Pruning Roses Part 3. Climbers.

Climbers are routinely pruned in winter, after the flowers have faded, between December and February.
Climbing roses are not self-clinging and need the support of a trellis or horizontal wires to which the shoots can be tied. 
I grow my climbers over an arch and also against a fence. 
Climbing roses are very vigorous and grow really quickly. It took only three years for my Shropshire Lad to cover the arch and I am now just trying to keep it at bay to avoid it growing too big. 
This is how I prune my climbers:
* I start by removing foliage. It is easier to see what you are doing when the rose is not in leaf. * Remove dead, diseased or dying branches.
* Then tie in any new shoots needed to the supports.
* Prune any flowered side shoots back by two thirds of their length.
* If the plant is heavily congested, cut out any really old branches from the base to promote new growth. Old branches are usually too big to be cut by secateurs so you need a good pruning saw.
* Saw away any dead stumps at the base of the plant, where rain can collect and encourage rot
* Don’t worry about cutting back too much. Roses are extremely strong and will grow back even if you cut all of the stems right back to the base.
* Clear away rose leaves from the ground to reduce the risk of disease spores being carried over.
* Carefully dispose of foliage. Foliage should never be composted and should be removed from your garden. This ensures spores that can initiate disease are removed from your garden.
* Give pruned plants a boost in the following spring by spreading a granular rose fertiliser over the soil (I use David Austin rose food) and mulch them with a 5cm (2in) layer of garden compost or well rotted manure. 
One more trick is to train rose branches horizontally against a wall or a fence. They will then shoot new growth upwards in spring creating a beautiful flower display!