Climbing Rose 'Rambling Rector'

All of our freshly potted roses are field grown and dug up and potted when the weather conditions are right in October or November, just as the plants are entering their winter dormancy, which helps keep the roots hydrated and in good condition.

The roses can be kept in their pots throughout the winter provided they are kept well fed and watered, however ideally, they should be planted out as soon as possible. Because plants are dormant throughout the winter, they do not produce any new roots until spring, so don't be alarmed if the compost falls away from the roots when you take them out of their pots.

They will already have been cut back so no further pruning will be required, apart from removing any tips that have died back.

• Rambling roses are not self-clinging and need support to which the shoots can be tied. If training up pillars, arches or pergolas, twist the main shoots gently around the uprights, keeping them as horizontal as possible, to encourage flowering shoots to form low down.
• To prune, just remove any dead, dying, damaged and diseased stems and also deadhead regularly. Traditionally, you would cut just above a leaf joint with a sloping cut away from the bud, however, this isn't necessary, and don’t worry about pruning too much - roses are very resilient and will grow back.
• Shorten side shoots by one third to one half, to encourage branching.
• When pruning, make sure that your secateurs are clean and sharp to prevent squashing stems and introducing disease. Add mycorrhizal fungi to the roots when planting to help the plant establish quicker.
• Roses can be planted at any time of the year, as long as the soil is not frozen, waterlogged or drought-dry. Plant your rose where it can get plenty of sun for at least half of the day, and where it will be sheltered from the wind.
• Roses tolerate wide range of soils but thrive in deep, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, so add plenty of well-rotted manure into the hole if necessary and plant so that the graft union (the swollen area when the stems meet the roots) is around 3cm below soil level.
• Water well every other day - daily if the weather is hot and dry. Established roses can be watered around once a week through spring and summer - more if the weather is hot.
• For best results, feed roses in late-March/April and again in late July.