I have two Nahemas and I typically prune in early Spring after the last frost. Since you're in Sydney, your Summer is ending now? If so, I'd wait until your "Winter" is just about finished and prune just the laterals unless your want your plant shorter for some reason. From the photo, it looks like you can continue to train the main canes along that wall or over the top of the window grate? That's going to be fantastic when Nahema blooms and all that lovely fragrance goes right into that window!!! It looks super healthy so it should be a good smelly show. haha

So you wouldn’t wait until the laterals have flowered next summer? I’m only asking because I read somewhere that you shouldn’t prune climbing roses when they’re young - I’m not sure when to start.

Would you leave about 3-4”?

Yes I’ll keep training horizontal as far as they want to go (my partner doesn’t read this)

i don’t suppose you have any before and after pruning photos? Or photos of the rose in flower?

Thanks

Prune roses immediately after their big spring flush. Only prune 1/3 at a time. You might want to prune more later on but don't shock the rose.

Thanks, hopefully there will be a big spring flush!

OK ... I'm still confused. I know that as the rose is only a year old I shouldn't prune it yet, till next spring. But have a look at the length of these laterals - they are well over a metre high. Should I cut them back now, leave to go crazy until spring or should I treat them as horizontals & train accordingly?

I think you would be safe to take enough off them to make them manageable, as if you were cutting long stem roses.

Nahema makes a wonderful long stem cut rose because it does have those very, very long laterals and such beautiful fragrance. When it blooms next, you could simply cut the long stems for indoors. Then you would not have to really prune it until winter. :-)

We prune in winter here in CA, isn’t that the right time in OZ too? I would think spring pruning would be too late. Pruning after the spring flush is only for once bloomers from what I understand.

Your Nahema will bloom a lot more once you start cutting the blooms for indoors. I don’t follow the rule for not pruning climbers their first year, especially when they grow so much they really need to be pruned.

I defoliated and pruned mine their first winter and they’re already back over 12 feet again just a few months later.

I have 3 of them, but here’s photos of 1 to give you an idea of my pruning. Not that it’s right... it’s just what I did. ;-)

Before, in fall. Notice my laterals are not as long as yours because I cut all the blooms as long stemmed roses (about 2-3 feet long) for indoors.

After pruning/defoliating in winter. I cut the laterals very short. Just one or two eyes, so only a couple of inches, if that.

I will get a photo of it now once the sun comes up. It’s about 3 months from when I pruned it. This is its first year and I pruned it just like a regular, mature rose because it grew like a regular, mature rose.

Also note, defoliating is a huge and messy job with climbers. Not everyone does it and it’s not really necessary, but I noticed it really helped my roses look beautifully healthy so have done it now for a couple years in my rose garden. It forces dormancy and rejuvenates them.

Here it is today. About 3 months after I pruned/defoliated it in the winter.

Fragrancenutter has great posts about Nahema from a few years ago. They helped me a lot as I was deciding about this rose because laterals this long on a climber was new to me too. She’s in OZ too... maybe do a search for some of her posts if my photos don’t help?

Ha! Curdle we cross posted. :-) I trained mine mostly laterally after reading Fragrancenutter’s posts too. Although it looks upright, the main canes are quite lateral. I have wires going from the trellis across the fence now so it can keep going laterally too.

Those photos are so useful, thank you!! I might try defoliating Nahema this winter. And I think I will follow your advice & prune it then too.

And Fragrancenutter's photos ... wow wow wow. You have unbelievable roses and so many of them!! It looks like you are in hot dry climate, we are hot humid here, maybe not so good for roses. That'll be my excuse anyway.

I've been going through the old posts, one of them says 'Look also for the comment on March 22, starting with "Ok here it goes". You can click on "show more comments" until you find it. ' (referring to a Fragrancenutter post) but anyway I can't find it, have gone back to 2016 but the posts seem to just stop. Do you know where it is?

And saw the idea about using a tomato cage to grow roses on, I might try that if I can find a climbing rose small enough for my garden.

thanks!!

Also, Cori Ann I’d love to see photos of that rose in flower, please post some! And I love the aspect of your garden looking out on to trees

I had a quick look, and found these two posts, but I'm sure there was another one..

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/rose-bush-shots-from-this-spring-dsvw-vd~3451692?n=20

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/growing-austin-roses-as-climbers-dsvw-vd~4235370?n=7

hehe; regarding the tomato cage- thats currently what my Nahema is rapidly outgrowing... Its lasted a year, but I definately need to find something else before next spring.

Thanks - I meant I’d like to see that particular plant above in flower, the one that was defoliated 3 months previously :)

how on earth will you detach the Nahema from the cage?!