Difference Between Climbing and Rambling Roses 

I grew Cl. Cecile Brunner (a/k/a 'The Sweetheart Rose'), a climbing polyantha, at my home in NY years ago. Massive clusters of small light pink hybrid tea-like sweet-smelling blooms. It filled the whole backyard with its beautiful fragrance in summer with the occasional sparse repeat in fall. Rambler 20 -30ft. Oh, how I miss that spectacular rose!

Watching your channel has made me a rose convert! When we moved into our home the previous owner left me directions with a schedule of sprays the roses needed almost monthly. Antifungals, insecticides, etc. Ugh! I dug the roses out and rehomed them all. Since watching your channel, I have added 8 roses into our landscape. They are all doing very well because I follow your advice and recommendations. I have learned so much and have completely changed my opinion of roses . Thank you!

Long time rose lover but I learn so much from your videos. Thank you!

It looks so warm at your rose farm! The climbing roses mutation explanation really makes sense; I had wondered about it for a long time and it just didn’t seem feasible to me to try to cross them with climbers. Now I know that they come from the original. Very interesting!

Your channel offers such a wealth of knowledge on roses. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

Thank you for your clear explanation. I finally understand why David Austin sells both a shrub and climbing rose named lady of shallot.

You’re talks are always worth the time

Thanks very much for taking the time to explain all things roses, got to go out now and dig a hole and plant a ramblings rector my wife Brought yesterday 😀

This is so interesting seems I’ve been thinking my two huge, very old roses where climbers. But actually it’s Rambler. I wondered why it only flowered the once compared to everything else, but is stunning when in flower. Super easy to propagate as well.

I love your videos they’re so informative and apply to my rose gardening all the way here in Japan. Thanks and thumbs up!

This was very helpful, as all your vlogs are. I am just beginning with roses so your knowledge is invaluable but also your teaching style (clear and concise!) makes it so accessible. You give me confidence!

Thanks for another great informative video Jason ! Always look forward to your posts.

We love our Seven Sisters. We thought we would never find one again after we sold our farm. Thank you

Great video Jason. Love roses of all kinds, they are all so beautiful. Thanks for the great advice :)

Great info. I love my Dr Huey! It exploded with probably 300 to 400 blooms this year and is around 10 feet tall and almost as wide!

Thank You for clarifying difference between two types. It had always confused me.

Best rose specialist on youtube.

Thanks for explaining the difference - I've always found this confusing.

Great video...awesome pics!❤👍🌹

Very nice video Jason.👍

Thank you for informative video! Just today, on a whim, I purchased two climbers, American and Handel. I am reading up on how to grow roses.

Thanks for giving the oft-ignored American Pillar a little shout out! It is one of my favorite roses - that one-time bloom is worth waiting for!

I've wanted to come to the farm every time I drive by! I didn't even notice I was watching your videos!!

Thanks Jason. I’ll have to start looking for some of those 🌷💚🙃

Wow - I have just come across this video and you explained things so clearly and well. You have such great rose knowledge. I have just subscribed and am going to watch more of your videos. I am in the UK and have a fair few Peter Beales roses and some David Austins. Thank You so much for sharing your expertise.

Once again you are reading our minds! Have a couple spots begging for climbing roses. I looked at some for sale but got stuck when I saw ramblers. Huh? Then one mentioned thicket rose. Hmmm.... Then BAM, your video shows up offering 99% more information than I knew. Thank goodness I hadn’t bought anything yet. Wish you shipped to Oklahoma. Bet you hear the ..I wish you shipped to..... all the time. Thank you Jason!

Great vid. Explains a lot I struggle to explain myself.

Good video. I have Albertine growing over the roof of our garden shed. Paul’s Himalayan Musk is growing up into the fir trees behind the garden shed. Love the scent of both of these roses!

Well done! I shared your video on my channel community. Hope more people understand the difference between Climber and Rambles. Thank You for sharing

I have a very old rose in my garden which I thought was a climber but now realise its a rambler , will now be looking for tips to prune it only flowers once which is starting to bud now as its 1st week of spring. Thankyou for videos

I discovered your videos and have been learning so much. Wonderfully informative. I guess I’ve got the rose bug now! Giving roses a try in this warm humid climate in Houston so fingers crossed.

Always very informative video Jason thank you.

Love your channel

My husband built a new arbor for my garden. I researched the Kordes climbing roses and chose Tangerine Skies, as I'm partial to orange/pink. I'm hoping it does well establishing itself this year and ready to put on a show next year. Thanks for the great videos.

Great timing Jason. I just bought a Don Juan and Blaze climbers. I'm not sure what I'm going to climb then on but looking forward to having them in the garden.

You explain well ,, Good work 👍

Great info. Thank you 💛💛

Thank you for this wonderful information

Great info! Thanks!

It is not often that the name of a plant, or anything for that matter, is as clearly representative of the plant itself as the Blue Magenta rose you featured! That is so interesting as to how that colouring is even obtained.

Good to mention the repeat ramblers like Malvern Hills and Ghislaine. Large plants and flowering through the summer.

Hi, thank you for this video! I love climbers!

thank you for explaining clearly and quickly, very helpful!

Fabulous as always Jason with a great set of example roses. I recently gave a talk on this very subject as so much of the term climber/rambler lends itself towards use rather than true nature, the former generally being stiffer in habit and better leant to walls and fences whereas the more flexible for the arches and pergolas - but a great deal in between. I once heard the description of the difference by a rather prominent UK gardening celebrity that with their pruning, the ramblers should have their flowered stems removed to base to stimulate newer growth for future flowering. Can't say in all my years of working with roses that this would be right for dear old Albertine which often throws its newer stems from some way up the old framework. I have a mixture of ramblers and climbers against a traditional stock fence - some 42" high, amongst them Malvern Hills a rambler from Mr Austin that repeats as well as Kew Rambler, Swan Lake, Viechenbleu and St.Swithun which also lends itself wells through its flexible habit. Zepherine Dropuhin and Kathleen Harrop I use as climbers and they do well in the cooler climate in Scotland. At home I use the Gallica Tuscany as a 'climber' over my outbuilding and the stems are some 12' long and trained in. Some of the traditional climbers have different habits to their original stock, such as 'Blue Moon' in it's climbing form has huge, vigorous inflexible stems that bear flowers in Summer only but Ena Harkness with it's drooping heads makes a superb climber with flowers hanging towards the observer and an amazing scent and colour. Isphahan we've used as a rambler that scrambles through an old tree. You high-light the genealogy which is probably the most 'thorough' way to differentiate but I've gone with flexibility and adaptability for my clients to mix and match their needs. As ou say it can be all rather confusing - great job and thoroughly enjoyed.

Thanks

Thank you!🌞🌹🌞

Decided to give Queen Elizabeth a try. Thanks so much for sharing!

That was interesting my friend.

i love your videos

Thanks.

i appreciate your delivery holding my attention choosing words as meaningful precise totally owning preference bias as passion expressed by obvious heartfelt concern with out spam which is unfortunately too common on the web not holding my attention turned off

I always love your videos and get a lot of info from you. Would you consider doing a video on David Austin roses?

Thanks!

I’m hoping you will show us some of your pillar roses this year!

Hi Jason, thank you. Your videos are the best! I'm new to rose gardening on VI and have learned so much from watching you. Is there a rambler, or any rose, that will tolerate the salt spray along the seaside?

😁🏡🛰Thank you for your super videos, really appreciate them. I cut a Rose New Dawn back in preparation for a new large bamboe pergola with a seat in Den Haag in the Netherlands 🇳🇱 I placed it over a old New Dawn 😅I did cut back the leaders as well 😊🛰have also a White Clematis Montana which I trust to thank me being a Montana 😊I expect the Dawn stems leders will also recover , do you feel sure the N Dawn will end up thanking me as well😉 , as after years of not been pruned back far enough it can now regenerate & 😃🩷🛰🏡 & the past owners had pruned it as I did in the first years-, but not enough I felt.

Def subscribe your channel. After watch your videos, I went to store and got me 9 pots with diff varieties today lol. Huge damage! 😂

Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with us! I moved in our now home 2 years ago. There was already a rose bush. I watched many of your video's. I can't remember which one it was you was training yours to climb along the fence. I don't have a fence to make it climb on. It's planted in front of a metal pole. Can you give me an idea of what I can put for it to climb "along" something. I hope you understand what I'm trying to ask. Sorry new to gardening. Thank you again!

There is a Lady Banks Rose in Tombstone Arizona that has a massive truck being the largest rose in the world. I stood under it one spring before it leafed out. The rose covered the huge court yard and up and over the house.

Never heard of rambling before. Only heard of climbers, hybrid tea and floribunda. What other varieties are there? My favourite are the hybrid tea bush roses and double delight being my first choice for its colour of pink/red/white and its beautiful scent.

BEAUTIFUL. 💘💘💘🌹

Perfect timing, we were just talking about this on the weekend. Colleen had a Rosa Banksa !! Beautiful!! Just wondering if there's any consideration for heavy clay soil ? Thanks again!! Jason and Colleen

Thank you for your excellent video!❤ Please tell us if there is a difference between them in the way we pruning. A big hug from Greece!

This excellent video has me fuming. I went to a mature plants nursery and bought 2 very expensive rose plants which they claimed were climbers. They only gave one flush of roses in June and nothing since. So I'm assuming they're ramblers. I will be having words with them for sure.

Lady banks “give some space” is an understatement haha. The largest rose to ever live is a monster lady banks I think in Arizona

Hello Jason, I’m new to your videos and congratulations, they are excellent. Wondering if the climate zones you mention are USDA zones or Canadian climate zones? Thank you!

Hi. Thank you for all the educational videos. Today's instruction was particularly timely. I just assembled a 10ft trellis and I'm trying to figure out what roses to purchase. I'm in zone 8a and the location of the trellis is in my side yard. Visible from the street, in full sun from about 9-10am until 3-4pm. I would like a couple of climbers that are quite showy. I'm new at growing roses and planted five last year which have done well. I'm not an expert so don't want a high maintainance plant. I do want a heavy bloomer. I would appreciate som ideas. Thank you Christine

Your videos are always informative and easy to understand! Also like seeing the standout samples. I recently read that climbing roses get more blooms when the main stems are trained closer to horizontal, and then send up vertical growth from there. Do ramblers behave in the same way?

Love your informative videos- Was thinking of acquiring an American Pillar rose to grow on a trellis above my double basement doors. I live in Delaraware where the climate is hot and muggy in the summer, and quite a bit of rainfall. Will this rose be disease prone in my area , and if so, can you recommend another that is less prone to mildew or blackspot and has a more cottage-y vibe? I would prefer not to spray. Thank you.

Hi, how cold does it get where you're at? Thanks for the great videos.

Hi Jason...I live in zone 5 and have a couple of climbers. Would these climbers grow as high as they are supposed to in my growing season. I noticed that the canes needed to be cut down to about a foot high...do I need to wrap them or do something else to prevent most of the cain from dying?

I once bought a miniature rose in a pot and decided to plant it outside in the ground. It ended up growing 7 feet high and 10 feet in diameter.

What about as far as shade tolerance, any distinction to be made, climbers vs ramblers? I'd like to try a rambler but I am somewhat sun-challenged.

Hi there. I have a shrub rose that has one stem that shot up much higher than others. In your video you mentioned this is a genetic mutation and that some people start a climbing rose from a cutting. Is this a relative easy thing for a somewhat beginner Gardner or, could I peg that particular stem to get more roses on the lateral?

I have found that the different climbers and ramblers need a different type of support. Some only grow on wood but not plastic trellises, some only grow on wire, some grow on fences and some won't. The has cost me a lot of money in the past when got the qrong support. It would be helpful to have this info before planting the climbers and ramblers.

Very nice. I think you’ve mentioned ghislane de feligonde as a rambler before, but I think it was a repeater in my old garden. Also, how about an episode on hybrid musks? What’s not to life about these massive, scented blooming bee factories?

Have you grown Erinnerung an Brod? I saw it available at Rogue Valley but was hesitant to buy it because I was worried about the size getting too big. Flowers look just like Charles de Mills.

I really enjoy your channel especially since I'm now getting into roses but I need some advice on the best selection of Climbing Roses for a couple trellises of mine I'm in Barbados West Indies a tropical climate with just a dry & wet season it's a mainly limestone island with I'd say mostly alkaline soils. Can you possibly recommend some varieties of Climbing Roses grown from seed which you think would flourish & thrive here?

Why is only one zone listed - does that mean it can't survive past that zone or is that the zone it does best in or can it not grow down here in Florida?

Hello- most useful to learn that what I have taking over the front of my house is a - Rambler! I believe it is Zepherine Drouhin. But this lady's thorns pack a ferocious bite! And the literature describes it as thornless. I purchased it bare root from a nursery. What could be at play here? I appreciate any thoughts. Thank you!

I purchased a Queen Elizabeth Climbing Rose on sale a few months ago.. But after reading reviews many people say that she produces great foliage but not many blooms if any. Any suggestions on how to get her blooming. I've actually gotten a few blooms so far.

Hello there, I have a question for you. Do you know if there are any climbibg roses or ramblers that are cane hardy in zone 5b, I live in Montreal. I bought Eden, Shropshire’s lad and The generous gardener, they all say they are hardy to zone 5, but I’m wondering if they are cane hardy… thank so much for your time. Have a great day

I am in Eastern NC, don't know what zone that is? I have a rose bush planted March or April of 2020. It started growing, and has several long long vines coming from original sprout. The only blooms I get turn out to be a very small flower, never big rose. I know it said on the paper was some kind of hybrid but can not remember anything else other than it was to be YELLOW. The vines are at least 8-12 ft long. Is there any way we can connect so I could send pictures that might help out?

Q: Do once blooming rambling roses all bloom at the same time in an area or are there early, mid, and late types (so could have blooms from different rambler plants at different times in garden)?

Hello sir ,I love your videos.i plant 5 new roses. 3 climbing rose ,2 flowerbanda and 1 hybrid tea.but my hybrid tea hot some problem. Please advise me .

I planting a rambling rose to go up a tree. To get a few different colours would a climbing rose climb up a tree as well?

Can anyone tell me please, if "Pierre de Ronsard" is climbler as I believe or is it rambler? Thanks a lot!!

Do you have any suggestions for 9-10 zones on climbing roses? Thank you

Wonderful content Jason! I have several climbers: Jeanne Lajoie, Dortmund, Victorian Memory and one that I can barely find info on...Mr. Nash. A once bloomer, 20' tall, vigorous, peachy yellow flowers with great hips. Have you heard of it?

Jason, what does it mean to call a rose "a garden rose"? Thanks.

Hi, silly question, is there a thornless climbing rose?

How do we winter prune a rambler vs climber

I have a question; would a rambling rose be better suited for climbing up a tree? Or would a typical climbing rose do just fine? I'm wanting to try my hand at growing roses to climb up the trunk of a tree. I was going to get just a normal climbing rose but watching your video has made me wonder if a rambler would be better for the outcome I'm looking for. The pics of the rambling roses you showed look much more "wild" with their growth. And bigger.

🙏🙏🙏

Is there a difference in how you prune or take care of climbers vs ramblers?

Do all climbers in zone 5 0r 6 have to be pinned to the ground for over wintering

I had a rose to die and what I'd like to know is I know that you can't plant back in that spot can you dig that spot out put more dirt in there and replant in there or can you just move a couple of feet over and plant another Rose in that area

So I can t plant aloha in the okanagan 6b?

Please I want a climbing rose in my garden zone 5b what would you recommend????? 🥺

Hello Jason, I really need your help with my recent planted roses - Four bushes for matter of fact. They were simply coming along beautifully - but the birds have been eating all the leaves and all the buds that were on the branches. All that is left is nothing. I shush the birds away but they return as soon as I pretend to walk away. Very annoying and aggressive bird 🐦 What can I do please, anyone please help. ☹️🌹🌹🌹