Pruning rambling roses

Rose pruning can be a little daunting with so many different types. Rambling roses are vigorous plants that are used for scrambling into trees or covering pergolas or garden structures. The curved thorns act as grappling irons to gain purchase on bark or woodwork. A relatively plain shed or garden building can be transformed by a covering of a rambling rose. 

Rambling roses need to be distinguished from climbers as they have different pruning requirements. Ramblers tend to be very vigorous, have semi-evergreen foliage and flower in a single flush. By contrast, climbers have stiff stems and are usually repeat flowering. There are exceptions to these rules, some ramblers are repeat flowering and some climbers have only a single flush of flowers.

Left unpruned, ramblers often become a mess of tangled shoots and as vigour declines, so does flowering. You need to be prepare to make some some hard pruning cuts to keep your ramblers from becoming triffids and I suggest using both secateurs and loppers. 

Pruning ramblers is about removing flowering shoots close to their point of origin at the base of the plant immediately after flowering. Do not overwork your precious secateurs, a pair of loppers will save time and avoid twisting the blades of your secateurs. What proportion of flowering shoots you remove depends on your requirements, if the plant is threatening to outgrow its allotted space, take them all out leaving the new shoots to flower next year. If there is enough space to accommodate them, leave the majority of flowering shoots in place and take out either a quarter or third of them each year taking out the older shoots on a rota basis. Side shoots are reduced by about a half. 

Pruning ramblers appears brutal and is not a task to be undertaken by a gardener who is timid with the secateurs. 

Rosa mulliganii - a typical rambling rose needing pruning after flowering to keep in check.