Begin tying any longer canes to a trellis, stakes or other supports and do NOT prune it. IF that plant wants to climb, it will make use of the support and the canes will get longer. Letting them remain free standing, they will thicken to provide support. Tied to something for support, they could begin getting longer. Another thing you can do to help "encourage" it to climb is to not let it flower. Energy can be expended in flowering or growing and it's your choice which it will be. Keeping the flower buds pinched off should encourage the plant to push a lot of new growth, MUCH more quickly than it would if it kept blooming. Kim

I grow both AD as shrubs. I must confess I dream of having ADs like Olga's but I know that it would never happen. First, my plants aren't as good as hers. Second, by now the apricot tree roots extend to the territory allocated to AD and soak up the moisture. Still, AD is one of my most favorite Austins.

You would space climbers 8' to 20' apart depending on the vigor of the cultivar and whether or not it would be expected to suffer winter damage in your climate. For example, 'New Dawn' (a reliable light pink climber) could cover 20' in zone 6a, maybe not in 5a. You not only can, but should fan canes out at various horizontal levels on a 6' high fence. Bend the first strong cane nearly to the ground if possible and anchor it in a moderate arch. With most varieties, the best time to bend them is after they have grown out and become fibrous. Some varieties are more flexible than others. Climbers can be kept to a 3'-4' "depth" with regular policing. Climbers will make bushy growth the first year or two and then start producing climbing canes from the base, a few each year. These are 7'-15' long. Once the climber is as dense as you want, start removing a few of the oldest canes at the base each year, either in early spring or after the first flush is finished. A light pink climber that will be fully hardy in your area is 'John Davis.' It is a moderate grower--I'd space 8'-10' apart. 'Morning Magic' sounds interesting, but I'd want to hear reports of hardiness below actual -15 or whatever you commonly experience there.

Thank you for your responses - they are very helpful! This is where I've read about training in the second year: http://www.palmers.co.nz/index.cfm?componentID=334. I have no clue how reliable that information is - perhaps it is true for some geographical locations? I am glad I did the right thing training them now. I did get scratched - in fact I undressed to sunbathe while training roses. 30 mins later, when I saw blood, I got fully dressed and gloved ;-) These are my first roses ever so I want to make my mistakes with them rather than with the more expensive antique roses, which I also admire and will one day buy. There are not too many cane hardy to zone 5 but some are so I just have to do some more reading and first-hand rose growing. Regarding my worries about the leaves, I am double cautious around roses now because 2 years ago, while feeling brave, I pruned my mother's roses in what seemed to me a regular spring fashion, i.e. down to less than 1' - and it turned out they were climbers and shouldn't have been touched.. They have not recovered by today - the few new canes are perhaps only half as thick as the original ones I had cut off. So now I try to read and ask before I do anything. BTW, is there hope for those hard pruned climbers? Will they ever grow as strong as they initially did, or should we replace them with new ones? Diane - thank you for the links to GW posts - it didn't occur to me to do a search using any other word than "espalier" so I only found one result :-) I am not cutting anything off these roses in the foreseable future.