination for gorgeous healthy flowers.
Start by preparing your soil ahead of time.
You will first need to amend your soil using rich, organic matter that will provide a strong supply of nutrients to your growing plant.
A few weeks prior to planting your roses, work in organic compost/manure into the ground about 10 inches deep into the soil.
The reason why we let this compost sit for a few weeks is to allow the compost to naturally blend in with the existing garden soil.
Watering The Roses
After planting the roses in the soil, they’ll need a lot of water to help them adjust to their new home.
The first time you transplant your roses into the ground, give the soil a deep watering.
Spray the soil and allow the water to soak into the soil entirely before watering again.
This method gives us deeper permeation into the soil, which will encourage the roses to establish deep roots in the ground.
Moving forward, it is important to keep the soil lightly moist but not waterlogged.
We recommend waiting for the first few inches of water to dry before rehydrating your plant again.
Fertilizing The Soil
Fertilizing your rose plant is a necessary process in order to encourage vigorous foliage and flower growth.
When selecting a fertilizer for your rose plants, we highly suggest a balanced fertilizer that is specifically meant for roses.
Avoid fertilizers that have a high nitrogen content, as this can be counterproductive and hinder the development of flowers.
Roses should be fertilized twice a year.
The first time is at the beginning of the spring; this will help kickstart your roses to produce new branches and foliage after being pruned.
The second time is at the beginning of the summer just before the buds begin to set in.
How To Train And Prune Wall Climbing Roses
Training
In order to climb up on a wall, your roses will need a simple climbing structure to give the plant a head start.
Many gardeners use straining wires to help train their wall climbing roses.
How to use straining wires to help train wall climbing roses
As the rose branches begin to grow, continue to fasten your roses to the straining wires 12 to 18 inches apart from one another. These straining wires should be long enough to accommodate the width of the rose variety that you are growing.
The straining wires may begin to droop. This can be relied on by placing vine eyes 5 feet along the length of the wires.
Fan out the branches of the rose plant in order to encourage the plant to grow side shoots and create an even coverage throughout the wall.
Pruning
Pruning climbing roses is a necessity not only for increasing airflow and circulation between branches but also for encouraging new growth to form in its stead.
The goal of pruning your wall climbing roses is to remove any dead, old, or diseased wood.
By removing these unnecessary branches, you will allow your plant to redirect its energy towards developing new growth as opposed to sustaining old, unproductive growth.
Pruning should be done between the late winter to early spring.
We recommend starting by removing any branches that have been damaged or diseased during the wintertime.
Follow up by removing any old branches that are no longer productive.
A good rule of thumb is to remove any branch that has not been produced in 3 growing cycles.
After that, remove any canes that cross over one another.
Depending on how cold your climate is, you’ll need to remove roughly 30% of the plant.
12 Stunning Wall Climbing Roses For Your Garden
1. Climbing Iceberg Rose
The Climbing Iceberg rose was discovered by Cants of Colchester in United Kingdom, in 1968.
| COLOR: White | BLOOM SIZE: Medium To Large | FRAGRANCE: None To Mild Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 8ft – 15ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Climbing Iceberg is a medium-sized climbing rose, but it blooms in large close-knit clusters, giving this climbing rose the appearance of an iceberg.
The flowers have a very full petal count (30 to 40 petals).
The Climbing Iceberg shrub is tall with a bushy growth pattern.
2. Desprez a Fleur Jaune Rose
Desprez a Fleur Jaune rose was bred by Jean Desprez in France, in 1828.
| COLOR: Copper-Yellow | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Strong, Fruity Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 15ft – 20ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Desprez a Fleur Jaune roses are ruffled with a cupped bloom form and very full petals (at least 40 petals per flower).
The shrub of the Desprez a Fleur June grows vigorously with glossy green foliage.
3. Madame Isaac Pereire Rose
Madame Isaac Pereire rose was bred by Armand Garçon in France, in 1876.
| COLOR: Carmine-Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Very Large | FRAGRANCE: Strong, Raspberry Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 6ft – 8ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The vibrant blooms of the Madame Isaac Pereire rose are double, cup-shaped with an abundance of petals (26 to 40 per flower).
The plant itself grows voraciously with large, thick green leaves.
4. Pink Perpetue Rose
Pink Perpetue rose was bred by Charles Walter Gregory in United Kingdom, in 1965.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Green Apple Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 12ft – 15ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Pink Perpetue roses bloom together in tightly-knight clusters of beautiful flowers.
These showy roses have a fully double bloom form.
The pink hue of these roses contrasts against the dark green glossy leaves.
The leaves themselves are also very unique in that some of them have a slight purple tinge.
5. Alchymist Rose
Alchymist rose was bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany, in 1956.
| COLOR: Yellow, Orange Shading | BLOOM SIZE: Large | FRAGRANCE: Strong Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 6ft – 20ft | FLOWERING: Once-Blooming | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Alchymist rose is an old-fashioned rose whose petals bloom in a rosette formation.
They are very full roses, with each flower containing at least 40 petals.
These roses only bloom once per season either in the spring or summer.
6. City Girl Rose
City Girl rose was bred by Harkness & Co. in United Kingdom, in 1985.
| COLOR: Salmon-Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Large | FRAGRANCE: Mild, Fruity Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 7ft – 20ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The bloom form of the City Girl rose can be described as cupped with large, semi-double petal count.
Each flower can contain around 9 to 16 petals.
While this rose variety is capable of growing to staggering heights, you can trim the branches in order to shorten their length.
7. Summer Wine Rose
Summer Wine rose was bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany, before 1980.
| COLOR: Coral-Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium To Large | FRAGRANCE: Strong Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 8ft – 15ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
What makes Summer Wine roses so unique is their open bloom form which allows you to view the red anthers.
Each rose contains around 8 to 10 petals. Summer Wine roses typically bloom once per season but can occasionally repeat later in the season.
The Summer Wine plant is a vigorous climber with bushy, dark green leaves.
8. Albertine Rose
Albertine rose was bred by Barbier Frères & Compagnie in France, before 1921.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium To Large | FRAGRANCE: Mild To Strong Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 6ft – 20ft | FLOWERING: Once-Blooming | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The bloom form of the Albertine rose is cupped with full petals (26 to 40 petals per flower).
The plant itself grows tall and its branches are adorned with glossy green leaves and thorns.
Albertine roses only bloom once during either spring or summer.
9. Lady Waterlow Rose
Lady Waterlow rose was bred by Paul Nabonnand and Clément Nabonnand in France, in 1902.
| COLOR: Salmon-Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Very Large | FRAGRANCE: Strong Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 8ft – 12ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Lady Waterlow roses have a large, semi-double bloom form.
The leaves of the plant are large as well and are a semi-glossy green hue.
While they are resistant to rust and mildew, they do have a susceptibility to blackspot.
For remedies against blackspots, check out the complete guide on how to treat and prevent black spots on rose leaves.
10. Duchesse d’Auerstadt Rose
Duchesse d’Auerstadt rose was bred by Alexandre Bernaix in France, in 1887.
| COLOR: Golden-Yellow | BLOOM SIZE: Large | FRAGRANCE: Moderat Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 10ft – 20ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Duchesse d’Auerstadt is a noisette rose with a cupped bloom form and scalloped petals.
These flowers have a full petal count (averaging 26 to 40 petals per rose).
11. Climbing Captain Hayward Rose
Captain Hayward rose was bred by Henry Bennett in United Kingdom, before 1890.
| COLOR: Deep Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Very Large | FRAGRANCE: Moderate Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 5ft – 7ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Captain Hayward rose has a bloom form that can be described as double and cupped.
The plant itself grows tall with an abundance of glossy, medium green leaves.
12. Madame Edouard Herriot Rose
Madame Edouard Herriot rose was bred by Joseph Pernet-Ducher in France, before 1912.
| COLOR: Coral-Red | BLOOM SIZE: Large | FRAGRANCE: Moderate, Damask Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 15ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Madame Edouard Herriot rose blooms mostly in solitary.
Its bloom form can be described as open with semi-double petals.
These are considered “weak neck” or “nodding” roses because the stem that holds the flower droops slightly as opposed to standing upright.
The shrub produces many branches with a plethora of shiny green leaves.
Conclusion
A wall climbing rose is a classic, beautiful addition to anyone’s home; they are a simple solution to dressing up a plain exterior wall.
Not only are wall climbing roses aesthetically pleasing, but they are no more difficult to care for than any other rose variety.
With a little effort, you too can have a beautiful garden with the help of wall climbing roses.
