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How do I restore old climbers to bloom?

HappyinmyGarden1000

11 years ago

I'm restoring the grounds of an old house and have red climber roses that I'm nursing back to health. They actually look healthy now (leaves and lots of new shoots and long canes etc.) but they won't blossom. Early in the summer they had some blossoms at the base but they won't bloom on the long branches. I've fastened them to the fence in horizontal directions, fed them, they get regular weekly deep watering, as well as brief daily drip, and still no blossoms. Ideas? Suggestions? Experience? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

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Comments (6)

jacqueline9CA
11 years ago
First I would look up pictures of Dr. Huey on Help Me Find/Roses, and see if it looks like your roses. If they are Dr.Huey, the reason they are not blooming is because Dr. Huey is a once blooming climbing rose that only blooms in the Spring. Sounds like they are healthy, and next Spring you should have (assuming they are growing in the sun) quite a display!

Dr. Huey was/is used extensively as rootstock in CA. So, the original roses were grafted onto Dr. Huey roots. What frequently happens is that the top rose (the scion) dies (frequently in cold winters - what part of the country are you in?), and the Dr. Huey roots survive and send up their own canes, and magically there is a Dr. Huey bush. It is a very vigorous rose, and persists all over CA in old gardens with very little care. Given care, it can be beautiful in the Spring.

Jackie
michaelg
11 years ago
Very likely jacqueline's guess is correct. I can add this: your mention of "flowers at the base" suggests that the roses were pruned heavily. Dr. Huey blooms only on canes that have been through a winter. This season's long canes will bloom next spring if you don't prune them in fall or spring. Any heavy pruning should be done right after blooming.
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HappyinmyGarden1000
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you so much! I will do research but I'll bet you are correct as I live in So. CA. And it is also very helpful to know that I should not heavily prune. Should I limit how many canes I tie to the fence? Is there any advantage in not having too many?

Thank you again, as I was thinking that I was doing something to stunt their growth.
jerijen
11 years ago
Happy, you will probably want to prune your REMONTANT -- repeat-blooming -- roses sometime between late-November and the end of February (depending upon where in Southern CA you are located).

PLEASE NOTE: When you prune your repeat-bloomers, you will probably not remove more than a third of the existing growth.

ONCE-bloomers (such as Dr. Huey) are pruned in late spring/early summer, once their big spring bloom is completed.

But that is, IF what you have is 'Dr. Huey'.
Please do use the link here to go to HelpMeFind and look at the images and text for 'Dr Huey'.

Finally, if your big "climbers" really are 'Dr. Huey,' you may wish to remove them, and replace them with other roses. "Huey" is really spectacular in his spring bloom, like a fountain of dark red wine. But after that, in Southern California, he can be a real martyr to disease.

There are better climbing roses, both old and modern.

Jeri

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Dr. Huey,' at HelpMeFind
jacqueline9CA
11 years ago
Tie all you want to the fence, as horizontally as you can. As said above, do not prune them AT ALL (except to remove any completely dead parts) until after they have bloomed next Spring.

Jackie
ogrose_tx
11 years ago
Jackie, you explained Dr Huey so very well.

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