Mine was hard to train, stiff canes. You have to train it to climb, so don't train it and prune it to the size you want. I think it really wants to be a shrub, not a climber. I pruned mine in the fall after it flowered.

Omg Summer that is phenomenal!

Mine are just 4' high last year so i imagine this year they are going to explode. Should I cut them down to 3' or less?

do u think I could still transplant the plant safely of is it too established? Maybe I will build a crazy heavy duty trellis in the yard.

I think they are probably pretty established by now, it would be a beast to move with those thorns. I think they would make beautiful shrubs where they are, I prune in the late fall because I like the big hips. I don't deadhead or I wouldn't have hips. Just cut them back to where you are comfortable. After they flower, they put out new growth very quickly. It's really up to you, there is not much you can do to really hurt this rose as far as pruning goes. Just remember that if you prune in the spring you'll have to do it after it flowers. Otherwise there will be no blooms.

I hope my monster William Baffin won't give you any bad dreams. It's controllable if you cut it back. I haven't cut mine back for a few years, and I have a good reason. I had a wonderful couple as my backyard neighbors for years, they loved William Baffin (8-9 years old), they started taking their family annual photos in front of 1 William Baffin in the spring a few years ago, I thought I'd keep that one big and tall for their photos, and for the garden balance reason, I let the other ones grew into the same size. The lady passed last summer, her husband moved to a nursing home, the house has been sold. I really missed them.....this year I will cut them back to 7-8' tall after their spring show.

Sorry Summer

Summer, your William Baffin are GORGEOUS!! You sure know how to grow roses!!!! I wouldn't do a thing to that look. You have the room to let them grow. I never did and they took over my trellis and driveway. That setting is wonderful. I want a chair to sit beside them dream the day away!!

Rebecca

Thanks Altorama and Rebecca. I still can't believe they were gone.......life is priceless.

My 3 William Buffin repeat a little , I am wondering if I trim them more, they'd rebloom better.

Summer, I had 2 WB for years and they never repeated with one flower. EVER. I dead headed faithfully and gave them compost. Spoke sweet nothings in their ears, and begged for blooms. That and the fact that they literally ate my sit down three sided trellis even though I pruned them down to 3-5 canes every year, got them a ticket out of my yard.

Rebecca

Rebecca, Palatine has a huge one repeats well, I saw the re-blooms when I was there last Aug, I couldn't believe it had so many blooms. They're 1 zone warmer than me though, maybe the temp is playing the trick. I will ask them about it and will post info here for the WB keepers. My WB's re-blooms are spotty, like Zephirine Drouhin. I notice the re-blooms after they were 5-6 years old. They're trellis eaters for real.

Jsfam, Which zone are you in? I hope yours have some repeats. Good luck to yours.

WB very hardly and unruly. Has pulled the arbor down. Albeit after 20 years of dazzling display in June. Will see if can be a bush now