How to Prune Climbers

Climbers and wall shrubs look beautiful grown against a house or building, wall or fence. They take up only a little ground space and clothe the whole area quickly.

Once they have covered the area that marked out, gentle pruning could be done. Make sure that the climbers have a framework to climb around and on, so that they completely cover the wall or fence. Wall shrubs have support wires which will train their growth.

How this is done is important because at all times you have to make sure that there is sufficient airflow around the stems. This will reduce the risk of fungal infections. Also, plant the climber 12 inches from the base of the wall.

This will allow the roots to grow properly and freely. The straggly twigs could be snipped off with a sharp pair of secateurs. Young shoots could be pruned in August. This is done by cutting them back to within 5 or 6 buds near the base. In winter they could be cut farther back, to within an inch or two of the older wood. The pruning requirements of Clematis differ according to the group to which they belong. The Jackmanii and Vitcella groups should, in February, have the previous summer’s growth cut back to within a few buds of their base. The Alpine and Montana groups are trained to form a framework of branches.

The side shoots from the main framework are cut back to almost their base in early August. The Florida and Patens groups produce their blooms on short growths from the previous year’s shoots. A framework of branches must be created. As soon as they finish blooming, the flowers are cut off just above the buds which can be seen below them. This is because flowers would otherwise use their energy in the growing of the seeds. When they are cut off, the energy remains in the plant and is used by the plant to grow stronger and get ready for the next flowering season. Plants in the Lanuginasa group are treated the same way as the plants in the Jackmanii and Vitecella groups.

This way a large number of flowers is produced. Rambler roses are pruned in September after they flower. However, these produce a lot of foliage, and so must be thinned out annually. Shoots that have flowered are cut completely to ground level, and the new growths are tied back to their supports. Roses are pruned in February.

This is a gentle pruning and not as severe as the pruning done on amblers. Every year, old wood is cut out leaving as much of the young wood as possible. Some climbers need more pruning during the early days of growth. If you see that your climber has thin stems without many buds, shortening them by about 1/3rd will encourage the foliage to grow out more fully. Pruning is very important both for climbers and shrubs so that they don’t have bare stems at the lower levels.