| Climbers that are grown for their flowers, such as | | | | Trim any side shoots on the remaining stems to |
| roses and honeysuckle, require only light pruning | | | | within two or three buds. Rambler roses have a |
| from time to time to achieve a profusely | | | | single flush of blooms in summer, which are |
| flowering plant. When trained up walls or along | | | | produced on growth that was formed the |
| fences climbing roses may not need pruning | | | | previous year. They produce long shoots from |
| annually, other than to remove dead or dying | | | | the base. For each vigorous new young shoot |
| growth, but regular pruning will keep the plant | | | | prune out an unproductive old one back to ground |
| vigorous and flowering well, with the blooms low | | | | level after flowering. Do not prune out an old |
| down, where they can be appreciated. Roses | | | | shoot unless there is a new one to replace it, but |
| trained over free standing supports need annual | | | | remove completely any very old, dead or |
| pruning to keep them within bounds. Climbing | | | | diseased wood. |
| roses can be divided into two main groups, those | | | | Most climbers can be kept in good shape and |
| that produce blooms in one flush on short side | | | | flowering well by simply removing unwanted |
| shoots from an established framework of stems, | | | | growth and pruning out any dead, dying or |
| and those that are repeat flowering, bearing | | | | diseases stems. A few popular types, however, |
| blooms in a series of flushed throughout summer. | | | | including clematis, wisteria and roses, require |
| Once flowering climbers should be pruned after | | | | special pruning for best result. Wisteria has an |
| flowering by removing up to one third of the | | | | undeserved reputation for being difficult to prune, |
| stems, starting with the oldest. Cut back near to | | | | but in this case it is because it is pruned in two |
| the base or to a new side shoot produced low | | | | stages, in late summer and then in winter. The |
| down. If there is not much new growth, cut back | | | | pruning itself is straightforward, simply cut back all |
| older branches to about 12 inches to encourage | | | | the whippy new growth to four or six leaves in |
| more next year. Trim side shoots on other stems | | | | late summer and then, when the leaves have |
| to two or three leaves. Repeat flowering climbers | | | | fallen and it is easier to see what you are doing, |
| or those that produce attractive hips should be | | | | cut the same stumps to just two or three buds |
| pruned in winter to remove the weakest and | | | | from the main stem. |
| oldest stems. | | | | |